462 Eaton : Pteridophytes observed in Florida 



triangular, and stiffly erect, 5-15 cm. tall, 1 mm. in diameter, sur- 

 mounted by the capsular fructification ; the latter composed of 

 2-4 pairs of erect, closely appressed linear pinnae ; pinnae 8-15 

 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, green on the back, with two rows of cap- 



sules covering their inner faces, these interspersed with long, slen- 

 der fibrils. 



In decaying wood, sometimes in stumps 9-12 dm. from the 



ground, the bulbs buried sometimes to the depth of 10-12 cm. 

 No sterile fronds were observed. The fruit looks very much like 

 a very young ovary of Pogonia ophioglossoides, though smaller, and 

 I did not guess the nature of the plant till I found an uncoiling 

 frond. It was very scarce, found only in a small area in the 

 tangled growth along Miami river across the Alapattah, on my 

 second and third trips. 



The genus Actinostachys is founded in part on the four rows of 

 capsules on the pinnae, but as my specimens have only two the 

 character would seem not to be common to all the digitate species. 

 It would thus appear that this character is of little generic value, 

 and in my opinion the digitate nature of the fronds alone is insuf- 

 ficient to erect a genus on, especially as they are not truly digitate, 

 all of them having a short rachis, thus differing only in degree 

 from Euschizaea ; therefore I retain this species in Schizaea. 



OSMUNDACEAE 



OSMUNDA CINNAMOMEA L. 



Apparently absent from the lower coast of the east side, 

 though common about Fort Myers and found as far south as Har- 

 ney's, or Shark river on the w T est coast, where I got fertile fronds 

 a meter tall. Its common time of fruiting appears to be early 

 November, as it was in full fruit in the middle of the state at that 



March 



one plant. 



OSMUNDA REGALIS L. 



Quite common in the cypress swamps and damp hammocks 

 bordering the everglades. The plants here form tussocks that 

 may be 3 to 5 dm. high and sometimes only a decimeter through, 

 covered with the densely brown-felted roots that are sent down 

 from the growing crown and spread in all directions in the soft, 

 black soil. 



