THE WEST-AMEEICAN SCIENTIST. 



15 



OPHIOGLOSSUM NUDICAULE, 



BY D. CLEVELAND. 



This little fern, "dwarf adder's 

 tongue," closely resembles the 

 common adder's tongue, O. vul- 

 gatum of the Atlantic states and 

 Europe. Indeed, when first sent 

 to Prof. Eaton of Yale College 

 andMr. Geo. E. Davenport from 

 this coast, they were inclined, to 

 consider it a form of the latter. 



O. nudicaule, L. f. was first dis- 

 covered at San Diego, near Old 

 Town, by Dr. Parry when botanist 

 of the Mexican Boundary Com- 

 mission, in Jan'y, 1850, but the 

 specimens then collected and 

 shipped with other collections by 

 sea to New York were lost on the 

 passage. 



It was rediscovered by Dr. C. 

 C. Parry at San Diego in March, 

 1882 after several days of diligent 

 search. 



During all the intermediate 

 time — thirty-two years, — though 

 botanists had carefully searched 

 the country about San Diego, O. 

 nudicaule had not been seen, nor 

 its presence suspected. Dr. Parry 

 might also have overlooked it, if 

 he had not previously found it 

 here. It is not strange that this 

 fern should have escaped so ma- 

 ny sharp-eyed collectors when we 

 consider its diminutive size, the 

 few weeks that the fronds are 

 visible, and the failure of the 

 plant to send up its leaves in dry 

 years, when it is kept alive by its 

 perennial root. This fern is most 

 conspicuous about March, after 

 a wet winter and is then abundant 

 on the mesa in proximity to Do- 

 I < f heon Meadia— shooting star, 



Selaginella and grass. Before its 

 discovery at San Diego, this fern 

 was confined in this country to 

 Florida, Georgia and the Caro- 

 linas, where it is rare. 



BOTANICAL NOTES. 



The check-list of the known 

 plants of this region, giving the 

 local distribution, common names 

 and other notes is now out. Price 

 25 cts., free to botanical patrons. 

 The following species were inad- 

 vertently omitted. 



Polygala Fishise, Parry, 

 (Enothera micrantha, Horner, 

 Collomia heterphylla, Hooker, 



glutinosa, Gray, 

 Phacelia ciliata, Bentham, 

 Fritillaria biflora, Lindl.. 

 Mimulus Parishii, Greene, is a 

 new species recently collected at 

 Los Angeles and also found near 

 San Rafgel, L. Cal. 



The delicate Woodsia of Lower 

 Cal. is W. Mexicana. 



About two years ago, a wild po- 

 tato was found in the mountain 

 region of Arizona, and specimens 

 brought to San Francisco for dis- 

 tribution. From the little tubers 

 sent to San Diego, two crops have 

 been harvested — each showing 

 an increase in size upon its prede- 

 cessor. Owing, perhaps, to the 

 abundant rain of last season, this 

 increase in size is more marked 

 this season than last, some of the 

 potatoes being at least three 

 times as large as any in the orig- 

 inal stock. Mrs. Z. B. Cronyn. 



Herbarium specimens offered 

 for books or cash. 



