r 
I THE- PHILIPPINE SPECIES OF DRYOPTERIS. 
By H. Christ. 
(Basel, Swit^erltmd.) 
Some time ago Mr. Elmer D. Merrill^ Botanist of the Bureau of 
Science, Manila, sent me all the Philippine material of the genus 
Dryopteris from the herbarium of that institution, in order to give me an 
opportunity to prepare a classified list of the species found in the 
Archipelago. The collection contains many of Cuming's plants, and a 
largo number of specimens collected by the American botanists since 
the occupation of the Philippines by the United States. In addition 
to the above material I have also received from Dr. E. B. Copeland 
a notable collection, and Mr. Loiter has had the kindness to furnisli 
me with an additional and very interesting collection^ supplementary 
to the one he sent me in 1897 and which was the basis of my work 
"Filices Insularum Philippinarum."^ Since the publication of the above 
paper some important works of Dr. Copeland have notably advanced 
our knowledge of t\\e ferns of tlie Philippines. In his Polypodiacem 
of the Philijipine Islands/ Dr. Copeland admits GO species of Nephrodium, 
compiling tlie descriptions of all the species credited to the Philippines, 
even of those species of which he had not seen specimens. In my present 
paper I liave not attempted to account for all the species of the genus 
tliat have been credited to the Archipelago by various authors, biifc 
have considered only those of which specimens are before me. In a 
group so diillcult as DvyopLcris and so svibject to diverse interpretatiou, 
it appears io me that the latter treatment is the surest, even if com- 
pleteness is sacrificed. 
I have limited Dryopteris in the sense of Chrisienscn's Index Filieum; 
tliat is, excluding Pleocnemia and Sagmia and treating only Lastrea 
{mdud'mg l^hegoptervi) and. Nephrodium proper (including Goniopterls, 
Mesochlaetm and Meniscit^n). As the Philippines are particularly 
rich in species and forms of Dryopteris, the task of treating all the 
species was sufficiently arduous. In regard to nomenclature I have 
followed Chrlstensens Index Filieum and accepted the generic name 
^Bull. Herb. Hmss. 6 (1898) 127-154; 189-210. 
^Oovt. Lnh. Puhl. 28 (190G) 18-32. 
189 
