seeing them thus, one would scarcely again confound siimclata 

 with Thelypteris; all its resemblances are toward Noveboracense, 

 especially in the color and texture of the frond and in the grace- 

 ful half-drop of both fertile and sterile fronds. Simulata is prob- 

 ably the most graceful of the three. The fronds of Thelypteris 

 in comparison with those of simulata appear dull blue-green and 

 the stipes are much darker. The stipes of simulata are yellow- 

 green and as long in proportion to the blade as are those of 

 Thelypteris. When growing in masses, simulata has a charac- 

 teristic way of bringing forward the lowest pair of pinnae until 

 they are almost at right angles to the plane of the upper part of 

 the frond, in appearance forcibly reminding one of the lower 

 pinnae of the beech fern. 



Simulata is like Noveboracense in presenting a pretty com- 

 plete series from sterile to fertile fronds. I cannot agree with the 

 opinion that it is later to fruit than its congeners. In the third 

 week in July I found plenty of ripe sporangia, although the 

 wholly fertile fronds were scarcely fully matured. At the date it 

 was collected, the fertile fronds of Noveboracense in the same 

 locality were probably three weeks old, but those of Thelypteris 

 were just appearing. 



FTER one has become pretty well acquainted with the ferns 



around him, and does not have to turn to his manual when- 



ever he comes across one of these plants, some time can be 

 spent very pleasurably in examining portions of the plants which 

 are usually ignored. It is especially interesting to compare cor- 

 responding parts of various species, noting the manner of uncoil- 

 ing when the young fronds come up, the tendency to produce 

 forked fronds and pinnae, etc. To me the stems have for a num- 

 ber of years been of especial interest, for in many cases they are 

 quite as distinct in the various species as the cutting of the fronds. 

 My attention was first called to them by remarks in Eaton's 

 "Ferns of North America," and as early as 1891, having just 

 found Dryopteris spinulosa in the midst of a lot of Asplcnium 

 Filix-fceminai any lingering doubts of its identity were banished 

 from my mind by a glance at sections of their respective stems. 



FERN STEMS. 



By C. E. Waters. 



