—4i— 



Polypodium falcatum grows abundantly in our mossy woods 

 on old logs and decaying vegetation. I have never seen it grow- 

 ing in soil. P. vulgare seems to be confined to high altitudes. 

 I have never seen it around Puget Sound anywhere. This is 

 found growing out of crevices in rocks in company with Dry- 

 opteris lone hit is t Cheilanthes gracilima, and a species of 

 Woods ia. Occasionally Cryptogramme acrostichoides peers 

 through from between the stones. I believe these five complete 

 the fern flora of the summit of the Olympic Mountains, at least 

 the region which I visited. Phegopteris alpestris is found in 

 the Cascade Mountains in about the same altitude as the above 

 and is doubtless found in the Olympics. P. dryopteris grows 

 abundantly in sub-Alpine regions in mossy woods in both the 

 Cascade and Olympic Mountains. 

 Tacoma, Wash. 



DRYOPTERIS (?). 

 By Charles T. Druery, F. L. S., M. V. H., 

 President of the British Pteridological Society. 



N reading the January number, and especially the articles of 



Messrs. B. D. Gilbert and C. F. Saunders, I note with 



regret that by the adoption of the name of Dryopteris for 

 the already over-synonymed genus of Lastrea, Nephrodium or 

 Aspidium, results in the existing confusion being worse con- 

 founded. I note also that the term 4 ' shield ferns " is applied to 

 this family, known here and formerly universally as buckler ferns 

 to differentiate them from the "shield ferns," or Polystichums. 

 Aspidium is the term adopted by Kew. under which head both 

 shield and buckler ferns are, to my mind, inexcusably lumped, 

 the Polystichums forming one of the most marked genera exist- 

 ing. Nephrodium, as indicative of the kidney-shaped indusium, 

 is a good name, and I have nothing to say against it, although in 

 this country the term Lastrea is applied in all popular works to 

 the native buckler ferns. That even in the botanist's mind these 

 three synonyms lead to confusion is evidenced by the fact that in 

 one of our best standard works, "European Ferns," by Britton, 

 the letter press and illustrations and references thereto conflict in 

 many cases; all three names, Aspidium, Nephrodium and Lastrea, 

 conspiring to puzzle the non -expert reader. Now we find on your 

 side of the ocean a fourth conspirator, "Dryopteris," which at 



