Amekican Fern Journal 67 



pulchellum and an Opuntia. Amongst these the Ophio- 

 glossum was growing, but had suffered considerably 

 from the tramping of cattle, from which cause it is likely 

 to be exterminated at no distant date. The plants 

 were for the most part small and stunted, the best 

 specimens being protected by some bushes of Crataegus 

 and Symphoricarpos orbiculatus. 



The following year I discovered another locality for 

 this interesting fern, in the northwest part of Jasper 

 County, near the mining camp of Neck City. The 

 plants at this colony Avere well protected and consequent- 

 ly much more robust and typical. The altitude here 

 is about 1,000 feet. Limestone bluffs 40 or 50 feet high, 

 on the north side oi Spring River, form an abrupt escarp- 

 ment from the upland prairie. On a ledge of the rock 

 a thin layer of residual soil and humus had accumulated, 

 which in wet times is thoroughly saturated by seepage 

 water from the higher levels. Later in the season it 

 becomes very dry; but not before the Ophioglossum has 

 run through its rapid season's cycle and become dormant 

 for another year. The ledge has a southern exposure 

 and is without shade. At the time I visited it (May 10, 

 1910) there were hundreds of fronds, some of them just 

 developing the fertile segment and others already dis- 

 charging the spores. In a number of plants two stems 

 rose from a single rootstock and in a few cases three. 

 In several specimens the fertile segment was bifid or 

 two pronged. The average height of the plants was 12 

 to .15 centimeters, about a third of which was the stipe, 

 while the fertile segment did not exceed the sterile by 

 more than three or four centimeters. Whether this be- 

 comes much elongated later I cannot say, as I did not 

 again visit the locality. However, the plants were much 

 lower and less -lender than in specimens of 0. vulgatum 

 I have seen. The great, t width of the sterile segments 

 was about 20 to 25 millimeters. The network of secon- 

 dary veins and the cuspidate tips were quite noticeable. 



