MussouRI JROTANICAL.
GARDEN JRBULLETIN
VOLUME XXXV
1947
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
PUBLISHED MONTHLY EXCEPT JULY AND AUGUST,
BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: $2.50 A YEAR
MissOUR!I |BoTANICAL
GARDEN LIBRARY
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CONTENTS
Fifty-eighth Annual Report of the Director
Volume XXXV
January, ]947
Number |
Cover: The Mausoleum in Winter.
Editorial Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue,
St. Louis 10, Missouri.
Published monthly except July and August by the Board of Trustees of the
Missouri Botanical Garden. Subscription price: $2.50 a year.
Office of publication: 306 E. Simmons Street, Galesburg, Illinois.
Entered as second-class matter January 26, 1942, at the post-office at Gales-
burg, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Please: Do not discard a copy of the Bulletin. If you have no further use for yours
pass it along to a friend or return it to the Garden. Return postage will
be guaranteed.
Missour: Botanical
Garden Bulletin
Vol. XXXV JANUARY, 1947 No. 1
FIFTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR
To THE BoaRD OF TRUSTEES:
The Director of the Garden has the honor to submit his report for the
year ending December 31, 1946.
The past year has been marked by an unusual number of significant
events at the Garden. Even when taken individually they reflect a year of
more than passing interest, and in aggregate they record at least the partial
achievement of a number of long-sought goals and conquest of the obstacles
that lie in the path of a public-service institution. Briefly, the most note-
worthy of these are the Ellen A. Ricker bequest which was announced in
the September BULLETIN; the inauguration of a considerably expanded
teaching program of the Henry Shaw School of Botany, which operates as a
unit of Washington University; the devastation wrought by the near-
tornado of September first; the dedication of the Boxwood Garden at the
Arboretum by the Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri; and the transforma-
tion of the central heating system from coal to oil.
While the wounds of the storm are still all too evident in the City Gar-
den, and will be completely healed only by time, the other events of the
year voice a considerable measure of hope for the continued progress of
various projects, including botanical research.
The late Ellen A. Ricker left as a bequest to the Missouri Botanical
Garden approximately one quarter of her estate. Since the time of Henry
Shaw’s death this is the most significant contribution (which will aggregate
above $100,000 according to the probate court inventory) that has ever
been made to the Garden. Contrary to the still-prevalent view, no aid is
received from city or state, and the annual Friends-of-the-Garden fund,
while helpful, constitutes but a small part of the yearly operating expenses.
Miss Ricker’s legacy comes at a most opportune time for, in spite of
careful management of investments and operating expenses, the latter con-
(1)
2 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
tinue to increase at an appreciably faster rate than the former. Many tenta-
tively planned projects of general Garden improvement must await the lead
that this generous St. Louisan has set. Urgently needed at present is an
addition to the Administration Building to relieve the overcrowded condi-
tion of the library and herbarium. Plans for this building project have been
and the hope that
drawn up and now await the availability of materials
construction costs may show a downward trend in the not-too-distant
future. It is proposed to designate this the Ricker Herbarium Building as
a lasting memorial to Miss Ellen Ricker.
A word may be appropriate at this point relative to the Friends-of-the-
Garden fund for the past year. Aided by the Kiwanis Clubs of St. Louis
and the County, under the leadership of Mr. John W. Nies, our mailing list
was appreciably extended, which is largely responsible for a notable increase
in receipts. The fund for 1946 reached $9,000.00, being considerably above
the average for the past few years. This is encouraging, although it is still
far short of the aid that is warranted by the many services that the Garden
extends to the million or more inhabitants of St. Louis and vicinity.
For nearly two years plans have been gradually evolving to give the
teaching facilities of the Henry Shaw School of Botany* a wider range of
interests. As the final outcome of this planning the University has approved
the inauguration of two entirely new undergraduate curricula: one in Horti-
culture and the second in Microbiology. Although the first catalogue an-
nouncing these courses was issued in August it was decided to wait another
year before attempting any publicity of the program. Two new University
appointees will be added to the present teaching staff of the School, but
inasmuch as the new curricula could not be arranged immediately to the
best advantage no attempt has been made to rush their inauguration.
