Ferns of the Mammoth Cave National Park Region

Abstract

During the summer and fall of 1932 a study was undertaken of the ferns of the Mammoth Cave National Park region with the purpose of throwing some light on the question of the importance of certain factors which enter into the habitats of ferns, especially soil reaction, moisture, and temperature. The topography and geology of the region make it especially suited to the growth of a number of species, since it has a variety of calcareous and siliceous soils, plateaus, wooded slopes, valleys, cliffs, ravines, ponds, streams, sinks and caves. Occasional observations have been made of the ferns of this region for at least sixty years. In 1878 the book by John Williamson on Ferns of was published. This book, which has the distinction of being one of the first important works on ferns published in the United States, includes descriptions, original drawings, and some recorded habitats for all of the species found in the state previous to that date. About thirty-eight or forty species are discussed in it which were considered indigenous to the state. Among those who supplied Williamson with information concerning the localities where certain species were to be found was Professor John Hussey, of Purdue University, who was appointed botanical assistant in 1874 of a party sent by the Kentucky Geological Survey into the district of Edmonson, Butler, and Grayson Counties. Hussey was interested primarily in the timber but was continually on the watch for a new or rare species of fern. Several of his vivid descriptions of the habitats of rare species which he observed in the Mammoth Cave region or in other parts of Edmonson and adjacent counties are quoted in Williamson's book. 113