THE BOULDER FERN. 231 
mountain fern, hairy Dicksonia, gossamer fern and_hay- 
scented fern. All but the last have reference to the 
delicate structure and handsome cutting of the fronds. 
To call this the hay-scented fern is certainly to “ damn 
with faint praise.” 
The boulder fern is found from Canada to Alabama 
and Minnesota. It is seldom entirely missing in any 
locality in the northeastern part of its range, but one 
must visit the stony uplands to see it at its best. It is 
an excellent species for cultivation in the fernery but 
the farmer has no desire for its presence in his fields. 
Cattle will not eat it and it is almost impossible to eradi- 
cate from stony soil. 
Some botanists assert that our plant and the tree-like 
species in other parts of the world are not of close enough 
kinship to be placed in the same genus. They would 
therefore call our species a Dennstedtia reserving the 
name Dicksonia for the arborescent species. The genus 
Dicksonia was named for James Dickson an English 
botanist. There are about fifty species in the world, 
twenty of which would be placed in Dennstedtia if that 
genus were recognised. There is but a single species in 
North America. ft 
A FRU'TING PINNA. 
