76 



THE FERN BULLETIN 



of this group of the grape-ferns into two species, or 

 a species and its variety, if not held to be more than 

 this. Mainly as such it is offered as a contribution to 

 a subject confessedly attended with difficulties. Even 

 if not absolute and wholly definite in application, it 

 may be of relative importance and helpful in under- 

 standing them. 

 Chicago, III. 



THE ARROW-LEAVED HEMIONITIS. 



Hemio nitis arifolia. 

 By Willard N. Clute. 



The genus Hemionitis, like the genus Nephrolepis 

 seems to exist principally because nobody has dis- 

 covered any other genus into which the species will fit 

 satisfactorily, rather than because the plants compos- 

 ing it are distinctly set off from other plants. Com- 

 menting upon Nephrolepis in his 'Terns of Jamaica'' 

 Jenman says "In the technical characters of the fructi- 

 fication the genus does not differ much from Nephro- 

 dium, their peculiar likeness of habit and general as- 

 pect being, in fact, the principal generic characters. 

 It is what is called a natural genus — that is the several 

 species have a general aspect in common which is un- 

 mistakable whether the plants be in fruit or not." 



On the one hand, as Jenman intimates, the species 

 of Nephrolepis are enough like Nephrodium to be 

 placed in that genus without violating many of the 

 proprieties, but they are also so much like certain spe- 

 cies of Asplenium or rather of Athyrium that they 

 could as well be placed with them. A very similar con- 

 dition exists regarding the species of Hemionitis. 

 Their nearest relatives are the Gymno grammas, 



