284 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [APRIL 
of the frond. An examination of a large suite of specimens of #r- 
natum and its forms, from a range extending throughout New England, 
Canada, Alaska, Washington, California, and Mexico, as well as 
Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, and the Middle States, 
shows’that the length of the stalk of the sterile division of the frond is 
no less variable than are the other characters mentioned, and varies all 
the way from one-half an inch to six or eight inches or more. In plants 
from Alaska and Washington, the stalk is generally very short, some- 
times not over three-eighths of an inch long, while in a specimen of 
true /unarioides from Florida (Chapman) in the Gray Herbarium the 
stalk is three-fourths of an inch long, and it is more than probable 
that if we could get as large a number of specimens of /umartotdes as 
we do of the other forms we should find an equal degree of variation 
in the length of the stalk. Dr. Milde’s tables of measurements for the 
different forms of this species show how extremely variable and unre- 
liable this character is. 
Fourth, as to its habitat, concerning which little need be said. Itis 
not an uncommon thing to find typical éevmatum growing in dry soil on 
high ground as well as in low moist woodlands and swamps. Only 
last August (1896) I found a fine plant of it growing on a very shallow 
grassy knoll on top of a granite ledge! 
Fifth, as to the spores, the most important of all characters in the 
botrychiums. Here, as elsewhere, ~I fail to find any differences to 
justify specific recognition. An examination of the spores from my 
\labama and European specimens shows less difference between the 
spores of these two forms from such widely separated regions than 
there is between the spores of the individual plants themselves. In fact 
they are identical in shape and marking. Neither can I detect any 
marked distinction between the spores of plants from New England, 
Canada, Alaska, Washington, California, and Mexico. On the contrary, 
in all of the forms of ¢ernatum which I have examined, the spores of 
_ individual plants vary in shape, some being reniform, some Py riform, 
others oval or egg-shaped, and some even with irregular curved out 
lines, but the markings appear uniformly the same in all. My exami- 
nations have been made with a Leitz ;1, immersion objective, and the a : 
result shows conclusively that absolutely one type of pore) rome se 
‘through all forms of ternatum. 
__ Sixth, concerning the time of perfecting spores, anfortunately ; the | 
| evidence is oe a as we have | no Legon a of the es nme - 