In past years a number of people have voiced the view that our teaching
program given in cooperation with Washington University was lacking in
Horticulture—a lack that was particularly conspicuous in view of the many
advantages that the Botanical Garden could offer. It is not planned, how-
ever, to develop a horticultural curriculum that will compete in any way
with the large and diverse programs offered by certain other horticultural
institutions. Our facilities are obviously entirely too small for this, nor does
there seem to be a need for such duplication. It is hoped, rather, that the
curriculum as it is set up will be one that will appeal to a select group of
students who will be interested in combining a more comprehensive scientific
background in the natural and physical sciences with the more practical
*For a detailed discussion of the School see the January, 1945, issue of the BULLETIN.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 3
aspects of horticulture. With all due respect to the “green thumb” garden-
ers whose attributes we recognize and appreciate, the basic advances in plant
sciences, like all other branches of science, are becoming more specialized
and technical, relying especially on basic advances in chemistry, physics, and
genetics. Plant scientists who are adequately trained in this way do not
exist in sufficient numbers to satisfy the present demand, and this demand
may be expected to increase in the future. Thus it is the intention of the
new course to prepare a limited number of especially qualified students who
may be expected to become significant contributors to horticultural science.
The curriculum in Microbiology, which is likewise offered in the new
catalogue, constitutes an entirely new innovation in the School’s teaching
program. The role that micro-organisms, including the yeasts, bacteria, and
certain molds, now play in medicine and in a considerable variety of indus-
trial fermentation industries has created a field of productive biological
investigations which necessitates special undergraduate training. Few insti-
tutions in the country offer a curriculum of this sort.
Storms of near-tornado violence are by no means unknown to St. Louis,
and the Garden has been the recipient of its share of these catastrophies.
The Botanical Garden lay directly in the center of the rather local but ex-
ceedingly violent storm of September 1 which swept through the central-
western portion of the city. Although greenhouse damage did not approach
that wrought by the storm of 1927 the damage to the outside plantings and
gardens was by far the worst in the Garden’s history. The shambles of
broken glass, walls, uprooted and mangled trees necessitated closing the
Garden to visitors for three days until the paths could be cleared and the
greenhouses made safe.
The violence of the wind caused many trees to be uprooted or broken
off close to the ground, while literally hundreds of others were damaged to
a greater or less extent. The accompanying hail lacerated the foliage, com-
pletely defoliating some shrubs and trees and leaving most of them in a
decidedly bedraggled condition. Virtually all the herbaceous plantings, most
noticeably the late summer and autumn displays near the main gate, were
completely riddled, and of course it was too late in the season to attempt
replacement. A more complete account of the storm damage is given on a
later page of this report.
The most notable progress in the Arboretum plantings during the year was
the completion of the Box Garden, which was officially opened on May 9. The
various varieties of Boxwood that are now growing in this garden have re-
sulted from seeds and cuttings collected in the Balkans twelve years ago by
Dr. Edgar Anderson. They were gathered in a region where the general
conditions of water and temperature relations approximate those prevailing
4 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
in the St. Louis region. Of the hundreds of plants that were started, a few
dozens of the most promising ones have now been set out under the partial
protection of the serpentine wall that was completed last year.
Most of the available commercial varieties of Boxwood find St. Louis a
bit rigorous for satisfactory growth year after year, although occasionally
in properly sheltered positions they will display all the advantages of this fine
group of plants. The Box Garden does not represent a final planting, but is
intended rather as a combination display-experimental garden, and when the
best of these Balkan varieties have proven their worth a major contribution
will have been made to mid-western horticulture.
As a note of formality in the opening of the Box Garden, it was dedi-
cated by the Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri on May 9 during its
thirteenth annual convention, which was held this year in St. Louis. Mrs.
Robert O. Powelson, as President of the Garden Clubs, made the speech of
dedication and Dr. Edgar Anderson gave a talk on the origin of the Boxwood
collections.
The results of the long-time program of orchid breeding have been
especially gratifying during the past year. The breeding of these horticul-
tural favorites is assuredly one aspect of botanical work in which man may
make decided improvements over Nature, at least in its normal course of
events. A botanist from Colombia recently remarked that our orchid flow-
ers were much finer than those growing in the tropical jungles of her own
country. Years of cross-breeding the most productive and colorful wild
plants from the American tropics are now yielding hybrids that are larger
and more showy than their parents. The results of this work were reflected
in a small way in the bouquet that the Garden presented to the 1946 Veiled
Prophet Queen—almost all of the blossoms used being from new hybrid
plants grown by Dr. David Fairburn in the Arboretum greenhouses.
