THE WOOD FERNS. 
‘OUBTLESS the majority of our ferns 
grow in forests, or at least in shady 
places, and so might without im- 
: propriety be called wood ferns, but 
se the members of the genus Aspidium 
are so noticeably abundant in all forested areas that the 
name seems by right to belong to them. In the matter 
of names, however, this genus has been rather unfairly 
treated so faras a permanent name is concerned. As fo 
the number of its names, nothing can be complained 
of. In the vernacular, the species are known as shield- 
ferns, wood-ferns, boss-ferns and buckler-ferns and the 
scientists are divided as to whether the genus shall 
be known as Aspidium, Dryopteris, Nephrodium or 
Lastrea. In the Old World, the species are oftenest 
called Lastrea or Nephrodium; in American books they 
will usually be found in the genus Aspidium. It is but 
recently that the proposal to substitute the name 
Dryopteris has been made. This latter may perhaps 
be the oldest name, and therefore, according to the 
much cited rule of priority, the proper one for the 
genus, but it has thus far failed of acceptance by most 
botanists. 
Whatever confusion exists in regard to the names, does 
not extend to the plants themselves. They may at once 
be distinguished from other ferns by bearing their sporan- 
giain roundish sori covered with a kidney-shaped indu- 
sium that is attached to the frond by the sinus. 
