186 Rhodora [SEPTEMBER 
“ Europe,” and describes a third species, Aspidium angustum, founding 
it upon the fern called by Michaux, “ Nephrodium Filix foemina.” } 
Almost immediately after Willdenow had thus cleared up the 
status of the American lady ferns, P ursh ? introduced an element of 
confusion. He lists Aspidium asplenioides and A. angustum, quoting 
Willdenow’s short diagnosis of each, and between them inserting 
A. Filix-femina with Willdenow’s diagnosis of that species and the 
statement, “In low shady grounds: Canada to Virginia. July 2. 
v.v.” He also says of A. asplenioides, “ A tall species much resembling 
the following in many respects,” and of A. angustum, “Resembling 
the following.” 
The history of the treatment of these ferns by American botanists 
during the next twenty-five years, was largely a series of attempts 
to fit the existing plants into the three species as outlined by Pursh. 
In these attempts reliance seems to have been placed almost entirely 
on the form and details of the fronds, while the real distinctions were 
ignored. It is accordingly often difficult to ascertain what species 
or form any particular author had in mind when he used a certain 
name. This confusion is especially evident if one compares, for 
example, the various editions of Amos Eaton’s Manual of botany.* 
1 Willdenow, loc. cit. 277. The original description reads: 
129. ASPIDIUM angustum W. 
A. frondibus bipinnatis, pinnulis lanceolatis inciso-serratis, serraturis subbidentatis, infima 
superiore elongata, soris oblongis sublunatis. W. 
Nephrodium (Filiz femina) majusculum * * * * * Mich. amer. 2. p. 268. 
Schmallaubiger Wurmfarrn. W. 
Habitat in Canada. 2i E E A 
Stipes glaber. Frons oblonga bipinnata pedalis et altior. Pinnae sesqui- seu bipollicares 
lanceolatae valde acuminatae allernae. Pinnulae trilineares suboppositae la latae aculae in- 
ciso-serratae. Serraturae breves obtusiusculae indivisae vel bidentatae, infima superior reliquis 
longior. Sori oblongi parum lunati. A. praecedente [A. Filix-femina] satis distincta, circum- 
scriptione frondis oblonga multo angustiore, pinnis magis acuminatis, serratura infima superiore 
pinnulae majore, soris non rectis sed leviter lunatis. W. 
It is evident that Willdenow was describing a very small sun-form of our northern species. 
Specimens in the Gray Herbarium collected by C. G. Pringle in the province of Quebec in 1879 
and 1880 correspond entirely to this description, nearly all others are larger. 
2 Pursh, F., Flora Am. Sept. 664 (1814). 
3 It may be noted that a few American botanists refused to follow Pursh’s lead. Thus 
Jacob Bigelow, in his Florulae Bostonensis (p. 254, 1814) lists only “ Aspidium asplenioides 
Muhl.” [sic], though his description, evidently drawn from actual material, indicated that he 
was dealing with one of the larger forms of A. angustum, and he persisted in this treatment of 
the ferns about Boston throughout the three editions of his work. The Pennsylvania botanists, 
Barton and Darlington (Barton, W. P. C., Compendium Florae Philadelphiae, ii. 209. 1818. 
Darlington, Wm., Flora Cestrica ed. 2, 579. 1837.) listed only a single species, Aspidium aspleni- 
oides. Darlington gives a good original description which indicates that he had named the 
species correctly. Unfortunately, in his third edition (1853) evidently under the influence of 
Hooker and Gray, he changed the name to Asplenium Filiz-foemina R. Br. . 