In June, 1945, a survey of the Missouri Botanical Garden heating system
was made by Mr. A. H. Vogel, Consulting Engineer. The survey recom-
mended that the stokers then installed in two of the three boilers be replaced
by oil burners whenever the necessary equipment and materials became
available. In the spring of this year the equipment was obtained and the
work of converting to oil commenced as soon as the boilers were shut down
for the regular seasonal overhaul. By fall it was virtually completed, and
we have now had several months to observe the benefits arising out of the
change from coal to oil. The automatic equipment makes it possible for one
man to operate the boilers on each eight-hour shift, while with coal it was
necessary to have two or more men on each shift, depending on the severity
of the weather. It is expected that payroll savings alone will offset the
higher cost of oil. Moreover, the two stoker-fired units formerly in use
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 5
lacked the rapid pick-up that was so often demanded, but the oil burners
have clearly demonstrated their ability to meet the great variations in the
demand for steam due to a sudden temperature change. An extra oil burner
has been purchased as standby equipment and can be installed in thirty
minutes in the event of a mechanical failure to either of the existing in-
stalled burners. There is little doubt that this change of fuel has solved the
serious problems existing heretofore in the heating plant.
THE STORM OF SEPTEMBER 1
The ever-pressing burden of pruning trees was begun in the last week of
August. No sooner had progress been made, however, than a violent thun-
der storm, accompanied by a 65-mile-per-hour wind and great quantities of
hail, struck the Garden on September 1. Although the storm lasted only
20 minutes it left in its path a wake of destruction such as the Garden had
never suffered before. Broken and mangled trees were strewn across the
walks and lawns, pools and streams overflowed, basements flooded, stone
walls were crumbled, and many lights of glass broken in the greenhouses
causing a good deal of damage to the plants within.
Nearly 70 different species of trees and larger shrubs were damaged or
destroyed. While some of these can be replaced readily and do not represent
Damage done to Ginkgo trees and pool plantings by storm of September 1
6 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
a serious loss, others were rarer plants or especially fine specimens and con-
siderable expense and many years of growing will be required to heal the
scars made in the Garden.
Some concept of the litter of vegetation that had to be removed may be
obtained by noting that more than 740 truck loads of brush and tractor
drag-loads of limbs and trunks were hauled to the barn area. The larger
trunks were then transported to Gray Summit for sawing into lumber and
the remaining usable wood piled for cord-wood, while the brush was burned.
Evidence of the storm is still all too apparent in the broken tops and
Old Catalpa trees planted by Henry Shaw
branches of many trees throughout the Garden. The work of pruning
damaged limbs is by no means completed and a number of severely injured
trees still remain to be removed.
The greenhouses suffered less damage than might have been expected
from the devastation that was wrought outside. A total of over 1900 lights
of glass were broken, damage being especially heavy in the north ends of the
main conservatory and floral display house. The storm came from the north
and nearly all of the glass facing that direction was destroyed. In addition
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
ve
1
3
Picture just happened to be taken on August
View in rose garden.
Same bed of roses at 5 P. M., Sunday, September 1
8 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
to the broken glass the ventilators in both the Linnean House and Floral
Display House were completely blown off.
The fall of large branches and entire trees caused considerable damage
to the fences and walls. Most conspicuous was a great gap of some 108
square feet in the brick wall east of the Linnean House and a total of some
100 square feet in the stone wall along Tower Grove Avenue. Some damage
was also occasioned by flooding of the boiler house, the office at the main
gate, and the Assistant Engineer’s residence.
While the damage to buildings and greenhouses is adequately covered by
insurance, the still more severe loss suffered by the outside plantings and
Brick wall in Linnean Garden broken by falling Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus)
walls presents an unforeseen inroad on the regular budget and must be met
by curtailments of other Garden operations.
A disaster of this sort should be viewed in as favorable a light as possible.
Many of the outside plantings were in serious need of reorganization and
rejuvenation—a need of which the Garden was entirely aware yet unable to
remedy due primarily to insufficient funds. Some changes now become ab-
solutely vital and must proceed at the expense of other budgetary items if
supplementary funds are not available. It presents, therefore, an excellent
opportunity for those persons who may be interested in the Garden’s welfare
to contribute to this improved landscaping of the grounds.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 9
SOME MINOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
A number of small construction jobs were accomplished during the year
which do not fall under the heading of general maintenance and seem
worthy of brief note. The old, worn, and paint-soaked brick floor of the
carpentry shop was replaced by a concrete floor, and the floors in the Floral
Display House potting shed and in the supply room were resurfaced. In
view of the change from coal to oil it was possible to resurface the coal-
storage bin roof, thus covering the manholes which offers an added assurance
against flooding of the power house.
The old wooden cold-frames north of the Linnean Garden, being in an
advanced state of decay, were wrecked and replaced by eighteen concrete
frames which may be expected to last for many years at little maintenance
expense. Thirty-six new top vents were installed in the Aroid-Citrus House,
three in the Cactus House, and twenty new snow guards were built for the
top of the Palm Range.
