[Vol. 9 

 142 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 



Thompson (Mo. Bot. Gard. Herb.) ; Powder Mill Canyon, 

 Santa Cruz, 9 May, 1901, Mrs. C. H. Thompson (Mo. Bot. 

 Gard. Herb, and Univ. Minn. Herb.) ; in a winter pond hole, 

 elev. 2000 ft., near Burnett Creek, Monterey Co., 4 April, 

 1901, Dudley (Mo. Bot. Gard. Herb.); Woodside Valley 

 pond, San Mateo Co., 31 October, 1909, Dudley (Dudley 

 Herb.) ; common locally in shallow edges of sloughs, Chico, 

 Butte Co., 30 May, 1903, Copeland 3281 (Mo. Bot. Gard. 

 Herb., Gray Herb., and U. S. Nat. Herb.) ; Coal Mine Ridge 

 Ponds, Santa Cruz Mountains, 28 May, 1906, McMurphy 

 (U. SY Nat. Herb.) ; edge of pond west of Scofield Pond, 

 Coal Mine Ridge, 26 June, 1908, Dudley (Dudley Herb.) ; 

 Coal Mine Ridge, 26 May, 1910, Dudley (Dudley Herb.); 

 Coal Mine Ridge, San Mateo Co., 19 May, 1906, McMurphy 

 (Dudley Herb.). 

 Lower California: Sierra El Taste, November, 1902, Brandegee 



(Mo. Bot. Gard. and U. S. Nat. Herb.). 



The material collected by Brandegee at El Cajon, Cal., April, 

 1895, and at Sierra El Taste in November, 1902, is unusual for 

 /. Howellii in the small spore size. The former has characteris- 

 tic markings, has megaspores 360-400 p in diameter (26-30 p 

 for microspores). The latter has megaspores 360-400 p( 26-30 p 

 for microspores), smoothish to lightly tuberculate, recalling some- 

 what /. mexicana but more nearly resembling 7. Howellii in habit. 

 Both are placed here provisionally, since the size of plant accords 

 well and is too large for the var. minima with which the spore 

 size would place these specimens. 



Nelson's numbers 3939 and 4059 represent somewhat aberrant 

 forms in the degree of development of the ridges on the mega- 

 spores, and in the long leaves (20-35 cm.), but they seem to fall 

 within the range of /. Howellii rather than to be separable as a 

 new form. 



34a. Var. minima Pfeiffer, comb. nov. 



I. minima Eaton, Fern Bull. 6: 30. 1898. 



Corm 2-lobed; leaves 7-16, 3-6 (sometimes 8-10) cm. long, 

 fine, somewhat spreading, attenuate at tip; stomata present; 

 peripheral strands usually 4, weak; ligule triangular, slightly 

 elongated; sporangium 2-3 mm. in length, about 1/3 covered 

 by velum ; megaspores white, 320-420 p in diameter, marked 



