24 



THE FERX BULLETIN 



A similar conservatism obtains in the recognition of 

 species. Botrych'uim dichronum which this journal 

 has insisted, time and again, is not even a good form, 

 has been placed at last where it belongs as B. Virginia 

 anum. Botrychium tcnuifolium, insisted upon as a 

 good species by Underwood is here united to B. obli- 

 quum and we predict that several others still treated as 

 distinct will ultimately share its fate, especially Ala- 

 bamcnsc and Undcm'oodianum. The phioglossums 

 — arcnarium and Alaskanum — have also lost standing, 

 just as we asserted they would ten years ago, and are 

 now to be found as synonyms under 0. ntlgatum. 

 Ophioglossum pusillum, which was later baptised 

 0. midicaule has a new name now. — tenerum. 

 A step backward is the substitution of Dicra- 

 noptcris for Gleichenia in an attempt to separate 

 allied species in the old world by this means, but this 

 is not of great significance, partly because the North 

 American GlcicJuviias are all tropical and partly be- 

 cause the species are easily recognized under their dis- 

 guises. The work is planned to cover all the species 

 in North and Central America and the West Indies 

 and as such will be a very useful work for reference. 

 It can scarcely be recommended to one wishing to 

 name his specimens, however, for though the keys are 

 good and fairly accurate, and the range of the species 

 given, the descriptions are technical and involved, 

 being mere descriptions of all parts of the species with 

 no attempt to single out that which is characteristic. 

 We doubt if the authors would recognize even their 

 best friends if described in the same way. An added 

 defect is that this work which aims to present "de- 

 scriptions of all plants growing without cultivation" in 

 the region covered omits all mention of the forms and 



