186 Rhodora (SerTeMBER 
“Europe,” and describes a third species, Aspidium angustum, founding 
it upon the fern called by Michaux, “ Nephrodium Filix foemina.” * 
Almost immediately after Willdenow had thus cleared up the 
status of the American lady ferns, P ursh? introduced an element of 
confusion. He lists Aspidium asplenioides and A. angustum, quoting 
Willdenow’s short diagnosis of each, and between them inserting 
A. Filix-femina with Willdenow’s diagnosis of that species and the 
statement, “In low shady grounds: Canada to Virginia. July 2. 
v.v.” He also says of A. asplenundes, “A tall species much resemblin : 
the following in many respects,” and of A. angustum, “Resemblin 
the following.” 
The history of the treatment of these ferns by American botanists 
during the next twenty-five years, was largely a series of attempts 
to fit the existing plants into the three species as outlined by Pursh. 
In these attempts reliance seems to have been placed almost entirely 
on the form and details of the fronds, while the real distinctions were 
ignored. It is accordingly often difficult to ascertain what species 
or form any particular author had in mind when he used a certain 
name. This confusion is especially evident if one compares, for 
example, the various editions of Amos Eaton’s Manual of botany.’ 
1 Willdenow, loc. cit. 277. The orignal desertion ros 
129. ASPIDIUM cn eos 
A. frondibus  bipinnats, pinnulis lanceolatis i inciso-serratis, serraturis subbidentatis, infima 

Nephroum (ili: femina) majusculum ***** Mich amer, 2. p. 268. 
Wurmfarrn. 
Stipes glaber. Frons oblonga bipinnata pedalis et altior. Pinnae Shar seu bipollicares 
lanceolatae valde i 

acuminatae alternae. Pinnulae trilineares suboppositae lanceolatae acutae in- 
iso- Serraturae breves obtusi: indivisae vel bi reliquis 
longior. Sori parum lunati. A. praecedente [A Piliz-femina] satis distincta, circum- 
is oblonga multo angustiore, pinnis magi. i 
is sed leviter lunatis. W. 
It is evident that Willdenow w ea describing a very mnall eun-form of cur species. 
in the Gray Herbarium collected by C ©. G. Pringle in the province of Quebec in 1879 
i i i are larger. 
botanists refused to follow 
Jacob Bigelow, in his Florulae Bostonensis (p. 254, 1814) lists only 9) eoraba ‘anislntabiles 
Muhl.” [sic], though his description, evidently drawn from actual 
was dealing with’ one one of the larger forms of A. - angustum, and he persisted in this treatment of 
sta ff, 


ris work. The Pennsylvania 
Barton and rete (Barton, W. P. C., orae Philad ii, 209, 1818. 
Darlington, Wm., Flora Cestrica ed. 2, 579. 1837.) listed only a single peci ‘pi 
oides. Darlington gives a ‘ina ption which indicates that he had named the 
species correctly. ortunately, in his third edition (1 853) evidently under the influence of 
Hocker and Gray, he changed the name to Asplenium ae R. Br, 