Certain of the buildings and most of the greenhouses were in rather
urgent need of paint. During the year the Main Gate rest-rooms and office
rooms, as well as the exterior of the Museum building, were painted. A
considerable portion of the Main Conservatory group was painted on the
outside and the interior of the coffee house up to the roof glass. Eighty
garden benches were refinished after their old paint had been burned off.
ARBORETUM
During the past several years, many varieties of yews (Taxus) have been
obtained by purchase and exchange. They have proved hardy and have
grown to a size suitable for transplanting to a permanent location. Some
kinds have done very well at the Trail House, and the larger specimens of
the new varieties were planted at the sides of the new concrete stairway.
This brings together a worth-while collection in an area available to visitors.
The planting of the Boxwood Garden started in the spring of 1945 and
was partly finished before cold weather set in that year. Only a few were
lost during the summer, which means that the plants were given a very
severe test without irrigation. Those that died were replaced in October,
and at the same time some further plantings of magnolias and rhododendrons
were made. In addition, a row of junipers was set out along the connecting
road east of this garden, and about 300 azaleas were added to the two old
plantations. Of the 49,000 gallons of water hauled for irrigation, a large
part was used at the time of planting. About 500 cypress (Taxodium)
were planted in a slough near the Meramec River. Numerous smaller plant-
ings were made in the course of the year, in addition to the many plants
10 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
moved from the seed-frames to the nursery. Many new plants have been
received, some of which have been placed with the specimens in the observa-
tion plot.
A compost mixer was purchased, and this machine, along with the
Roto-Tiller, has proved exceptionally valuable in nursery work and in the
establishing of new plantations. A new trail has been laid out in the Wild
Flower Reservation which, when completed, should be attractive throughout
the year. It is planned to establish most of the showy plants on either side
of the trail and to label the plantings so that they will be as interesting to
the average visitor as the Reservation is to the specialist.
At the Main Entrance gateway, the old picket fence was removed and
work begun on a new stone and iron gateway. It is planned to complete
this by spring so that the extensive plantings required may be established
before hot weather. A number of large trees have been moved into place,
and wide use will be made of conifers and broad-leaf evergreens. It will be
necessary to haul much good soil and improve that on the site before plant-
ing can be started. Blasting of rock to make room for soil is about finished,
but much grading remains to be done.
Road work required considerable time since very little of it has been
done the previous three years. In May all roads were reshaped and rolled,
and over 500 tons of gravel were hauled and spread on the surface. An
effort was made to dust-proof these roads by applying eleven tons of calcium
chloride, but this treatment is not very satisfactory in a region where
thirteen weeks may elapse between showers. The trucks were driven 11,700
miles during the year, this being the greatest distance they have covered
since they were purchased. Most of the driving being in low gear in off-
the-road work, the wear on the engine is as great as if the trucks had been
driven 40,000—50,000 miles annually, and it becomes increasingly difficult
to keep these ten-year-old machines operating. The tank truck hauled
almost 50,000 gallons of water for irrigation, and 10,000 gallons of sludge
which is used as a fertilizer.
Continued use of the cattle in grass-land improvement has reduced the
mowing time by 50 per cent. A simple feed barn was completed on the
farm, much of the lumber used being from our own sawmill and some sal-
vaged when the old barns were taken down. At the new barn, a 100-ton
silo was built and filled with corn silage. Feeding from this silo began in
November. The trees on Crabapple Hill have now become so large that it is
almost impossible to maneuver machinery between the rows. A herd of cattle
placed there in the fall indicated that grazing cattle might replace the
mowing operation provided it was timed so that no harm would be done to
the trees. Nearly 3000 bales of hay were put up for use as a mulch and for
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 11
cattle feed. During February and March 15,200 board feet of native lumber
and 150 catalpa rails and posts for use at the Box Garden were sawed, re-
quiring about seven days of operation.
Beginning with the inter-racial and the inter-demoninational Easter
Sunrise Service, the Arboretum has had more use by organizations than ever
before. At the Sunrise Services about 600 people gathered near the Trail
House. The magnificent display of crabapples brought many visitors and
many organizations. From 150 to 250 cars were counted on week-ends in
the spring. Following is a list of the larger groups:
March 19, Girl Scout Leaders July 14, Franklin-Gasconade County
May 9, Federated Garden Clubs Firefighter’s Ass’n, Inc.
June 13, Florists’ Club of St. Louis October 16, Hawbrook Garden Club
June 21, Clayton Garden Club October 21, Rowena Clark Garden Club
June 23, Henry Shaw Garden-Way November 6, Ozark Garden Club
Association November 19, American Association of
July 14, St. Louis County Beekeepers Botanical Gardens and Arboretums
Association November 24, Phi Sigma Phi, Harris
Teachers College
The management of the Arboretum is under the direction of Mr. A. P.
