214 Rhodora [SEPTEMBER 
cordate, rarely very slightly cuneate at the base. They are cut into 
obovate or spatulate very blunt segments, which lie so close to one 
another that, at a little distance, the pinnule appears as if it were 
nearly undivided. 
In the Gray Herbarium are two excellent specimens of this plant: 
Chiapas, Dr. Ghiesbreght, filices austro-mexicanae no. 252 (type); 
in the San Migueleto Mountains, valley of San Luis Potosi, J. G. 
Schaffner, flora mexicana no. 943. 
BOTRYCHIUM CICUTARIUM (Savigny) Sw. Syn. 171 (1806). (Os- 
munda cicutaria Savigny in Lam. Encycl. iv. 650, 1797). Ivar 
Tidestrom has recently pointed out? the identity of the Mexican fern 
Botrychium brachystachys Kunze, and the West Indian fern Botry- 
chium dichronum Undw. with the old species Botrychium cicutarium. 
As has been pointed out several times, this species has a very short 
fertile spike, but little exceeding the length of the sterile frond, It is 
also peculiar in, having often a second sterile leaf present at the time 
of fruiting. It seems to be generally assumed that this second leaf 
is the remaining sterile part of the fruiting leaf of the previous year, 
but in a specimen in the Gray Herbarium which shows this second 
leaf, there is no indication that it ever bore a fertile spike. In this 
species the sterile frond has greatly enlarged basal pinnae as in ordi- 
nary Botrychium virginianum, the pinnules are lanceolate, acute, 
markedly decurrent at the base, and conspicuously cut about two 
thirds of the distance to the midrib. The ultimate segments of the 
fertile frond are flat and moderately broad. The sporangia are small 
(0.5-0.7 mm. long), and dark brown. Their dehiscence is narrow, 
with a slight recurving of the tips of the valves. 
It is not quite clear to the author whether this plant should be con- 
sidered as a species or as a variety of Botrychium virginianum. The 
differences between this form and typical Botrychium virginianum are 
no greater than the differences between some of the North American 
varieties of that species. On the other hand there is at present no 
evidence of any intergradation such as is found between the various 
North American varieties. It was long since given a varietal name, 
Botrychium virginicum B mexicanum Greville and Hooker, Bot. Misc. 
iii. 223 (1833). 
Specimens in the Gray Herbarium: 
Santo Domingo: in woods near Constanze, 4000 ft. altitude, 
February 1910, von Tuerckheim no. 2963; in woods, Tal Mingo, Province 
of Barahona, 4400 ft. altitude, April 1912, Padre Miguel Fuertes no. 
1540. 
Mexico: Jalapa, state of Vera Cruz, 4000-4500 ft. altitude, 1894, 
C. L. Smith no. 2141. 
GUATEMALA: Volcan de Agua, O. Salvin. 
This plant is also reported from Jamaica and Panama, and either 
this or a closely related form from Ecuador. 
1 Contrib, U. S. Nat. Herb. xvi. 307 (1913). 
