—94— 



After the fusing of sperm and egg, the spore thus formed, 

 which is termed the sexual spore, begins to grow and 

 forms what we commonly call the fern. In no stage of 

 its development does the fern form a seed, for the seed is 

 a ripened ovule and consists of one or more integuments 

 and a nucellus enclosing an embryo. If ferns really pro- 

 duced seeds they would be placed with the flowering 

 plants, and it may be noted that the flowering plants are 

 classed together, not so much because they bear flowers 

 as because every one of them bears true seeds. As a 

 matter of fact, some of the fernworts come much nearer 

 producing flowers than seeds. It really looks as if the 

 British will have to reduce their fern " seedling " to 

 synonomy ! 



BOOK NEWS. 



Although a very short time has elapsed since the be- 

 ginning of the present century, a most unusual number of 

 species have been added to the fern flora of the United 

 States. Most of these have been added as the result of 

 explorations in southern Florida, a much smaller number 

 having been discovered in various other parts of the coun- 

 try. In the Torrey Bulletin for March Dr. L. M. Under- 

 wood has listed the species which he considers have been 

 added to our flora since 1900, and figures that they num- 

 ber about forty-two. It is hardly to be expected in this 

 day of species-making that the opinion of any radical 

 botanist will find implicit acceptance by others, and many 

 so-called species in this list will likely be ruled out as 

 new, while others are certain to be denied specific rank. 

 Of the new ones that are not actually new w r e note As- 

 plenium Biscaynianum, Gymno gramma viscosa, and a 

 dwarf form of Aspidium trifoliatum called Tectaria min- 

 ima, but which should be Aspidium minima if anything. 

 A wide form of the well-known Polypodium phyllitidis is 

 listed as Campyloneuron latum, while two forms of the 

 variable Asplenium myriophyllum are named A. verecun- 

 dum and A. curtissii. These and others having been 

 known before as forms, and are scarcely to be listed as 