Beilmann.
GARDENS
Beginning in 1943, the shrub beds in the vicinity of the Floral Display
House have gradually been replanted. Large masses of the more common
shrubs have been replaced with magnolias, redbuds, American hollies, Pfitzer’s
junipers, and in March twenty hybrid “mollis” azaleas and other shrubs were
set out. Narcissi have been naturalized amongst the shrubs, and English
ivy, Pachysandra, and Vinca minor were used freely as ground covers. These
new plant materials have greatly improved the appearance of this part of
the Garden.
The shrubbery which borders the Italian Garden was completely over-
hauled in the spring, the Lombardy poplars being replaced with twenty-four
of the fastigiate variety of Simon Poplar and new shrubs added to the border.
Azaleas and various dwarf junipers were planted in a new bed which adjoins
the large group of azaleas just northwest of the Grove.
Fifteen apple trees were planted on the espaliers in the Economic Garden
to replace some of the original fruit trees imported from England in 1917.
Seventy-five shrubs, representing nine species, were planted in the various
shrub beds on the Knolls.
For the first time in a number of years tulips were again planted in the
beds in the main plaza and also in the Linnean and spring gardens.
The bedding plants, roses and perennials, in the various gardens gave fine
displays of color until they were cut down by the slashing hail-storm of
September 1. Many tender plants were destroyed, but others, like the roses,
12 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
gradually revived and sent out lateral growths which in time produced some
flowers. All woody plants are so badly scarred that it will take a year for
them to outgrow the damage.
It will be interesting to see how the trees and shrubs will bloom next
spring after a year of freakish weather. The spring season was as early as it
has ever been. Narcissi were in full bloom on March 21, and a few days later
crabapples, redbuds, and all the other early-flowering trees and shrubs were
in flower. Fortunately no late frost interfered to check or damage the
plants which were stimulated so early by the warm weather, As for moisture
—first it was wet, followed by a dry spell in July and early August, then
torrential rains beginning on August 15, when 7.84 inches of rain fell in
twenty-four hours, climaxed by the rain and hail-storm on the afternoon of
September 1. There then followed another dry period and again more rain,
so that now, December 21, the annual precipitation totals 56.32 inches, the
normal being 36.75 inches. The shrubs which lost their leaves as a result of
the hail went into a resting period, and this was followed by renewed vigor
which resembled that of the spring season. Early-flowering shrubs, such as
lilacs and azaleas, began blooming in October, and because of the mild
November weather many of the flower-buds are now half open but browned
by the few hard freezes of December.
The Iris Garden was replanted in late summer and early fall. Seventeen
beds comprise an area of 13,068 square feet and contain 893 clumps of iris.
Forty new varieties were purchased, and the iris collection is now as up-to-
date as it is possible to make it. Not every new variety is represented as
soon as it is introduced because of the high price. In recent years new
varieties have been chosen on the basis of the iris symposiums. One bed
which had been planted according to the 1944 Symposium now contains 89
of the 100 leading varieties of iris. At current prices it would cost one
hundred dollars to plant the remaining eleven iris. For example, the varieties
“Alba Superba” and ‘““Mellowglow” are listed at twenty dollars each in 1946
iris catalogues. This is probably the only garden in which an iris bed has
been planted with the varieties in their numerical rank according to the
votes in the symposium. Fourteen new varieties were added to the collec-
tion of peonies which forms a part of the iris garden.
Because of a cool spring and a busy season the planting of tropical water-
lilies in the outdoor pools was delayed by at least two weeks. The east and
west pools which are chiefly devoted to the hybrid day-bloomers originated at
the Garden were again ablaze with riotous color during the summer and early
fall months. The east pool was conspicuous with flowers of dark shades in-
cluding deep blues, rich purples, and violets, while the west pool was notable
for light hues,—pinks, whites and yellows. About 120 plants are set out
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 13
yearly in these two pools. As in former years, the large circular center pool
featured nine specimens of the spectacular Victoria Cruziana of the Amazon
Region, commonly called Giant Water-platter. This is the plant with ex-
tremely large round leaves that can support the weight of a child or even a
medium-sized man. They can be grown only in large pools, as the leaves
average 10 to 15 feet in length, including the stalks, and there are as many
as a dozen to each full-grown plant. Victorias must be grown from seed
annually but fresh seeds are not necessary. Many pods are produced during
the season but only a few reach maturity.
