THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



73 



among them a stranger, the chain fern ( Woodwardia Vir- 

 ginica), whom we did not at once recognize as differing 

 from Osmunda cinnamotnea. The first two, however, are 

 waning while the latter still sends up new fronds at inter- 

 vals as the stout root-stock creeps along the soft stream 

 bottom. 



While we lingered in silent satisfaction over our suc- 

 cess, the graceful fronds of another fern, although not seen 

 before were at once recognized as those of the gray poly- 

 pody {Polypodium polypodoides) by its peculiar tree- 

 trunk habitat. This fern proves to be rather common, es- 

 pecially in the moist river bottoms where it often grows 

 sixty feet from the ground. It is occasionally seen upon 

 cypresses and magnolias, but seems to have a decided pre- 

 dilection for oaks and gums on the mossy horizontal 

 limbs of which it is most successful in establishing and 

 maintaining an aerial colony. Often the polypod and the 

 long moss {Tillandsia usneoides) share a tree crown 

 among them ; the former embracing the larger limbs, the 

 latter dangling from the smaller branches. 



Three weeks later, Dec. 7th, in a rather springy site 

 among oaks, beeches and magnolias, another treasure, the 

 narrow-leaved chain fern {Woodwardia areolata) was 

 found in company with the lady fern {Athryium felix-foe- 

 mina) and the rather common Christmas fern (Polysti- 

 chum acrostichoides) . Farther along the same stream 

 this fern associates with Woodwardia Virginica and Os- 

 munda regalis y always y however, keeping just out of reach 

 of the water which the other two prefer. Growing in 

 deep humus at the edge of the same woods, a single plant 

 of Dryopteris patens was collected. 



Some of the terns here enumerated were discovered by 

 accident rather than by intention. For a first instance : 

 on December 11th, while engaged in determining the num- 

 ber of newly germinated longleaf pine seedlings on a plot 

 two rods square, and while thus on all fours searching 

 among the dead grass, Ophiglossum pusillum was found 

 in abundance. Some of the plants were just emerging 



