CHAPEL HILL FERNS AND THEIR ALLIES 
The accompanying- list of ferns of this region, including an 
area of about two miles radius around Chapel Hill, has been 
in course of preparation for several years, and is now, in all 
probability, very nearly complete. The topography of 
Chapel Hill is quite favorable to fern growth, and the num- 
ber found here is as large as could be expected in regions free 
from limestone. 
In his “Catalogue of the Indigenous and Naturalized 
Plants of the State,” by Dr. M. A. Curtis*, there are given 
thirty-eight true ferns and eleven fern allies for the State 
of North Carolina. Of the species mentioned by him, eigh- 
teen ferns and four fern allies occur in Chapel Hill, while two 
of the ferns in the following list are not recorded by Curtis 
for this State. These are Botrychium obliquum var. dissec- 
tum, and Dryopteris Goldieana var. celsa. 
The list of our ferns is as follows: 
Botrychium obliquum Muhl. (B. ternatum Chapm.). 
Ternate Grape fern. Not uncommon in damp, shaded places. 
Botrychium obliquum var. dissectum. Dissected Grape- 
fern. Found only once in a low place near Judge’s spring. 
Botrychium Virginianum (L.) Sw. Virginia Grape-fern. 
Rather more common than B. obliquum and occurring in 
similar situations. 
Osmunda spectabilis willd. Royal Fern. (Distinct from 
O. regalis L. of Europe). Common along small streams. 
Osmunda cinnamomea L. Cinnamon Fern. Common 
along small streams and in low, damp places. 
Polypodium vulgare L. Common Polypody. Very rare. 
Known only to occur at Upper Laurel Hill where it covers the 
face of a high rock, looking north. 
♦Geological and Natural History Survey of North Carolina, Part III, 
Raleigh, 1867. 
134 
[ November ~ 
