—41 — 



leaving only a light shading of brown. Of course with- 

 out seeing a sorus. it is a little hazardous to make a posi- 

 tive assertion as to the affiliation of this fern. It can 

 hardly be a cross between two other species, for, so far 

 as I am aware, nothing of that kind is known which takes 

 on a crested form. My opportunities for comparison 

 with other forms are so exceptionally good that I feel 

 safe in allying it with P. vulgar e. Miss Church, who 

 discovered it, took up the plant and potted it carefully, 

 hoping that it would grow and put forth other fronds 

 which would bear fruit. But it has failed to do so. It 

 may have been like the var. cambricum which persist- 

 ently refuses to produce fruit. 



Habitat: On the old wall of Ft. George, Lake George, 

 N. Y. Gathered by Miss Alice Church of New York 

 City, September, 1905. Type of one frond in Gilbert 

 Herbarium. 



Clayville, N. Y. 



Mrs. Ora Parker Phelps has called attention to the 

 fact that the form of the Christmas fern known as Poly- 

 stichum acrostichoides recurvatum was illustrated in the 

 Plant World for April, 1902. The specimens from which 

 this illustration was made were found by Mr. W. R. 

 Maxon, near Falls Church, Virginia. The description 

 accompanying them shows very clearly that they belong 

 to the form recurvatum and the illustration removes all 

 doubt. It appears to have been Mr. Maxon's opinion that 

 the fronds were merely odd sports, but there seems to be 

 an inherent tendency in the Christmas fern's constitution 

 to produce such specimens, as is shown by the finding 

 of the same thing in widely separated localities. To Mrs. 

 Phelps is due the credit of recognizing the value of such 

 finds. Although the first record of the collection of this 

 form dates back to 1901, the plant was not named until 

 July, 1904, from specimens collected that vear by Mrs. 

 Phelps. 



