1917] Butters,— Studies in Ferns — Athyrium | 199 
variety sometimes 2 m. tall, pinnae 1-2 dm. long, remote, the lower 
ones with 5-10 cm. intervals; pinnules triangular-lanceolate, 1.5-3 cm. 
long, 0.5-1.5 em. wide, remote, separated by about their own width, 
incised with numerous low, broad and blunt teeth, or in the largest 
fronds, pinnatifid, the segments of the third order oblong, obtuse, 
slightly 5-8 toothed, the largest 6 X 2.5 mm. in size. 
This variety differs from A. Filix-femina var. multidentatum (Döll) 
Milde of Europe, chiefly in its relatively broad and short ultimate 
segments with almost suppressed marginal teeth, which are crowded 
towards the very obtuse apex of the segment. The immature form of 
this variety is the forma Hillii.2 The pinnules at this stage are large 
(4-5 X 7-10 mm.), very blunt and rounded, crowded, and not at all 
pinnatifid, but with a somewhat crenate outline and numerous very 
small teeth borne chiefly at the summit of the pinnule. This type of 
foliage is retained until after fruiting commences, and until the fronds 
are 5-6 dm. tall. The transition to the mature form may sometimes 
has already been pointed out, there is nothing about the sori of the American ferns of this 
species to distinguish them from many Scandinavian, German, and British specimens. Ac- 
cordingly, Ruprecht’s definition of y A. cyclosorum becomes nearly meaningless, and his refer- 
ence to Lapland in his statement of habitat indicates that he was including in his variety all 
those lady ferns which have unusually short and round sori. Some of his Alaskan material 
assigned to this variety is here considered as belonging to the var. sifchense, while the Asiatic 
(probably) and the European (certainly) is considered as typical A. Filiz-femina. In this 
interpretation I am following Milde, who says (Fil. Eu. et At. p. 50, 1867.) “var. cyclosorum 
Rupr. ex insulis Kadjak et Unalaschka mihi nomine varietatis non digna videtur; specimina 
unalaschkensia paulum varietatis praecedentis [var. sitchense] nos commonent, and again, on 
p. 52 of the same work, “Athyrium cyclosorum Rupr. Beitr. III (1845) p. 41 nullo modo ab 
A. Fil. fem. differt.” 
Gilbert (List of N. A. Pterid. 31) says, “The only [specimens] in the U. S. which can be 
considered as something like type specimens are two in the Gray herbarium which were re- 
ceived from St. Petersburgh: one of them came from the Amur region, the other from Unalaska 
which was the type locality.’’ The first mentioned specimen cannot be identified, as there are 
in the Gray Herbarium three specimens of lady ferns from the Amur region, all received by way 
of Petrograd, and all labelled ‘‘ Aspidium Filix foemina.” None of these shows any especial 
resemblance to the west American forms of this species. The Unalaska specimen is labelled, 
apparently in Ruprecht’s own hand-writing, “‘ Aspidium Filiz foemina var. aspidioides Ru- 
precht,” and has the printed data ‘‘Herb. Acad. Petrop.— Unalaschka.— Dr. Mertens.” 
While this is probably some of the original material from which Ruprecht published his y 
A. cyclosorum, it cannot be considered as type material, considering that it does not bear 
that name, nor any recognized synonym. It is a fairly well marked example of the var. 
sitchense as here defined. A specimen labelled in the same hand-writing, ‘Athyrium Filiz 
foemina (L.) Roth. var.— Kamtschatka”’ is typical A. Filix-femina. 
The synonymy of the var. siichense is, therefore: 
Arayrium Finrx-remina (L.) Roth. var. srrcHeENsE Ruprecht ex Moore, Index Fil. 
183 (1860). 
6 Athyrium sitchense Rupr. Dist. Crypt. Vas. Ross., 41 (1845). 
y Athyrium cyclosorum Rupr. loc. cit. 41 (1845), in part. 
2 ATHYRIUM FILIX-FEMINA (L.) Roth. var. strcHeNse Ruprecht ex Moore forma Hillii 
(Gilbert) comb. nov., Athyrium cyclosorum f. Hillii Gilbert, List of N. A. Pterid, 32 (1901). 
