8.5 



troublesome after the middle of February. In other years they appear 

 anywhere from December to April. Often they are local, while again there 

 will be a general freeze that will cut down all tender vegetation. The 

 "great frost"' of March, 1886, was sufHciently severe to kill the young fruits 

 of the cocoanut as far south as Lake Worth, and killed out much of the 

 Vittaria as far down the gulf side as ^Manatee. During last winter several 

 frosts appeared in January as far south as the lake region, and on the 8th 

 of April the Woodwardias along the St John's from Sanford to Palatka were 

 all drooping from a cutting frost. Of course in secluded places ferns may 

 be found at any season, but only in comparatively frostless winters can 

 they be seen to advantage in the northern half of the state. 



The rarer ferns of Florida are tucked awaj' in inaccessible quarters and 

 are not to be found without much searching. Of the ferns peculiarly trop- 

 ical three groups may be considered: (1.) The swamp species. (2.) The 

 epiphytes, (o.) The lime-rock ferns. Of the swamp species, i>Zec/i/mm ser- 

 rulatum is perhaps the most common ; ordinarily this species grows from 

 two to three feet high, but toward its northern limit along the outlet of 

 Lake Dora we found robust forms six and seven feet high. Nephrolepis ex- 

 altata we found in profusion at the same place growing on decaying stumps 

 and logs. In fact this seems to be its usual habitat instead of palmetto 

 trunks, as so often stated. A^pidium unitum has much the same range. 

 Polypodium phiillitidls comes north on the gulf side as far as the Manatee 

 river and we found it not uncommon at Lake Worth. Acrostichum aureum 

 frequents the brackish borders of tidal streams occasionally encroaching 

 below high water mark. In the west coast it comes up as far as Tampa, 

 and on the Atlantic coast it is more or less common throughout the Indian 

 river country and comes well up to the coast above Titusville. We did 

 not find Asplenium serratum in any part of the state visited, though Garber 

 reported it from Manatee in 1879. It more properly belongs in the really 

 tropical portion of Florida. 



Of the epiphytic species Mttaria and Polypodium aureum come furthest 

 north. We found abundance of the former between lakes Griffin and Har- 

 ris ; the latter may be seen occasionally in the vicinity of Lake Monroe, 

 though it is more common below Titusville on the east and Tampa Bay on 

 the west. Vittaria grosvs pendent on palmetto trunks at every height and 

 in every stage of growth from prothallus to mature plant.* Its northern 



"■■It may be of interest to state that a species of liverwort, Biccia rdiculala, was basrd 

 on the prothallus of this fern. 



