A new cloak fern from Mexico

VOL. _XVIII, PP.

205-206 SEPTEMBER

_2, 1905

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

A NEW CLOAK-FERN FROM MEXICO.

BY WILLIAM

R.

MAXON.

Bypermission of theSecretaryof the SmithsonianInstitution.

Among

the plants collected in

Mexico by Mr.

^C.

^G.

Pringle in

1904

is the following

undescribed

fern

which we _regard

as

one

of the

most

_clearly

marked

_species

discbvered

in recent years:

Notholaena bryopoda

sp.nov.

A

_{plant of}

medium

_size,the_rigid fronds 8 to20 cm._long,bornerather closely from a fasciculate bulbiform rhizome thickly covered

by

bristly ferruginous chaff with ^entiremargins

and

with a darker

median

line^: stipe 3 to 8 cm. _long, seal brown, sinuose, slightly furrowed _{above,scantily} clothed withdeciduousnarrowattenuate chaff

somewhat

darker thanthat of therhizome:lamina5 to12cm.long, lanceolate, coriaceous, forthemost partonlybipinnate,both primary

and

_secondaryrachiseschannelled

upon

the upper surface; pinnae lanceolate, exactly alternate throughout, ^dull greenish

and

devoid of glandular or ceraceous covering

upon

^the upper surface,the _larger ones about 2.5 cm. _long with seven _{or eight pairs} of mainly simple narrowly oblong ^sessile pinnulae, only ^the

two

or three lowermost pinnulae being pinnate^with oneor

two

_pairs ofsmall narrow sessilesegments; marginsstronglyrevolute, partiallyconcealing the black ishsporangia^at maturity

by

^adensecoating of paleyellowish ceraceous powder,subsequently

somewhat

reflexed.

Type

^{intheU.S. National} Herbarium,sheet No. 461,305;collectedfrom

"

chalky banks^{at base ofSierra}de

San

_Lazaro,altitude 7,500ft.,Stateof

Nuevo

_Leon,

Mexico

;

November

7,1904;C. G._Pringle,No. 8802."

Known

only fromthe typecollection.

38 PKOC.BIOL. Soc. WASH., VOL. XVIII, ^1905. (20H)

206 Maxon A New Cloak-Fern from

^Mexico.

Nolholaena bryopoda ^is without

any

^near

Mexican

allies.

From

N.

Pringlei Davenp.,* ^the only species with

which

it might beconfused,^it differs innearlyeveryessential feature; especially inthe peculiar character

and

vestitureofthe rhizome,ⁱⁿtheentireabsenceof

any

ceraceous cover ing

upon

^theuppersurface,

and

inthe _larger

and

_{elongatesegments.} Its

mostdistinctivecharacterslieinthe greatly enlarged

and

clustered root- stocks,

which

with their thick tufts of ferruginous chaffclosely simulate those ofN.sinuata (Sw.) Kaulf.

The

likeness of these tocertain tufted dicranoidmosses hassuggested thespecific

name

hereemployed.

*Bull.Torrey Club^13:132. pi. 58. 18SG.