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In the " Proceedings of the Biological Society of 

 Washington " for December 27, 1904, Aven Nelson de- 

 scribed a new spleenwort from Colorado as Asplenium 

 Andrewsii. It appears to be a form of Asplenium Brad- 

 leyi from the description, but as no plate of the species 

 is given it is difficult to decide. It is said by the collector 

 to grow on the face of a white sandstone cliff along 

 Boulder Creek, Colorado, for a mile or more, being 

 abundant for most of the distance. 



According to Gardening World a sample of Osmunda 

 regalis received from Yokohama, Japan, was recently 

 exhibited before the Royal Horticultural Society by Mr. 

 Charles T. Druerv, who stated that some tons of this 

 plant are annually consumed by the Japanese as food. In 

 appearance the material was almost black, extremely 

 tough and hard with a bituminous smell. It is prepared 

 by collecting the young fronds of the fern when about 

 ten or twelve inches high before the fronds have un- 

 folded. These are then boiled, dried and compressed 

 ready for the market. When used later it is soaked for 

 some hours, becoming soft and olive green in color. 

 Upon being boiled it becomes still softer and is said to 

 be not unpalatable when served up with sauce after the 

 Japanese way. 



It is difficult for the beginner to keep up with the 

 proteus-like changes in some of our common species. A 

 few years ago a certain Calif ornian plant was known as 

 Botrychium ternatum australc. When changes in nomen- 

 clature became the fashion it was first called Botrychium 

 australc, later Botrychium silai folium and now it is 

 Botrychium Calif or nicum, or rather it was, last June. 

 The name may have been changed since. Professor 

 Underwood's studies incline "him to believe that the plants 

 from Northwest America until recently called Botry- 

 chium occidentals are more like Presl's description of 

 Silaifolium, and in consequence the specific name occi- 

 dental is now no more. The transference of silai folium 



