—13— 



main dormant for years and start into growth in certain seasons 

 when the conditions are right, thus giving the impression that the 

 plants are normally more abundant than they really are. In 

 " Ferns in Their Homes and Ours," Robinson states that it is 

 difficult to keep our species of Ophioglossicm in cultivation for 

 more than two years, from which we might build up a fine theory 

 that the Adder's tongue is really a biennial, and that a new growth 

 which is sterile the first year and fertile the next springs from the 

 buds on the old roots. 



In some species of annual ferns, notably Gymnogra?n?na 

 leptophylla, the prothallium forms resting bodies, and Campbell 

 conjectures that our species of Ophioglossiun may do so, too. If 

 true, this adds another factor to be taken into consideration. In 

 any event the subject is an interesting one, and the foregoing 

 speculations may contain some hint for the future investigator. — 



w.n. a 



FALSE TRINOMIALISM. 



By William Palmer. 



ONE of the greatest evils that has grown up about the nomen- 

 clature of ferns, and indeed of many other groups, has 

 been the abuse of the use of trinomials and binomials, 

 especially the former. The early misconceptions of the true val- 

 ues of species and the rather flippant use of the word variety, 

 used by horticulturists, have unfortunately been only too potent 

 in promoting looseness of practice whenever it was considered 

 necessary to differentiate by a Latin word some variant, supposed 

 or real, from a supposed type or specimen. 



Attention having been called to this matter by the editor of 

 this journal in the October issue (p. 92), I have to offer the fol- 

 lowing for consideration: 



Strictly considered evolutionally, there cannot of course be 

 such a thing as a species. But following our present knowledge 

 of living forms, we may define a species as an aggregate of closely 

 and connectedly related individuals occupying a definable area 

 and not intergrading with a similar aggregate. A species may be 

 monotypic (without sub-species), or it may contain two or more 

 sub-species (it cannot have one), all having specific characters in 

 common, but each differing in possessing one or more characters 

 of lesser value which grade into each other, the grading being 

 definite and geographical, or geological, and definitely proved by 