During the great storm of September 1 all the water-lilies were reduced
to shreds by the accompanying wind, hail and rain. The pools presented a
scene of devastation for about a week or until they were cleared of debris.
Ensuing days of warm weather following the storm caused new leaves and
buds to make their appearance, and three weeks later the pools were as filled
with color and fragrance as if nothing had happened. Only the center pool
remained bare for the Victorias were never able to recover from the shock.
All of the major directional and explanatory signs attached to buildings
and along the main walks were replaced with new ones.
FLORAL DISPLAYS
Buddleias, cyclamen and primroses were displayed during January. For
the first time the annual Orchid Show, in February, was held in the Aroid
House instead of in the Floral Display House, the plants being placed in the
four alcoves and in the west end of the house. Amaryllis, calla lilies and
Primula malacoides were added to the Cyclamen-Primrose show during Feb-
ruary. Azaleas, calceolarias, cinerarias, annual chrysanthemums, foxgloves,
nasturtiums and schizanthus were displayed during March. At Easter time
the House contained lilies and hyacinths, these being later replaced by
Martha Washington geraniums.
Due to the exceptionally early season, the St. Louis Horticultural Society
held its spring show on May 4 and 5, the earliest date which it has ever been
held. The St. Louis Cactus Society had its first show on May 11 and 12.
Many flowering plants were sent to Christ Church Cathedral for the annual
flower sermon preached there on May 12. Fuchsias and hydrangeas were
exhibited on May 19, and this display was followed by the summer display
of caladiums starting on June 16.
The 13th Mid-West Dahlia Show, held on September 28 and 29, was by
far the largest and best display of dahlias ever staged in the Floral Display
House. The Veiled Prophet Queen’s bouquet was exhibited on October 10,
the first time since 1941.
The bush chrysanthemums, which are grown outdoors each year and
14 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
potted in September, were temporarily ruined by the hail-storm. Although,
a month later, it was possible to salvage about a third of the crop of 1600
plants, they were very poor. Only a few of the single-stem varieties, the
cascades and basket varieties, and the specimen plants were injured by falling
glass in the greenhouses. Despite the loss of so many bush plants it was
possible to stage a good chrysanthemum show which lasted from November
3 until December 1. The Poinsettia Show followed on December 8 and will
continue into next January.
The growing of the plants, as well as the arrangement of the floral dis-
plays, is in charge of Mr. Paul A. Kohl, Floriculturist to the Garden.
MAIN CONSERVATORIES AND EXOTIC RANGES
The two Desert Houses, which occupy the extreme west wings of the
main range, have come in for their share of transformation in the past year.
When the South African room was first planted in 1934 a number of African
milkbushes (Synadenium cupulare and S. Grantii) were planted to fill the
overhead space in the high room in the quickest possible manner. Any one
acquainted with the rapid growth of Synadeniums will immediately realize
what space they can take up in a few short years. The great gaps in the
beds created by their removal were filled when all the outstanding spurges
from the Cactus House were planted there. The transplanting of a twenty-
foot Euphorbia conspicua and the candelabrum-like E. Cooperi necessitated
the help of five men and required a half-day to accomplish, but the results
were well worth the effort. Other Euphorbias, which could not be success-
fully dug up with their root systems intact, were cut off at the base, left to
callous for a month or two, and then placed in their desired positions to root.
Often the cuttings were five to fifteen feet tall, with or without lateral
branchings.
The collection of succulents has been greatly augmented by donated and
exchange plants from California nurserymen and private collectors. Earlier
in the year, Ladislaus Cutak was sent to Southern California where he col-
lected in the field and visited most of the leading cactus nurseries and private
gardens. Howard Gates, of Corona, gave a valuable collection of Baja
Californian Agaves and cholla-type Opuntias, as well as a few other en-
demics. The most remarkable was the Creeping Devil Cactus, Machaero-
cereus eruca, which has been likened to monster caterpillars on account of
its manner of growth and its long whitish spines. Gilbert Tegelberg, of
Inglewood, sent a number of novelties from his garden, including a good-
sized Trichocereus thelegonus, an Argentinian counterpart of the Mexican
Creeping Devil Cactus. Mrs. Florence Cariss, of La Canada, who has one of
the largest general collections of succulents in California, contributed a large
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 15
number of rare Euphorbias and other miscellaneous kinds. E. C. Hummel,
of Inglewood, donated a group of horticultural Haworthias and allied species,
while Beahm Gardens, of Pasadena, sent a specimen plant of Chiapasia Nel-
sonit, one of the loveliest of all epiphytic cacti with deep pinkish blossoms.
