1902] Davenport, — Notes on New England Ferns — IV 49 



spikelets and Trinius's description that his Vilfa gracilis is identical 

 with Agrostis juncea of Michaux, although on the following page of 

 the same work Trinius considers Vilfa juncea (Michx.) as a distinct 

 species, evidently, however, basing his description mainly on South 

 American material which was probably not the true Agrostis juncea 

 of Michaux. Through an error Trinius published a second species 

 of Vilfa under the specific name gracilis in the same work, page 82, 

 which, however, is a synonym of Sporobolus brevifolius (Nutt.) Scribn. 

 In indexing this volume Trinius discovered his error and applied a 

 new name Vilfa subsetacea, page in, to his first Vilfa gracilis rather 

 than to the second and hence Vilfa subsetacea becomes a synonym of 

 Sporobolus gracilis. In Britton's Manual Mr. Nash applied the name 

 Sporobolus ejuncidus to this species, owing to the fact that the name 

 Sporobolus junceus was untenable because Michaux's original publica- 

 tion of the species sub Agrostis, was antedated by Agrostis junceus 

 Lam. According to the above note this name becomes a synonym, 

 as the species already had two available names, Vilfa gracilis and 

 Vilfa subsetacea, 



Washington, D. C. 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON NEW ENGLAND 



FERNS, — IV. 



George E. Davenport. 



Note 7. The Evergreen Ferns of New England. — A winter 

 study. This note is intended as a guide to the study of those ferns 

 which remain green, or nearly so, through the winter and early spring, 

 when the frequently occurring intervals of mild weather afford 

 numerous opportunities for studying them to advantage. 



With the disappearance of the late autumn foliage from the hills 

 and woodlands, the rocky ledges stand out in bolder relief, exposing 

 to view the great masses of polypody that fringe the boulders with 

 their dark green fronds ; the marginal shield ferns that crouch low 

 at their bases for shelter, and the tiny spleenworts that have been 

 hiding away securely in the crevices of the cliffs through all the sum- 

 mer season. In the woodland swamps, when free from snow, the 



