BENEDICT: NEW VARIETIES OF NEPHROLEPIS Zit 
to have been responsible for its identification as a variety of N. 
exaltata, and the assignment of the varietal name bostontensis, 
because of its prevalence in the neighborhood of Boston. Sup- 
porting this statement, there is a single, small, and immature, leaf 
of var. bostoniensis preserved in the Gray Herbarium with Daven- 
port named as collector and dated in 1896. 
It may be noted. that the second account does not preclude 
the possibility that a single florist, perhaps Becker, may have 
been originally responsible for the discovery of the new form. It 
is generally admitted that he had much to do with its exploitation 
and dissemination. It should be added, however, that some florists 
are of the opinion that the form has been in existence as long as 
forty years. A factor of great present uncertainty lies in the 
Possibility of errors in identification on the part of florists. At 
Present a number of florists are offering as N. exaltata a very 
different form, the species, N. cordifolia or N. tuberosa. Absolute 
nomenclatorial accuracy seems still to be beyond the abilities of 
botanists, even systematists, so that florists may be forgiven for 
occasional lapses, but the occurrence of such lapses indicates that 
the origin of var. bostoniensis may necessarily remain in the cate- 
gory of unsolved mysteries. 
The study of tropical collections of Nephrolepis, both living 
and herbarium, may throw some light on this mystery. Another 
source of possible enlightenment lies in a study of the sources 
from which this species was introduced into cultivation. The 
possibilities of variation in a species so widely distributed as J. 
exaliata are too great to be overlooked. It is not impossible that 
the variety bostoniensis may have had a direct importation from 
the tropics. 
2. Sports from var. bostoniensis 
No matter what may be the uncertainty regarding the ancestry 
of var. bostoniensis, there is little or no uncertainty regarding its 
progeny. In the course of less than twenty years, it has given 
rise, directly and indirectly, to at least one hundred different forms. 
Its known first generation descendants probably number no more 
than twelve. The remaining ninety odd represent third, fourth, 
fifth, or even later generation sports of vegetative origin. 
