222 MACOIJN AND BUEGKSS ON 



Genus XVIII.— DICKSONIA, UHer., Dicksonia. 



1. — D. PILOSIUSCULA, Willd., (Hairy Dicksonia, Gossamer-Fern, Hay-scented Fern), 

 Hook., Fl. Bor.-Am., II, 264. Pursh, II, ell. Eaton, Ferns of N. A., I, 339. Underwood, 

 Our Nat. Ferns, etc., 111. 



D. pubescent, Swartz. 



D.pimetilobula, Kunze, Gray, Man., 669. Provancher, Fl. Can., 720. Maconn's Cat., 

 No. 2331. Fowler's N. B. Cat., No. 767. Ball, Trans. N. S. Inst. Nat. Sci., IV, 155. 



Nephrodium punctilobulum, Mx., Fl. Bor.-Am., II, 268. 



Aspidium punctilobulum, Swartz, Syn. Fil., 60. 



Dennstcedtia punctilobula, Moore, Lawson, Can., Nat., I, 287. 



The Gossamer-Fern is a very delicate and beautiful species, with pale-green, feathery 

 fronds, which wither quickly when plucked, decay in autumn, and give out a pleasant 

 hay-like odour in drying. It is a rather common fern in eastern North America, growing 

 in moist soil in pastures and open woods, and on rocky hillsides, reaching a height of \\ 

 to 4 feet. Eootstock slender, branching, extensively creeping, naked except for a little 

 hair at its growing extremity; stalks commonly forming about one-third or less of the 

 height of the plant, scattered, stout, erect, darkened toward the base but gradually fading 

 to straw-color, greenish when fresh, chaffless but somewhat puberulent ; fronds ovate- 

 lanceolate in outline, 1 to 3 feet long by 3 to 10 inches wide, long pointed, hairy and 

 minutely glandular especially beneath, bi-pinnate ; pinnre lanceolate and pointed; pin- 

 nules oblong, mostly obtuse, pinnatifid into oblong and obtuse, cut toothed lobes ; sori 

 minute, each on a recurved toothlet, usually one at the upper margin of each lobe of the 

 pinnules. 



Forking fronds and pinna? of this fern are far from rare, but beyond this it seems to be 

 subject to little variation except that of size, and of a greater or less degree of pubescence 

 and glandulosity. 



In its range this fern seems to be confined to about the eastern third of our territory, 

 not extending westward beyond the Georgian Bay. Very common in Nova Scotia. — 

 Rev. E. H. Ball. Very abundant in New Brunswick. — Foioler. Common in extreme 

 eastern Quebec. — Macoun. Lennoxville and "Waterloo, Que. — Hon. Win. Sheppard. Rich- 

 mond and Drummond Cos., Que. — /. A. Botlncell. Sorel, Que. — Lady Dalhousie. Montreal, 

 Que. — Maclag'an. Abundant in Harrington Township and on Hamilton's Farm, Biver 

 Rouge, Argenteuil Co., Que. — W. S. M. If Urban. Abundant in Stewart's Bush, Ottawa, 

 Ont., and at Casselman, Ont. — J. Fletcher. Near Prescott, Out. — B. Billings. Near Kingston, 

 Ont. — J. Bell. Common along the roadside between Flinton and the Addington Boad, 

 Addington Co., Ont. ; low rich woods a little east of Norwood, Peterboro Co., Out. — Macoun. 

 Parry Sound, Georgian Bay, Ont. — Logie. 



Genus XIX.— SCHIZ^A, Smith, Schizjea. 



^"s» 



1. — S. PttelLLA, Pursh, (New Jersey Schizoea, One-sided Fern), feagt, II, 657. A Man., 

 669. Hook, and Baker, Syn. Fil., 428. Lawson, Can. Nat., I, 291. Eaton, Ferns of N. A., 

 I, 185. Underwood, Our Nat. Ferns, etc., 113. 



S.fdifolia, De la Pylaie. 



