78 



THE EERN BULLETIN 



division is placed the new species which is named E. 

 Kansanum. It is described as having annual smooth 

 aerial stems and cones lacking a point. It may be men- 

 tioned here, that many of the characters relied upon for 

 distinguishing species of Equisetum are worthless. 

 The presence or absemce of black bands on the sheath 

 is largely a matter of soil, exposure and age. The form 

 of branching is another feature without significance 

 taxonomically though it does have a physiological re- 

 lationship. None of the first year stems of the ever- 

 green Equisetums branch if uninjured. If they live 

 through the winter a renewal of growth may induce 

 branching, especially if the tip has been broken off or 

 killed back. The most reliable characters must always 

 be taken from the nature of the stem — the number of 

 grooves on the exterior, the size and position of the 

 canals in its substance, the length of the joints and the 

 size of the central hollow. It is very likely that ex- 

 haustive study will show that the genus Equisetum^ at 

 least in the exergreen and normally unbranched section, 

 does not present a series of forms as clear cut as we 

 find them in other parts of the vegetable kingdom. 



Two New Fern Sports. — In nearly every green- 

 house where ferns are grown for sale will be found 

 specimens of the holly fern (Crytomium falcatum). 

 Its thick and glossy fronds are prime favorites with all 

 who maintain living collections of ferns. Recently 

 a laciniate sport has arisen from this which is now of- 

 fered to the trade as Cyrtomium Rockfordianum 

 though it should, of course, be Cyrtomium falcatum f. 

 Rockfordianum if it deserves a name at all. Still an- 

 other sport has been produced from Adiantum 

 tenerum. The fern usually called Adiantum Farley- 



