71 



Myrionema 

 have found at Marblehead; and 



only, I 



Gracilaria imiltipartita^ Ag., known north of Cape Cod only in 

 the interesting locality at Goose Cove, Squam, is plentiful in the 

 Mystic River marshes, near Boston. 



Saccorhiza dermaiodea^ De la Pyl., I found growing just below 

 low-water mark round a little island off Marblehead, and I picked 

 up a number of fronds washed ashore at Marblehead Neck; they 

 were nearly, if not quite as large as specimens that I collected in Port- 



land Harbor, Me. 



Maiden, Mass 



Frank S. Collins. 



Ophioglossum nudicaule, L. fil.— The Ophioglossum collected V 

 by Dr. Parry and Mr. Cleveland in San Diego, California, in March 

 and April, proves to be this species, rather than O. vidgatum. 



The specimens collected in March w^ere too immature to permit 

 of a positive identification, but those which have been collected 

 since are nearly mature, and are certainly nearer to O, nudicaule 

 than to any other species. 



Some of Dr. Parry's April specimens suggested O, Lusitamcu?nto 

 me, but others in a more advanced state of maturity, since received 

 from Mr. Cleveland, agree very well with O. nudicaule^ and justify 

 Prof. Eaton's suggestion ( m litt.) that they belong to that species. 



The California specimens are somewhat larger, and, for the most 

 part, more fleshy than my Florida specimens, but show the charac- 

 teristic disposition of this species to develop two or more fronds 

 from the same root-stock. 



In one of Mr. Cleveland's specimens, a root branches in opposite 

 directions, forming a single horizontal rootlet on which two young 

 plants arise from buds produced full three inches apart. The 

 plants vary from i\ to 3^ inches in height. In most specimens the 

 fleshiness of the lamina w^holly obscures the venation, but in others 

 apparently becomes thinner and more membranaceous from age. 

 The venation may be distinctly seen by holding the specimen to the 

 light. The fertile branch arises from the base of the lamina ; and 

 the fruit-spike, which is raised on a foot-stalk half the length of the 

 plant itself, bears from 10 to 20 sporangia. Both laminae and fruit- 

 spikes exhibit a tendency toward acuminate apices, though not in 

 so marked a degree as in my Florida specimens. 



This species has heretofore been recorded in the United States 

 only from the South Atlantic and Gulf States, and its present dis- 

 covery (or re-discovery, as it was originally collected in San Diego, 

 by Dr. Parry in 1850, w^hen the specimens were unfortunately lost 

 before being identified) so far away from this region is a most inter- 

 esting one which may lead to the detection of intervening stations. 



As suggested by Mr. Cleveland, some close ground work, with 

 keen eyes, at the right seasons of the year, will probably show that 

 this fern is not so rare as generally supposed. 



My thanks are due, both to Dr. Parry and Mr. Cleveland, for 

 specimens in different stages of maturity. A note from the latter, 

 just at hand, states that the little fern is already disappearmg, thus 



