I 'iii ;i :
pateriform or saucer-like centi'al portion, and a marginal
fringe of long radiating jointed hairs, which are more or
less incurved over the sporangia. This indusium is most
beautifully represented in Francis Bauer’s drawing which accompanies
Robert Brown’s original paper on the genus.' The
spores are bean-shaped, and are slightly roughened.
Brown himself remarked of this fern and JV. Ilvensis:
“ These two plants are indeed so nearly related, that I find
myself unable to construct for them clear specific characters ;
and therefore, in proposing them here as distinct species, I
am, from want of sufficient materials to determine the question,
rather following the prevailing opinion than my own. ”
Hooker’s last words on the subject a re :—“ I have wavered
in my opinion as to their distinctness ; but my late examinations
incline me to lean to their validity.” W. hyperborea is
tenderer in its texture than W. Ilvensis, much less paleaceous,
narrower in outline, and has shorter, more obtuse, and less
divided pinnæ.
Plate LX., Fig. 1 - 4 .— Woodsia hyperborea, a Canadian specimen
from Mr. Watt. Fig. 2 is an enlarged pinna. Fig. 3, a sorus, and
Fig. 4, a spore.
' This paper was published in 18 12 . Other specific names are older than “ h y
fe rh o r e a fl but as that is the name chosen by the author o f the genus, it was not in accordance
with the principles o f sound nomenclature to substitute “ a lp ina,” as was done
by S . F . Gray, whose example was followed by Moore and Newman, and at one time, I
regret to say, by the present writer.
fil li';' ’
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P iA T E L X . — F i g . 5 - 8 .
WOODSIA IL V E N S IS , R. B r o w n .
Rusty Woodsia.
W o o d s i a I l v e n s i s : — Root-stocks ascending,, growing in
great tufted masses; stalks crowded, articulated near the
base, very chaffy with rusty brown scales and paleaceous
hairs, greenish-brown, becoming brownish-stramineous when
dry; fronds two to six inches long, lanceolate, paleaceous and
hirsute, pinnate; pinnæ six to nine lines long, oblong-ovate,
acute, pinnatifid into rather numerous oblong obtuse usually
crenated lobes, the margins slightly refiexed; sori numerous,
at length confluent; involucres saucer-like, deeply cleft into
long incurved filiform rays.
Woodsia Ilvensis, R. B r o w n , in Trans. Linn. Soc., xi., p. 273 ; Verm.
Bot. Schriften, ii., p. 6 8 1 .— P u r s h , FI. Am. Sept., ii., p. 6 6 0 .—
H o o k e r , FI. Am.-Bor., ii., p. 2 5 9 ; Sp. Fil., i., p. 6 3 ; Brit.
Ferns, t. 8 . — L i n k , Fil. Hort. Berol, p. 1 3 5 .— T o r r e y , FI.
New York, ii., p. 5 0 0 . — G r a y , Manual, ed. i., p. 6 2 9 , etc.—
N ew m a n , Hist. Brit. Ferns, ed. iii,, p. 7 1 . — M o o r e , Nat. Pr.
Brit. Ferns, t. xlvii., A .— M e t t e n iu s , Fii. Hort. Lips., p. 9 8 .—
L aw so n , in Canad. Naturalist, i., p. 2 8 8 . — H o o k e r & B a k e r ,
Syn. Fil., p. 4 6 .
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