198 Rhodora [SEPTEMBER 
that the former species has “serraturis subbidentibus, infima superiore 
elongata.” 
A comparison of the specimens in the Gray Herbarium of Athyrium 
Filix-femina from western North America, with those from Europe 
shows that in all important respects there is complete agreement. 
Rhizome, scales, general form of frond, sori, indusia, sporangia and 
spores all agree. The indusia of the larger sori, measured in over 
twenty-five specimens give an average height of 0.55 mm., and an 
average length of 0.8 mm., precisely the dimensions obtained from 
European material. 
The stalks of the sporangia proliferate as they commonly do in 
European material of A. Filix-femina. No case has been seen in west 
American material in which a branch of the sporangial stalk bears a 
glandular structure such as is common in the east American species, 
and is occasionally found in European material of A. Filix-femina. 
The spores are yellowish, and average 38.9 X 24 u in size. 
Like the European A. Filix-femina, the northwestern plant is very 
variable. Some forms are common to both continents, while others 
appear to be peculiar to one or the other. The coarser European 
forms may be matched exactly with American material, while some 
of the finer cut forms, particularly var. multidentatum (Doll) Milde, 
and the form commonly known in Europe as var. rhaeticum,! appear 
to be wanting in this continent. A characteristically American variety 
is A. Filix-femina var. sitchense Ruprecht ex Moore, a large and coarse 
1 This is the Polypodium rhaeticum of Linnaeus in part. As explained below on page 203 the 
Linnaean name is a nomen confusum, and should be rejected. The oldest tenable varietal name 
for this plant appears to be Athyrium Filiz-femina var. convexum Newman, Hist. of Brit. Ferns, 
ed. 2, 245 (1844). 
2 Moore, Thomas, Index Fil. 183 (1860), where this combination appears in the synonymy, 
and is attributed to Ruprecht. Ruprecht’s own publication in Dist. Crypt. Vasc. Imp. Ross., 
41 (1845), was as follows: 
65. Athyrium Filix foemina Roth, * * * * * 
658. Athyrium Filix foemina: tripinnatum * * * 
65y. Athyrium cyclosorum *Indusium brevius et sori plerumque rotundi. Petro- 
pawlowsk! (etiam pinnulis angustis) et Unalaschka!; Kadiak (Blaschcke!). Ut videtur 
etiam pr. Kola in Lappon. ross. crescit. (Hb. Baer!). 
655. Athyrium sitchense * Frons interdum 4 pedalis; indusia brevissima fere cystop- 
teridis; pinnae primariae secundariae pl. min. spatio pollicis dimidii disjunctae. Sitcha 
(Mertens!). 
This publication of “y Athyrium cyclosorum” and ‘‘5 Athyrium sitchense ”?, has been cited by 
various authors, sometimes as the publication of species, and sometimes as that of varieties, 
Ruprecht, himself, in the preface to his paper (loc. cit., p. 6) speaks of them as ‘‘species secundi 
ordinis s. d. varietates characteres suos interdum constanter servantes.” 
Ruprecht’s other subspecies, y Athyrium cyclosorum, has been identified with the var. sitchense 
by many authors, and the name has been applied to some or all of our western lady ferns. As 