A small collection of Peruvian cacti was shipped from the Lima Botanical
Garden through the cooperation of Mr. Russell Seibert, one of our graduate
students who was engaged in rubber research work in Peru during the war.
Mr. Tom Macdougall, of New York City, gave cuttings of all his Epiphyl-
lanae collected in Mexico during his winter sojourns in that country. Among
them are a number of rare or rarely seen species in cultivation, including the
new Nopalxochia Conzattianum, a description of which will be published in
1947, As usual, a number of St. Louisians have offered us plants that had
grown too large for their quarters. One of the most interesting additions
received through these channels was an unusually large clustered Hamato-
cactus setispinus which had graced the home of Mr. and Mrs. Haake in
Jennings for 39 years.
The Curtain Vine, Cissus cissyoides var. Jacquini, in the Cycad House,
was severely pruned, only the main leaders left to carry on. A cat-walk was
built in the top girders which will enable occasional pruning of the vine
when necessary.
In the Banana-Coffee House most of the scarlet. Waxmallow bushes
(Malvaviscus arboreus var. grandiflorus) have been removed to make room
for more banana and coffee plants. Heavy feeding has thickened banana
stalks considerably, and plants are never without fruit. Manure, in heavy
doses, has been applied to all the beds throughout the main range, and the
curious Umbrella Tree, Coccoloba grandifolia, has responded marvelously
to this treatment. The application of fertilizer in the Exotic Ranges has
also brought about marked improvement in the plants grown there. The
miscellaneous Aroids, Gingers, Ixoras, Clerodendrons and others have pro-
duced more lush foliage and more abundant flowers than before. The sweet-
scented Frangipani and the colorful Bird-of-Paradise bushes were the
outstanding bloomers. Chenille Plants (Acalypha hispida) bore unusually
lovely long racemes of flowers, while clambering vines, like Anemopaegma
Chamberlaynii and Camoensia maxima, put on delightful displays. Clero-
dendron fragrans blossomed for the first time. This is a medium-sized shrub
with broad oval green leaves and dense clusters of white to pink, Gardenia-
like, fragrant flowers. Like most of the big-leaved sorts, it sends out runners
all over the place.
Through exchanges with Mr. Henry Teuscher of the Montreal Botanical
Garden, thirteen new species in the genera Aechmea, Dyckia, Fascicularia,
Hechtia, Nidularium, Pitcairnia, Tillandsia and Vriesia have been secured.
16 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
A number of unidentified Mexican Pitcairnias, Tillandsias and Vriesias col-
lected by Mr. Tom Macdougall in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec have been
received. Our tropical plant collector, Mr. Paul Allen, has sent in both seeds
and small plants of various Panamanian species,—the most interesting to
become established being the showy-foliaged Guzmania musaica, which is a
much more beautiful form than the one already in cultivation. Numerous
seedlings of Aechmea Allenii have been raised and are thriving although still
very small. This new species is said to be a very showy plant both in flower
and fruit and outside of our collection is unknown in cultivation.
Mr. Ladislaus Cutak is in charge of the Main Conservatories, including
cacti and other succulents.
ORCHID DEPARTMENT
The transfer of orchid research work from the City Garden to the
Arboretum greenhouses at Gray Summit has permitted increased experi-
mental work, particularly by the use of hydroponics. The hydroponic house
which was completed in 1945 now contains about 4,000 seedlings. A second
house was built during the year and has been planted with about 5,000 seed -
lings. The inability to obtain peat, which is the medium for potting orchids,
has necessitated the use of haydite, granite, etc.
Feeding experiments have been carried on not only with the seedlings
but also with the entire collection of mature plants. An injector pump was
installed in the head-house which permits the fertilizer to be pumped
through the present water-pipe system. Plants in the first hydroponic
house have made growth equal to our expectations judging by the demon-
stration in the City Experimental Greenhouse. Three plants flowered during
November, only four years from the time of sowing seed.
The wooden stages were removed from the east and west bench of the
Dendrobium House and converted for the use of hydroponics. The west
bench was entirely planted with Dendrobium Phalaenopsis, while the east
bench was devoted to Phalaenopsis. As an experiment to ascertain what
would happen to plants when removed from town to Gray Summit during
extreme heat, part of these plants were removed from the small hydroponic
bench in town during the month of July when the temperature was 90°.
The plants did not show any ill effects.
It is interesting to note the response to hydroponics in the genus Phalae-
nopsis. We had never previously grown these orchids successfully but in
haydite or granite they are bearing spikes which will average fifteen flowers
to a plant. Dendrobium Phalaenopsis has likewise shown increased growth
and flowers under hydroponics. Dendrobium and Phalaenopsis are the first
genera to show the results of the feeding experiments, Dendrobiums having
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 17
also responded when grown in peat.
