34 
troduced new types in the United States, and by purchase and 
exchange, have obtained most of the named types listed by Eng- 
lish and French growers which were different from local kinds. 
Taking stock of what has been done, and considering other 
possibilities, let me offer an analysis of the present status of this 
Nephrolepis investigation, and some definite recommendations. 
(1) Maintenance of the Botanic Garden Collection. I think it 
is entirely safe to say that nowhere else has there been gathered 
so large and complete a collection of Boston Fern variants. Con- 
sidering the fact of the evolution of this group of hundreds oi 
distinct forms from one single form in less than twenty-five years, 
and considering the fact that many of these types are no longer 
obtainable from the florists who originally introduced them, it 
seems to me that the preservation of as large a set of distinci 
varieties as possible is a most desirable aim. This is particularly 
true in view of the fact that the study and descriptions of these 
forms have so far been necessarily brief and superficial. Her- 
barium specimens are most inadequate to preserve the important 
distinctive features, even of many leaf characters. 
(2) Description of Named Types. As noted above, most of 
the varieties have so far been described only sufficiently to show 
their relation to the lines of variation among the hundreds of 
types. From the horticultural viewpoint, a monographic descrip- 
tion of the named forms, with special consideration for their cul- 
tural characters, would seem worth while. From the scientific 
point of view, careful study of gross structure, of tissue- and 
cell-differences, would contribute greatly to our understanding 
of the basic differences between varieties. 
Comparative Anatomy and Morphology of Feral ana 
Horticultural Types. Coincident with the assembling of the 
horticultural forms, attention has been paid to getting together 
as many wild forms as possible, and a number of types have been 
obtained directly from the American tropics, as well as other wild 
types obtained through florists. Parallel studies of the varia- 
tion among the wild types as well as among the cultivated forms 
offer some very interesting possibilities. In this connection the 
basis for a much needed taxonomic monograph of the genus 
would be afforded. 
