— 8i— 



The climbing-fern (Lygodium palmatum) is regarded as one 

 of the rarest of our ferns. Its rarity is also combined with a 

 tendency to grow only in very local and secluded spots. There 

 are several swamps in Middlesex county in which Lygodium ex- 

 ceeds, in quantity, all of the other ferns found there combined. 

 The finding of it in such abundance was a great surprise to me 

 for two reasons; first, I had come to regard it as a fern nearly 

 exterminated, and secondly, the localities are chiefly within thirty- 

 five to forty miles of New York and often visited by botanists. 

 Here, at least, the fern is not becoming exterminated and is 

 also well protected by the dense thickets of catbrier which render 

 the swamps almost impassable. The basal leaves of Lygodium 

 are evergreen and are very conspicuous in the winter and early 

 spring before obscured by a mass of other vegetation. 



The chain-fern ( Woodwordia areolata) is frequent in the 

 more exposed and wet places of the same swamps in which is 

 found Lygodium. In the moist, open places of the pine-barren 

 region two species of Lycopodium probably reach their northern 

 range near Milltown, in Middlesex county. L. alopecuroides is 

 found in several places and L. CaroKnumum occurs in but one 

 locality near Milltown. 



On the trap-rock hills north of Plainfield and Bound Brook, 

 in Middlesex county, is found Cheikmthes lanosa. From all 

 accounts this range of hills is not far from being the northern 

 range of this fern in New Jersey. Along the rocky sides of a 

 narrow valley near Bound Brook this fern, which is often con- 

 sidered rare, is quite abundant. Woodsia obtusa is common 

 throughout the rocky hills of this region, while the walking-fern 

 (Camptosorus rhizophyllus) , which is so abundant in the lime- 

 stone region of New York and New England, is very rare here, 

 a few plants only being found on the trap-rock. Asplcnium platy- 

 nettron, which also has a preference for limestone soil, is not 

 rare here. I was unable to find any specimens of Asplcnium 

 trichomanes, though it has been collected in this region and 



