Willoughby Lake, Vt., a Candidate for the Title 
of ‘‘Richest Fern Locality”’ 
E. J. WInsLow 
In the early numbers of the Fern Bulletin several 
local fern floras were published in friendly competition 
for the title of ‘Richest Fern Locality.”” The ferns 
of Scolopendrium Lake in Jamesville, N. Y., were listed 
in the October, 1897, number by L. M. Underwood. This 
was followed in the next number by Mrs. Terry’s account 
of her collections in Dorset, Vt., and a little later by | 
an article on the ferns of Pittsford, Vt., by Miss Slosson. 
In 1905 Mrs. Terry published a supplement to her Dorset 
list adding two new species and several forms and hy- 
brids. Two of these regions are unique in rock for- 
mation and soil character, the other two are largely typi- 
cal of much of the limy hill country of New York and 
New England. A brief comparison of the lists from 
these four localities may not be wholly without interest. 
As a basis for such a comparison it is necessary to 
adopt some ruling as to what shall be counted as dis- 
tinct species. Dryopteris Clintoniana and D. intermedia, 
both of which were counted as varieties in the early 
lists, are now generally rated as species. That member 
of the genus that was once called var. dilatata and 
more recently var. americana seems to me to deserve 
specific rank, and it is so counted in this article, though 
as far as I know it has never been given a specific name. 
It is clearly impossible, with the information at hand, 
to tell how the early lists would be affected by Prof. 
Butters’s segregation of Athyrium Filix-femina, so for 
the present purpose I have adhered to the old name. 
I have omitted all hybrids, including Dryopteris Boottit. 
The Ophioglossaceae are left for separate comparison 
at the end of the article. 
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