THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



Ferns of the Indiana Sand Dunes. — In the February, 

 1913, issue of the American Botanist, Edwin D. Hull notes the 

 finding by him of a single immature plant of the ebony spleen- 

 wort (Asplenium platyneiiron) in Porter County, Indiana, on 

 October 12, 1912. On the same day, the writer was in the same 

 region with Dr. H. S. Pepoom of Chicago, and Professor 

 Umbach and his son, of Naperville. One of the particular 

 pleasures of that delightful day's outing was the visit to a 

 thriving colony of ebony spleenworts. The colony was dis- 

 covered by Dr. Pepoon on Nov. 11, 1911, while exploring in 

 the vicinity of Mount Tom. The spleenworts were associated 

 with a numerous colony of Christmas ferns (PolysticJmm 

 acrostichoides) . The specimens found were perfect, with 

 abundant fruiting fronds upwards of 12 inches high. They 

 were located on a north slope, and were in such numbers that 

 no effort was made to count them. On the same day we dis- 

 covered two fine plants of Botrychiuvi ohliquiim, var. dissectum, 

 growing on the roadside at the edge of a ditch partially filled 

 with running water. We also found a small colony oi the 

 broad beech fern (Phegopteris hexagonoptera) . Further ex- 

 plorations in this fascinating region will undoubtedly reveal 

 other colonies of rare ferns, and possibly other varieties not 

 before reported from this portion of Indiana. — Orpheus M. 

 Schants. 



Pine Sap. — Indian pipes (Monotrofa uniflora) are 

 among the common flowers of the August woods. Usually 

 they are pure white though sometimes tinged with pink. I 

 have found two with a deep pink stem and bright red ovary 

 and two fresh plants with a dull blue stem and ovary. Last 

 summer I discovered two small colonies of pine sap (M. hypo- 

 pitys). At first I thought they must be yellowish Indian pipes, 

 but coming nearer, I saw instead of one, a cluster of five or 

 six little pipe-bowls at the summit of the stem. The little ones 

 nodded just as the big one nods when blooming. The ciliate 

 stigma reminded me of a miniature fleabane head, with its 



