143 
THE COLLECTION OF NEPHROLEPIS VARIETIES 
AT THE BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN* 
Some eight months ago, the writer published in the trade press 
an account of the Nephrolepis collection at the Brooklyn Botanic 
Garden, together with a suggestion for a means of cooperation 
between the Garden and florists which would be of mutual benefit, 
The offer made in behalf of the Garden was, first, to send out 
small plants of named varieties from a list then published, as far 
as duplicates were available, the purpose being to aid florists in 
building up collections and testing new varieties. Second, the 
Garden offered to act as a bureau of information regarding these 
ferns, and, in this connection, offered to send out copies of a 
reprint of the Nephrolepis article from the New Standard Cyclo- 
paedia of Horticulture. Florists were asked in return to send 
information to correct or supplement the statements in the article, 
and also to send plants of varieties not on the list. The present 
statement is in the nature of a report on the results obtained with 
a further offer of cooperation on the same lines as before. 
About two hundred copies of the Nephrolepis article have been 
sent out, the great majority to commercial growers. Several 
hundred small plants have been distributed in lots varying from 
five to thirty different kinds, according to what was available. 
These have gone to all corners of the United States, and applica- 
tions have come from Australia and New Zealand. A consider- 
able number of florists have thus been able to build up collections 
for exhibition purposes, and at least one grower expects to add 
one form so obtained to the list offered in a mail order catalogue. 
The Nephrolepis investigation work at the Garden has also 
profited. The collection of Nephrolepis forms has more than 
doubled.. The list previously published included forty named 
sports of N. exaltata bostoniensis. ‘The present list includes sev- 
enty. Of varieties of other species, fifteen names were given 
before. Now there are fifty names. It should be noted that I 
say “fifty names,” not fifty varieties. Some of these names are 
undoubtedly synonyms. ‘The list of actually distinct forms may 
* This article was published in various horticultural journals during the 
autumn of 1916. 
