FERN FAMILY 1041 



rolled into closed balls, finally dehiscent; veins free; sporangia dorsal on the 

 simple or forked veinlets. Damp places: Ne^\■f. — Pla. — Tex. — S.D. (Black Hills) 

 — Sask. Plain — Suhniont. 



2. PTERETIS Raf. Ostrich Fern. 



Plants with coarse dimorphous fronds, growing in cro'mis from stoloniferous 

 rhizomes. Sterile fronds foUaceous. Fertile fronds contracted, with revohite 

 margins covering the sori. Sori roundish, on elevated cylindrical receptacles 

 partly covered by delicate lacerate fugacious indusia inferiorly attached. [Slru- 

 ihiopleris Mett., Matieuccia Todaro.] 



1. P. nodulosa (Michx.) Nieuwland. Scales of base of stipe pale bro^-n to 

 cinnamon-colored, thin, membranous; fronds abruptly acuminate at apex, gradu- 

 ally reduced towards base; sterile fronds 0.6-3 m. long, broadly oblanceolate or 

 spatulate. with lanceolate or Unear, pinnatifid pinnae 5-18 cm. long; segments 

 oblong, obtuse or acute; fertile fronds shorter, with rigid, upcurved, commonly 

 pinnatifid necklace-shaped pinnae; veins free, pinnate; veinlets simple. Onoclea 

 nodulosa Michx. Related to but distinct from the European P. struthiopteris 

 (L.) Nieuwland [Mattcuccia strutkiopleris (L.) Todaro.] Wet places: Newf. — 

 Va.— S.D.— B.C. Mont.—Suhmont. 



3. WOODSIA R. Br. 



Small plants with tufted pinnately compound fronds. Sori round, borne on 

 the veins. Indusia placed under the sporangia, sometimes enclosing it at first, 

 often variously divided. Veins free. 



Stipe articulate near tlie base. 1. W. glabella. 



Stipe not articulate. 



Blades pulverulent, with flattened articulate hairs and stalked glands. 



2. W. scopulina. 

 Blades without articulate hairs, unless at the ends of the indusia or segments, glabrous 



or minutely glandular. 

 Indusia very small, divided almost to the center into a few hair-Uke filaments. 



3. W. oregana. 

 Indusia large, cleft more or less deeply into several lobes. 



Lobes of the indasia divided at least halfway down into slender articulate 

 flattened hairs. 4. W. mezicana. 



Lobes of indusia merely jagged, rarely with an occasional jointed extension, 

 often glandular. 5. W. obtusa. 



1. W. glabella R. Br. Fronds tufted, 2.5-15.5 cm. long; stipes usually 

 straw-colored; blades linear or narrowly lanceolate, somewhat narrowed toward 

 base, smooth, pinnate; pinnae deltoid to roundish-ovate, crenately lobed; indusia 

 divided into narrow iointed hair-like curving divisions. Moist rocks: Alaska — 

 Greenl.— Que.— Alta."; N.H., N.Y.; "Minn."; Eu. Bonal— Subarctic. 



2. W. scopulina D. C. Eat. Fronds 5.5-35 cm. long; blades lanceolate, 

 pinnate; pinnae mostly oblong-ovate, deeply pinnatifid; segments short, ovate 

 or oblong, crenate-serridate ; indusia delicate, deeply cleft into laciniae which 

 terminate in short hairs. On rocks: B.C. — Neb. — Ariz. — Calif.; (Gaspe Penin- 

 sula) Que. and (Great Craggy Mts.) N.C.; reported from Minn, and nw la. Sub- 

 monl. — Mont. 



3. W. oregana D. C. Eat. Fronds 5-26.5 cm. long; blades lanceolate- 

 oblong, pinnate; pinnae triangular-oblong, obtuse or subacute, pinnatifid; seg- 

 ments oblong or ovate, obtuse, toothed or crenate; teeth often reflexed over the 

 sori; sori submarginal. On rocks: B.C. — Calif. — Ariz. — Colo. — (? S.D.)— Sask. 

 — Que. Suhniont. — Suhalp. 



4. W. mexicana Fee. Fronds 5-30 cm. long; blades lanceolate, pinnate, 

 minutety glandular; pinnae triangular-lanceolate or rarely suboblong, pinnately 

 divided; segments finely toothed, the teeth ending in deUcate semitransparent 

 tips which are ciliated in young fronds; sori submarginal. (?) W. Cathcartiana 

 B. L. Robins. Rocks: S.D.— Colo.— N.M.— Ariz.; Minn, and Mex. Son.— 

 Mont. 



5. W. obtusa Torr. Fronds 6-62 cm. long; blades broadly lanceolate, 

 slightly reduced at base, pinnate to bipinnate, minutely glandular; pinnae oblong 



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