it here in 1868 and determined it as P. cretica. The first refer- 

 ence to the occurrence of a naturalized Pteris in South Carolina 

 appears in the Proceedings of the Elliott Society,^ where Professor 

 Gibbes reports ' ' an undetermined species of Pteris, found about 

 a month since, in fruit, in Wentworth St., near the corner of 

 Rutledge, growing on the brick foundation of a wooden house, 

 on the South side of the street. * * * the Fern is growing 

 freely, and it is like none of those known to inhabit this State. 

 Its origin and the time of its introduction are unknown." No 

 further reference to the discovery is made in the Elliott Society's 

 Proceedings, and no specimens of an introduced Pteris from Pro- 

 fessor Gibbes' herbarium have been traced. Professor Gibbes' 

 daughter. Miss Emma (gibbes, tells me that her father trans- 

 planted several of th(> ferns from Wentworth Street to the wall 

 of his laboratory at the College of Charleston. From here he 

 permitted the collector, A. H. Curtis, several years later to take 

 many specimens, which were distributed as P. serrulata. J. 

 Donnell Smith also collected here April 16, 1880 (Gray Herb.). 

 Since then the fern has become abundant on the many shaded 

 old brick walls of the city. Modern progress is its enemy and 

 the advent of fresh paint and plaster mark its retreat. It is, 

 however, holding its own and has spread beyond the city. I have 

 found it plentiful on a modern brick culvert at the Navy Yard, 

 Dr. D. S. Martin has noted it on the Theological Seminary at 

 Columbia since 1898 or 1900, and Miss Anna Sinkler has recently 

 sent me specimens from "Eutaw," near Eutawville. 



Miss Margaret Slosson has kindly examined for me the South 

 Carolina specimens of this species in the herbarium of the New 

 York Botanical Garden and finds, beside eight sheets from Cur- 

 tis, one collected by Eggleston at Eutawville, on ' ' Locks of San- 

 tee Canal." That Eutawville is fifteen miles from the Santee 

 Canal is of little importance, but it is of interest to know that 

 Eggleston, probably in the eighties, found this introduced species 

 in Ravenel's own country. Ravenel's Catalogue was devoted 



» II, Dec, 1868, 01-62. ' 



20 



