i 57 



mtum, Cystopteris, Woodsia, Trichomanes, Hymeno- 

 phyllum, Osmunda, Botrychium and Ophioglossum, were 

 accepted by all the writers, and so need not be referred to 

 An. 



Among the remaining genera, however, there was con- 

 siderable variation. Take, first, the Male Fern group. 

 The Kew Handbook (Second Edition) puts these ferns 

 in the genus Nephrodium. For this same genus the 

 " London Catalogue of British Plants" prefers the name 

 Lastrea, which is also the name used by Babbington, and 

 in Mr. Druery's book. Hooker uses Nephrodium, while 

 Mr. G. Claridge Druce, in his recent revision of Hayward's 

 " Pocket Book," uses Dryopteris. Mr. Druce, by the 

 way, is one of the best known and most progressive of our 

 modern botanists. In the preface to the above-mentioned 

 " Hayward," he states that the names he employs are in 

 accordance with the " Vienna Actes " of nomenclature, 

 which, I believe, follows the law of priority very closely. 



Take, next, the Prickly Shield Fern group. Kew and 

 Hooker here employ the generic name Aspidium, while 

 the London Catalogue, Druce, Druery and Babbington 

 employ the name Polystichum. Lowe calls the Prickly 

 Shield Fern Aspidium aculeatum and angulare, but 

 proceeds to describe the cultivated varieties under the 

 sub-section Polystichum. The Lady Fern is called an 

 Asplenium by two (Kew and Hooker), and an Athyrium 

 by the rest. The little annual Jersey Fern is included by 

 all except one under Gymnogramme. Here, Hooker is 

 the exception. He states that " the generic name Gram- 

 mites, Swartz, has the right of priority over that of Gymno- 

 gramma, Dest. — an opinion not apparently accepted by 

 the Vienna Congress, or Mr. Druce would have used 

 it. 



The Hartstongue has been generally known as a Scolo- 

 pendrium, but I iind that long ago Babbington considered 



