36 AMERICAN FERN JOURNAL 
B. Lunaria, European and in boreal America. A slender 
form sometimes identified as Lunaria is more properly 
separated as onondagense. The same is true for matri- 
cariaefolium. The writer retained this name for the 
American plant in the North American Flora because 
there was not available sufficient material from Europe 
to justify its separation at that time but it is probably 
a case similar to that of lanceolatum and angustisegmen- 
ium. It is, however, a mistake, the reviewer believes, 
to use for this form the name ramosum as Dr. Underwood 
did at one time, and as Dr. Robinson does in the new 
Gray Manual. The name ramosum was based on an ab- 
normal form of another species, as Davenport has point- 
ed out, and as the reviewer took pains to verify some 
years ago. The form should be called either matricari- 
aefolium or neglectum. 
The fourth paper’ may well be dealt. with before the 
third because it deals with a case similar to that of 
Botrychium angustisegmentum as compared with B. lance- 
olatum. In this case there is pointed out the differences 
between the European and American forms commonly 
known as the ostrich fern, Matteuccia Struthiopteris. 
Prof. Fernald concludes that the American form shoul 
bear a distinct name as a species and designates it 
Matteucia nodulosa (Michx.) Fernald. The differences 
are found in the size, cutting, and habit of growth of 
the two sorts, and also in the fact that the European 
form has black scales on the petioles and the American 
form pale brown ones. 
This brings to mind the separation of the American 
and European royal ferns as Osmunda spectabilis and 
O. regalis. It is quite possible that this is justified but 
satisfactory characters have not yet been pointed out, 
and the problem is complicated by the fact that regalis 
or some related form is distributed throughout the 
* Rhodora 17: 161-164 8 1915. _ 
