42 



THE FERN BULLETIN 



end all growing apparently under the same conditions. 

 Then they utterly vanish. The behavior and very ap- 

 pearance of these plants would indicate that they were 

 growing under abnormal conditions. 



The only possible source of these spores I can see, 

 is plants of Botrychium ramosum, and that host of 

 plants I once saw growing at the foot of Horse Hill, 

 must have discharged an infinite number of spores. 



As regards that form in the genus Botrychium that 

 has been named B. lanceolatum, it is evident judging 

 from external appearance alone, that there is much 

 less difference between lanceolatum and ramosum than 

 there is between ramosum and typical simplex, so that 

 if simplex is one form of ramosum we would infer 

 that lanceolatum might be another form of the sa'me 

 plant. 



Moreover at a station where the plants are plentiful, 

 is not at all difficult to find forms intermediate be- 

 tween B. ramosum and B. lanceolatum in fact I once 

 found two fine plants of B. ramosum in full fruit 

 growing in company with a hundred or more Botry- 

 chiums most of which were good and distinct B. 

 lanceolatum. 



These Botrychiums were growing among tall plants 

 of Onoclca sensibilis in a situation that for the greater 

 part of the year was very wet. This was Aug. 15 

 which is about the time when B. lanceolatum matures 

 its spores in Massachusetts. But the two plants of B. 

 ramosum were two months late. 



I have no opinion as to why these Botrychiums did 

 not take on the form tenebrosum, or why I could find 

 only two plants of B. romosum at the station. Per- 

 haps the real relationship of these plants is governed 

 by chemical and biological laws, too subtile for human 

 understanding. 



