THE FERN BULLETIN 



Vol. XVIII 



APRIL, 1910 



No. 2 



VARIATION IN BOTRYCHIUM RAMOSUM. 



By Raynal Dodge. 



An address delivered at the meeting of the American 

 Fern Society held in Boston, Dec. JO, /pop. 



The way difficulties constantly increase when we at- 

 tempt to investigate any scientific subject is really sur- 

 prising. We continually encounter more problems 

 than we solve, but I doubt if there are any genera 

 mentioned in the Manual, the forms of which are 

 more confusing, and less understood, than those of the 

 genera Botrychium and Isoctcs, not even Crataegus 

 excepted. They are in a muddle and no mistake. 



I have been puzzling at times, over the so-called 

 species in Botrychium and Isoctcs for ten or twelve 

 years and have come to certain definite conclusions re- 

 garding them, but in the meantime I have met with 

 other problems I am unable to solve. 



But all through the course of the remarks I propose 

 to make at this time regarding the genus Botry- 

 chium, I intend to confine my remarks exclusively to 

 one species of Botrychium. Botrychium matnearae- 

 folium, or as the Manual now has it. Botrychium 

 ramosum. It is possible however, that you may con- 

 clude at the close of my remarks that I have failed in 

 my undertaking, and that I have been discussing sev- 

 eral species in lieu of one. As regards this, however, 

 each one of my audience individually must decide. 



If about the middle of June we walk along beside a 

 brook which flows through the older woods, a maple 



