﻿Unreported 
  ferns 
  from 
  Montana 
  

  

  Paul 
  W. 
  Graff 
  

  

  The 
  state 
  of 
  Montana 
  is 
  located 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  position 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  

   not 
  been 
  adequately 
  covered 
  by 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  botanical 
  ''Manuals/* 
  

   In 
  fact 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  botanical 
  collectors 
  has 
  been 
  more 
  one 
  of 
  

   surrounding 
  the 
  state 
  than 
  of 
  covering 
  it. 
  Coulter 
  and 
  Nelson's 
  

  

  f 
  ( 
  

  

  Mountain 
  

  

  from 
  the 
  south, 
  Piper's 
  ''Flora 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Washington** 
  and 
  

   Howeirs 
  "Flora 
  of 
  Northwest 
  America" 
  overlap 
  from 
  the 
  west, 
  

   and 
  Bergman's 
  "Flora 
  of 
  North 
  Dakota" 
  together 
  with 
  Britton 
  

   and 
  Brown's 
  "Illustrated 
  Flora" 
  overlaps, 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  extent, 
  from 
  

   the 
  east. 
  The 
  result 
  is 
  that, 
  as 
  the 
  first 
  four 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  local 
  in 
  the 
  area 
  covered, 
  many 
  Montana 
  species 
  have 
  

   been 
  entirely 
  omitted 
  from 
  them. 
  Their 
  compilers 
  have 
  only 
  

   mentioned 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  Montana 
  Incidentally 
  to 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  

   the 
  spread 
  of 
  species 
  beyond 
  the 
  area 
  under 
  consideration. 
  Ryd- 
  

   berg's 
  "Flora 
  of 
  Montana," 
  pubJished 
  as 
  Volume 
  i 
  of 
  the 
  Memoirs 
  

  

  ry 
  

  

  very 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  It 
  was 
  based 
  on 
  a 
  few 
  scattered 
  but 
  

   large 
  collections 
  made 
  on 
  summer 
  collecting 
  trips. 
  The 
  fern 
  list, 
  

   although 
  not 
  complete, 
  is 
  fairly 
  extensive, 
  thanks 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  

   able 
  collecting 
  of 
  R.'s. 
  Williams. 
  Rydberg's 
  more 
  recent 
  "Flora 
  

   of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  and 
  Adjacent 
  Plains" 
  adds 
  three 
  fern 
  

   species, 
  previously 
  unreported 
  from 
  the 
  state, 
  namely, 
  Asplenium 
  

   Filix-foemina 
  (L.) 
  Bernh. 
  var. 
  cychsorus 
  Rupr., 
  Polystkhum 
  

   munitum 
  (Kaulf.) 
  Presl, 
  and 
  Botrychhm 
  simplex 
  Hxtchc. 
  Why 
  

   the 
  first 
  of 
  these 
  has 
  remained 
  so 
  long 
  unreported 
  is 
  hard 
  to 
  say. 
  

   as 
  it 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  of 
  ferns 
  to 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  along 
  t^e 
  

   mountain 
  streams 
  of 
  western 
  Montana, 
  localities 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  

  

  form 
  

  

  lecond 
  

  

  third 
  of 
  the 
  additions 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  rare 
  occurrence 
  each, 
  so 
  far 
  

   as 
  the 
  writer 
  is 
  aware, 
  being 
  known 
  from 
  but 
  one 
  collection. 
  

  

  125 
  

  

  