i8gi.] 



Briefer Articles. 



53 



BRIEFER ARTICLES. 



Observations on the new Texas fern Nothokena Nealleyi Seaton, as 

 described in « Contributions from the U. S, Herbarium," ii, p. 61, no. 

 894, June, 1890, and a Mexican fern collected by C. G. Pringle near 

 Gaudalajara in 1888. 



The general characters are here shown in parallel columns: 



Notholcena Neath 

 specimens in Nat. Herb. ! 



Plant 6 to 6K inches tall. Root- 

 stock cespitose (characterized in 

 original description, 1. c, as a 

 slender rhizome), crowns thickly 

 clothed with black subulate scales, 

 slightly pectinate; fronds clustered, 



Not ho It 



? 



sp. t Pringle's no. 

 1864, in Herb. G. E. I). 



Plant 5 to 14 inches tall. Root- 

 stock cespitose, crowns clothed 

 with black subulate slightly pec- 

 fronds 



tinate scales: 



clustered, 



stipites 1 to i)4 inches long, terete, 

 or nearly so, black, clothed at the 

 base with small reddish-brown 

 scales, above with reddish bristly 

 minute scales and hairs extending 

 upward and along the rachises; 

 laminae 4 to 5 inches long, 1 ^ to 

 2 inches broad, pinnate, oblong- 

 lanceolate, narrowed both ways, 

 upper surface sparingly sprinkled, 

 lower, as well as the rachises and 

 stipites, thickly coated with more 

 or less deciduous yellowish-white 

 ceraceous powder. Sari brotvn, 

 continuous round the slightly re- 

 curved unchanged margins. 



Special characters noted on comparing two fronds of corresponding 

 size and appearance in age and natural development. 





stipites 2 to 3 inches long, terete, 

 brown, clothed at the base with 

 small reddish-brown scales, above 

 with reddish bristly minute scales 

 and hairs extending upward and 

 along the rachises; laminae 3 to ti 

 inches long, 1 to 2% inches broad, 

 bi- to tripinnate, oblong-lanceo- 

 late, narrowed both ways, upper 

 surface copiously sprinkled, lower, 

 as well as the rachises and stipites 

 thickly coated with white ceraceous 

 powder, more or less deciduous; 

 sort black, continuous round the 

 slightly recurved unchanged mar- 

 gins. 



N. Nealleyi Seaton. Frond pin- 

 nate, pinnae sessile, or lowermost 

 sub-sessile, bipinnatifid, or partially 

 pinnated at the base, pinnules 

 deeply lobed, ultimate lobes the 

 largest; texture subcoriaceous, 

 veins visible on looking through 

 toward the light. Stipes and main 

 rachis black, secondary rachises 

 blackish beneath, green above and 

 channelled, wing-margined, wings 

 connecting the 

 most pinnae gone 

 somewhat shorter 

 above. 



Notholana 

 Frond 



Pringle's 



No. 



pinnules; lower- 

 but probably 

 than those 



1864. Frond distinctly bipinnate 

 nearly to the top, uppermost pin- 

 nae sub-sessile, lowermost short 

 stalked, pinnules distinct, sessile, 

 deeply lobed and nearly pinnate 

 at the base, ultimate segments the 

 smallest, texture coriaceous, veins 

 obscure. Stipes and main rachis 

 brownish, not wing-margined nor 

 channelled above, lowermost pin- 

 nae shorter than those above. 



In summing up conclusions from the foregoing observations it 

 appears to be extremely unsafe to separate the two ferns into distinct 



