—45— 



nules tripinnatifid, the others bipinnatifid, the ultimate segments 

 l-4 mm " long, lanceolate, half as broad as long, with 3-6 clusters 

 of sporangia, the tip abruptly acute, not recurved. It differs from 

 Californica in its smaller size, darker color, denser habit, nar- 

 rower, less divided fronds, the lower secondary divisions not un- 

 equally developed. The outline of Californica is nearly that of 

 Gymnogramme triangularis, while amoena approximates Pellaea 

 dunsa, but is narrower, being almost exactly as Nothola?na deal- 

 bata is represented in Eaton's " Ferns of North America." Cali- 

 fornica is well represented in Eaton's work, as well as in Robin- 

 son's "Ferns in Their Homes and Ours." The light color 

 might be thought to be unnatural, but I find that the shade is 

 nearly correct The ultimate segment represented by Eaton, 

 however, is too broad and not sufficiently acuminate pointed. 

 Probably the reason Prof. Eaton did not detect this as a new 

 species was because the meagre specimens sent were plucked and 

 sent in a letter, becoming disfigured thereby. 



Amoena grows in disintegrated granite soil that is apparently 

 impregnated with iron, preferably in the shade, but often in the 

 sun, in crevices of rocks in the mountains just below Pine Ridge, 

 in the belt of live oak chaparrel. at perhaps 3,000 feet elevation, 

 on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada Mts. — A. A. Eaton, Sea- 

 brook, N. H. 



ROBABLY the rarest fern in North America is Asplenium 



fontanum. It wa? first collect* d in this country in July, 



1869, by Mr. J. M. McMinn, who found it growing on cliffs 

 of limestone along Lycoming Creek in Lycoming county, Penna. 

 Specimens were sent along with other plants to Dr. Thomas C. 

 Porter, of Lafayette College, who. thinking the fern was col- 

 lected in 'oreign lands, paid little attention to it, and it was not 

 until 1890 that Asplenium fontanum was known to be a member 

 of our fern-flora. In the interim Mr. McMinn died and with him 

 died the knowledge of the fern's exact location. 



As soon as it was known that Asplenium fontanum was 

 really a native, search was made along the rocky banks of Ly- 

 coming Creek for more specimens, but all efforts to rediscover 

 the fern there have thus far been unavailing. Since then, how- 

 ever, another locality for the plant has been discovered, also by Dr. 

 Porter — but under circumstances that lender the exact locality 



ASPLENIUM FONTANUfl. 







