1917] Butters,— Studies in Ferns — Athyrium 197 
himself to that variety with the comment “forma rigida” 1; Mand-. 
shuria, ad. fl. Amur, 1855, R. Maack; the last two specimens appear 
to be var. rubellum; North China, 1886, H. E. M. James no. 192, 
close to var. elatius. 
If these ferns should prove to be conspecific with the similar North 
American forms, an interesting nomenclatorial question would be 
raised concerning the status of Ruprecht’s varietal name tripinnatum. 
4. Tue Lapy Ferns or ALASKA, WESTERN CANADA AND THE 
NORTHWESTERN STATES. 
In 1901, Gilbert recognized clearly the points of difference between 
the lady ferns of the northwestern states, British Columbia and Alaska 
and those of the eastern states.2 So traditional, however, had become 
the view that our eastern ferns were true Athyrium Filix-femina, that 
Gilbert seems never to have noticed that, in the various points of differ- 
ence which he noted, it is always the western, rather than the eastern 
plant which approaches most closely to the European type. Thus 
he says of the western fern, which he called Athyrium cyclosorum 
Ruprecht, “Indusium short, fringed early in the season with long, 
jointed cilia which disappear with age, generally hippocrepiform, 
sometimes only hamate,” and a little lower on the page he mentions 
the “rotund sorus and jointed cilia of the indusium,” descriptions 
which correspond perfectly with much of the European material. 
In a later publication * he mentions a color peculiarity (by no means 
general in western lady ferns) and then goes on to say, “the shape of 
the frond is very much like that of Struthiopteris. It tapers from the 
middle both ways, and the small lower pinnae come within four inches 
of the root. The farther down the stipe the pinnae are situated, the 
farther apart they stand. The pinnae themselves are quite different 
from those of Asplenium filix-foemina. Not only are they cut differ- 
ently, but the enlargement of the anterior lower lobe, which is so 
distinct a feature of A. f. f. is entirely lacking here.” It will be 
remembered that one of the diagnostic characters by which Willdenow 
distinguished his Aspidium angustum from the true Filix-femina, was 
1 Ruprecht, F. J., Dist. Crypt. Vasc. in Imp. Ros. 41 (1845). 
2 Gilbert, B. D., Working List of N. A. Pterid. 31 (1901). 
3 Id. Obs. on N. A. Pterid. Fern Bull. xiii. 76 (1905). 
