Robinson: Polycodium 557 



be very greatly reduced although sometimes differing considerably 

 within the same inflorescence. P. oliganthum approaches the 

 former condition but seems to have been referred correctly to the 

 P.floridanum group. The linking material affords some justifica- 

 tion for the view that specific lines should not be drawn on this 

 character, but the corolla in the group thus separated is always 

 smaller, one half to one third of the length of that of the remaining 

 species, and it seems preferable to consider it as distinct and as 

 forming a single species only. Its range is from South Carolina 

 to Florida, all of the types of the species proposed having come 

 from the latter state. If this view be accepted, there seems no 

 reason why its name should not be Polycodium floridanum (Nutt.) 

 Greene. 



From the remainder it is exceedingly easy to separate Poly- 

 codium neglectum Small by means of its glabrous branchlets and 

 leaves. These characters hold definitely for large series of collec- 

 tions, but there seem no others correlated with them, and the 

 plants often grow side by side with those of P. stamineum. It is, 

 therefore, a matter of opinion as to whether the two should be 

 held distinct. 



Polycodium melanocarpum was described by Mohr* as Vac- 

 cinium stamineum melanocarpum without a definite type specified. 

 It was raised to specific rank by Kearney, f who expressly stated 

 that his own collections were not typical. Mohr, J subsequently 

 discussing it as a species, gives as the type locality "Mountain 

 region of Alabama. More specifically, St. Clair County, near 

 Ashville, July 1880." The ground for separation was the succulent 

 nature of the fruit and its color. Mohr also proposed two varieties, 

 V. melanocarpum candicans and V. melanocarpum sericeum. In 

 Small's Flora§ the former variety becomes P. candicans (C. Mohr) 

 Small, and Polycodium melanocarpum includes both the species 

 and its variety sericeum; "hypanthium usually more or less 

 pubescent." The seventh edition of Gray's Manual goes further: 

 "calyx white-tomentose." Study of material in the herbarium of 



* Bull. Torrey Club 24: 25. 1897. 

 t Bull. Torrey Club 24: 570. 1897. 

 t Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 6: 658. 1901. 

 § Fl. SE. U. S. 894. 1903. 



