Introduction. 
Win this second part of the monograph of the genus Dryopteris, of which 
the first part was published in 1913 (Vid. Selsk. Skr. 7. Rekke, 10: 53—282), the 
treatment of the known species from tropical America is brought to an end. In this 
part those species are dealt with which have a bipinnate or multipartite lamina, 
together with some additions to the first part. Because of the genus being one of 
the largest existing in the plant-world, and because of the extraordinary comprehen- 
sive material, which has accumulated in the herbaria, (probably larger than existing 
in any genus of Phanerogams including a similar number of species, because all 
travellers collect ferns, many of them only ferns), and which was placed at my dis- 
posal for study from several of the leading herbaria, it became impossible to ob- 
tain at one time all the American species of the genus. As my studies, however, 
during several years have led me to classify the species in an entirely new manner, 
it became very difficult for me to secure for study from the herbaria all the 
species belonging to a single group, as I was unaware of which group several species 
unknown to me ought to be referred to according to my classification. I, therefore, 
chose to divide the species into two parts after the degree of division of their lamina, 
a character easily recognized by every botanist, and in this manner I succeeded in pro- 
curing about all the specimens I was to use. I chose to draw the limit between the 
species having bipinnatifid lamina and those being bipinnate; this division is, of course, 
purely artificial, but in reality léss unnatural than may be imagined. 
The material, which forms the base of this second part, was borrowed princi- 
pally from the same herbaria which are mentioned in the first part, to which must 
be referred regarding abbreviations. The herbarium of -Dr. H.. Curist is now 
incorporated in Herb. RoLaNp Bonaparte, which also now contains the her- 
barium of Soprro; from that collection I have had some type-specimens of species 
which ought to have been dealt with in the first part, but which at that time 
were unknown to me. -From Prof. Dr. KUMMERLE, Budapest, I have received a 
series of fragments of specimens collected by Soprro and others. : 
I am extremely obliged to all those, who so kindly placed their material at 
my disposal and hereby bring them my sincerest thanks. : 
The tropics and subtropics of the Old World are presumably inhabited by a- 
similar number of species of Dryopteris as is America, and_ probably several 
more are to be found there. It was always my intention to pursue my. studies 
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