The Life History of Vittaria lineata 
By ELIZABETH G. BRITTON AND ALEXANDRINA TAYLOR 
(PLATES 23-31) 
At the conclusion of our studies on Schisaea pusilla, Mr. 
Tracy Hazen called our attention to the fact that Francis Wolle * 
had figured a filamentous protonema, which he suspected to be- 
long to. a fern, but had previously described as Poterophora Don- 
nellit.+ It was collected on trees in Florida by John Donnell 
Smith who loaned us the type from which drawings have been 
made, as the figures given by Wolle were found to be incorrect. 
The urns described by Wolle are podetia and produce spherical 
or cylindric gemmae which Wolle did not figure. This curious 
method of vegetative propagation has been figured by Goebel } in 
a species of Trichomanes, but as the sporophyte is still unknown 
in Poterophora and we knew of no epiphytal species of Tricho- 
manes in Florida, suspicion was aroused regarding Vittaria lineata. 
Living plants in all stages were secured from E. W. Reasoner, of 
Oneco, Florida, and also from Miss Abbie M. Small at Jackson- 
ville, Florida. We have kept these plants growing in the labora- 
tory for more than a year, and watched the stages of their develop. 
ment. As far as we can learn, the gametophyte of this fern has 
never been described ; in fact the only reference to it is in a foot- 
note in Eaton’s Ferns of North America, which states that “ J. 
Donnell Smith and C. F. Austin found the prothalline growth 
of this fern very abundant on palmettos along the Caloosa- 
hatchie River, Florida." The peculiarities of its structure are 
remarkable, agreeing in essential particulars with those of Vittaria 
elongata, described by Goebel from specimens studied at the 
Botanical Gardens at Buitenzorg, Java.$ 
* F. Wolle, F. W. Algae of N. A. 120. ۰ 106. 1887. 
f Bull. Torrey Club, 6: 177, 188. 1877. 
f Goebel, Ann. Jard. Buit 7: 78-87. A. 10-13. 1888. 
¿ Goebel, Ann. Jard. Buit. 7: 95. P/. 12, f. 60-61. 
Memoirs Torrey Botanical Club, Volume VIII. 
[No. 3 issued 30 August, 1902.] en 
