IO : 



•much variety of opinion on the subject among botanists. 

 The German botanist Roth, who is said by Newman to 

 have given the first intelligible description of it, speaks of 

 11 the very great and really almost insuperable difficulties 

 in the determination of this fern." On the one hand it 

 sometimes closely simulates L. spinulosa, while on the 

 other it sometimes approaches, or is approached by L. 

 crmula (otherwise recuvva, concavum, f&nisecii). It also passes 

 by impsrceptible gradations into L. collina and perhaps L. 

 alpina, which are regarded by Wollaston as distinct 

 species, but by others as varieties only. Other " botanical " 

 varieties which have been described are Smithii, dumetovum, 

 angusta, and maculata, and as far as I can make out the 

 last four names merely indicate " states " of L. dilatata, 

 with the possible exception of maculata (Deakin). As I 

 have never seen a plant corresponding to Deakin's de- 

 scription I am unable to pronounce definitely upon this. 

 Lastrea collina (Wollaston), Lopliodium collinum (Newman) 

 is the L. dilatata collina oi most botanical writers. Newman 

 suspects that it is the Poly podium tanacetifolium of Hoffmann. 

 It does not appear, however, to be separated by any very 

 definite botanical characters from dilatata,and even Newman, 

 who is, I think, the first of British authors to describe it as 

 a species, is far from precise in his description. He indeed 

 admits this and confesses that he is u influenced mainly by 

 some peculiarity which arrests the eye/' but which he has 

 " not been able to describe." After carefully comparing 

 his descriptions of collina and multiflova {dilatata) I seize 

 upon the following points, all of which are differences of 

 degree rather than of actual character, viz. : — collina is more 

 lanceolate in outline and shorter in the footstalk than 

 •dilatata and less acutely toothed. He says that the stipes, 

 or footstalk, in collina is " notably shorter than the [rest of 

 the] frond," while in dilatata it is " nearly as long as the 

 frond." In our Berkshire woods we have a form which 



