THE FERN BULLETIN 



11 



ed the specific name. The common name of the beech 

 ferns is said to have given because of their fondness 

 for beech trees but I fancy that preference is largely 

 imaginary. 



New Hartford, N. Y. 



RARE FORMS OF FERNWORTS.— XVII. 



BOTRYCHIUM SIMPLEX. 



Commenting upon the observations of Mr. Raynal 

 Dodge regarding the specific distinctness of the lesser 

 Botrychiums, published in a recent number of this 

 magazine, Air. H. Woynar of Graz, Austria says: "I 

 do not understand how you can conceive of Botry- 

 chium simplex being a depauperate form of B. matri- 

 cariaefolium. Of the latter, there are only a few to 

 be found in the Tyrol and it is a totally different plant. 

 Botrychium simplex is extremely variable, but all 

 forms are connected and a series shows a developed 

 evolution with a great abundance of forms running 

 from simplicissimum to compositum. That the de- 

 paperate form may resemble both species is no proof 

 of relationship nor is the fact that they sometimes 

 grow together. Botrychium tencbrosum belongs, as 

 the observations of the author and photo of the 

 Eatonian plants by Waters shows, to B. simplex and 

 not to B. matrica/riae folium as you maintain in op- 

 position to Eaton." Mr. Woynar sends several prints 

 of different forms referred to B. simplex in the Old 

 World and among them are specimens that he re- 

 gards as identical with tenebrosum. These grow with 

 Sphagnum and species of Drosera in the Tyrol where 

 the plants in general are swamp plants. He adds fur- 

 ther: "The opinion of R. Dod^e places annual plants 

 first although the Botrychiums develop very slowly and 



