101 



the fertile pinnae retain nearly the appearance of the sterile, and bear 

 a marginal fructification. Some of the pinnae are only very slightly 

 contracted, and, showing the green surface of the lamina between the 

 marginal lines of sori beneath, as well as on the upper side, have an 

 elegant appearance. In some of the specimens the fructification is 

 carried upward on to the normally sterile pinnae ; in one instance, to 

 within three pairs from the top, and in another, with four pairs of 

 fertile pinnae which show the green tissue between the lines of spo- 

 rangia, the fructification is carried up on one side only, nearly to 

 the top. Examining the venation in such portions, I found that, 

 whereas in the wholly sterile segments the veins forked once or twice 

 with great regularity, extending from a nearly straight costa to the 

 entire margins, in the fertile segments the margins were more or less 

 toothed, and either a single vein projected from the more eccentric 

 costa into each notch or sinus, and bore on its slightly thickened, or 

 obsoletely forked apex a sorus, or, in the broader segments, that the 

 veins forked once, the branches terminating in the notches of the 

 doubly-serrated margin and bearing on their apices the much reduced 

 sori. 



Osmwida cinnamomea^ L. — Mr. Storrow Higginson once pointed 

 out to me a distinctive character, which, so far as my observations 

 have since extended, appears to be quite constant in this species, and 

 may serve to aid those who are sometimes puzzled to distinguish be- 

 tween its sterile fronds and those of its congener O. Claytoniana, In 

 O. cinnamomea there Avill be found at the base of each pinna a small 

 persistent bunch of wool which is nearly or wholly wanting in O. 

 Claytoniana^ and of which no mention has been made anywhere that 

 I am aware of. 



L 



Helonias bullata on Staten Island. — While botanizing near Ross- 

 ville, S. I., in the early part of April wnth Mr. Arthur Hollick, my 

 attention was drawn to numerous specimens of a plant having a tuft 

 of parallel-veined leaves at its base, which had apparently remained 

 green all winter. We at once suspected that It might prove to 

 be Helonias, as we knew of nothing else resembling the plant in 

 question native to this part of the country. Deeming the discovery 

 of sufficient importance to warrant further investigation, we made 

 another trip to the locality on the 28th of May, and were rewarded 

 by finding a single flowering specimen, almost gone, to be sure, but 

 showing plainly that our first surmise was correct. 



The locality is about three-fourths of a mile south of Rossyille, a 

 short distance west of the road leading from that place to Kreischer- 

 ville. It is in a maple swamp near a clay bed. 



Many other pine barren plants grow in the vicinity, notably 

 Ascyrum Crux-Andreae, L., Euphorbia Ipecacuanhae, L., and Aster 

 coftcolor, L. I have already referred to the remarkable manner in 

 which the pine barren flora extends into Staten Island (see Bul- 

 letin, Vol. vii., p. 81), and the discovery of Helonias there adds 

 another species to my list, and a new one to the flora of New York 



State. 

 J 



N. L. Britton. 



