16 



Other supplements include a lengthy glossary, a list of the 

 "Authorities Cited in This Work," an excellent "Taxononic 

 List With Citations" by J. H. Barnhart, which might have 

 been more usable if it had been alphabetically arranged, and 

 about fifteen pages devoted to the cultivation of these south- 

 eastern ferns. 



As was rather characteristic of the author, there are a num- 

 ber of changes in nomenclature, mostl}^ reverting to earlier 

 classifications. Quoting from his introduction — "in this text an 

 attempt has been made to interpret the fern-plants involved in 

 more simple or natural generic concepts." He uses Osmundopteris 

 virginiana (L) Small, for the Rattlesnake fern, instead of Bot- 

 rychium virginanum Sw. For the Resurrection or Southern 

 Polypody, Polypodium polypodioides Watl., he uses Marginaria 

 polypodioides (L) Tidestrom and for Selaginella Eatoni he goes 

 back to the old generic name of Diplostachyum . Common names 

 are relegated to the end of the taxonomic descriptions and, 

 usually, preference is given to the names that have been preva- 

 lently used for a long time. 



Botanists may not always agree with Dr. Small's plant habit 

 preferences as for example, when speaking of the habitat for 

 Thelypteris simulata (Davenp) Nieuwl. (Massachusetts or Bog 

 Fern) he states that it is found in "drier locations than are 

 suited to the marsh fern," Thelypteris Thelypteris (L) Nieuwl. 

 It may be able to survive in drier areas, but certainly the more 

 healthy colonies prefer to have their "feet" in the water. Sphag- 

 num bogs, partially grown over, seem to be the ideal location for 

 this species. 



However, these minor differences of opinion or disadvan- 

 tages in arrangement are lost in the authoritativeness of the 

 whole. This manual will no doubt be one of those "must have" 

 additions to the library of botanists and fern enthusiasts. 



An index to American ferns* 



George T. Hastings 



It is thirty-seven years since Maxon and Gilbert published 

 lists of American ferns and thirty since Clute completed a check 



* Index to North American Ferns. Maurice Broun. Published by the 

 compiler at Orleans, Mass. 1938, 217 pages. $2.50. 



