GREEN AND RED STIPED LADY FERNS. 



By William Palmer. 



Some dozen or more varieties {?) of the Lady fern 

 have been recognized or named from eastern North 

 America. Nearly all these variations, in my judgment, 

 have been produced as a result of man's interference with 

 the environment of the species, by changing the water 

 content of the soil, by reducing the shade, by allowing 

 the wind to greatly influence the growing plant, and gen- 

 erally by affecting the nutrition. Except, possibly, in the 

 case of one or two, these variants have no taxonomic 

 values. Though much has been written about this com- 

 mon species, very much more remains to investigate, and 

 I have a few suggestions to make regarding two of the 

 forms which are quite different in color, but grow to- 

 gether in the same environment. One of these has a 

 green stipe and rachis, and I here assume that it is A. 

 Ulix-fccmina; the other has a red stipe and rachis, which 

 I also assume to be A. Ulix-foemina rubellnm. Gilbert, 

 List of North American Pteridophytes, 1901, page 35. 



About Washington, D. C, both in Maryland and Vir- 

 ginia, these two forms are common, sometimes growing 

 in colonies close together, and in many cases clearly dis- 

 tinct on account of the entirely pale green of the one and 

 the darkness of the other. Scattered about in the same 

 wood, often near the others, are usually single plants, 

 variously intergrading in appearance and undoubtedly 

 filling up the gap between the two variants, besides man- 

 ifesting side tendencies, especially when growing in 

 slightly different environments. The red stiped form is 

 usually the larger and more vigorous, and the fronds are 

 darker with broader, often larger pinnules, but not always. 

 The green plant is without a trace of reddish, is a pale 

 green, is a less vigorous grower, not as apt to be found 

 in the open as the other, is very tender and readily influ- 



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