Two hundred flasks have been sown with hybrid Cattleya seed, and 90
pots have been filled with seedlings transplanted from flasks. Flowers of
some 55 genera have been pollinated and show seed-pods in various stages of
maturity. During the year there have been 11,300 flowering plants potted
in peat, and 15,890 seedlings. Of these, 7,800 were transplanted into
haydite, granite, or mixture; 4,400 in the open bench; 3,690 in peat.
Orchid plants brought in weekly from the Arboretum greenhouses have
kept one or two alcoves in the Aroid House filled throughout the season.
The flowers were arranged according to genera; one alcove of Cym-
bidiums, another of Laelias, a third of Botanicals, and the fourth Cattleyas
that had been raised from seed in St. Louis. Additional displays included
various other genera and species. The Brasso-cattleyas raised at the Garden
were particularly fine, the white form, named “Henry Shaw,” being the
outstanding seedling of this cross.
The English slipper orchids were noteworthy for their size and color in
comparison with the older hybrids from the D. $. Brown collection. Both
groups were displayed in the same alcove in order to demonstrate the im-
provement by hybridization.
RESEARCH AND INSTRUCTION
Dr. Carroll W. Dodge, Mycologist to the Garden and Professor in the
Henry Shaw School of Botany of Washington University, has spent much
of the time available for research in identifying miscellaneous collections of
lichens sent by correspondents, including large series of specimens of the
Aleutian Islands, Costa Rica, Guadeloupe, northern South America, northern
Argentina, the Hawaiian Islands, India, Montana, Arizona, Oklahoma, and
Texas, adding many species not previously represented in the herbarium. Miss
Dorothy Harper assisted in making microscopic preparations and in routine
insertion in the fungus and lichen herbaria until June 1. A study of the
collections of the U. S. Antarctic Expedition (Admiral Byrd’s Third Expedi-
tion) has been begun. Routine determinations of human pathogenic fungi
have been made as the various cultures were received.
The usual courses of instruction have been given. Mrs. Charles Heiser
gave the course in general bacteriology during the summer session and Dr.
Richard R. Marsh is giving the course in general bacteriology in University
College.
Dr. Edgar Anderson, Geneticist to the Garden and Engelmann Professor
of Botany in the Henry Shaw School of Botany of Washington University,
has continued to devote the major portion of his time to a general survey of
the corn plant, Zea Mays. With the cooperation of the Pioneer Hi-Bred
18 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Corn Breeding Company of Iowa, which provided space and assistants for
his experimental cultures and furnished the money for two graduate fellow-
ships, it has been possible to accomplish a good deal in a short time. There
is a surprising amount of prehistoric maize in the various archaeological
museums of the country, and an effort is being made to examine and measure
as much of this as possible. During the year the extensive collections as-
sembled at the Museum of Ethnobotany of the University of Michigan were
examined in detail, as were also those of the Ohio State Museum at Columbus.
Much of Dr. Anderson’s time has been spent in directing a general
survey of popcorn. Aside from one or two corn breeders, no one has ever
taken popcorn seriously and the information with regards to the kinds of
popcorn and their history is in a chaotic state. Through the generous co-
operation of various members of the seed business it has been possible to
make some headway in this morass. During the year Dr. Anderson and
Mr. John Jay Finan, the holder of one of the graduate fellowships mentioned
above, issued a mimeographed preliminary check-list which was sent out to
the trade and to popcorn growers and breeders. The response was way be-
yond anything which had been hoped. As a result, authentic specimens of
numerous varieties were added to the collections maintained at the Garden
and definite information was obtained on a great many obscure points. It is
hoped that within a few years it may be possible, through cooperative effort,
to bring out a definitive check-list of American popcorn varieties in perma-
nent form.
Dr. Anderson’s survey of corn varieties from Latin America has proceeded
during the year. Dr. W. H. Camp, of the New York Botanical Garden,
presented a fine collection from Ecuador which has been photographed and
held in cold storage while a few samples were grown and studied. In No-
vember and December, Dr. Anderson studied corn in Guatemala as a guest
investigator at the lowa Tropical Research Center in Antigua.
Dr. Robert E. Woodson, Jr., Assistant Curator of the Herbarium and
Professor in the Henry Shaw School of Botany of Washington University,
has continued his teaching duties at the University. His research has been
concerned chiefly with studies of variation in natural populations of
Ascle pias tuberosa, the familiar Butterfly-weed, and with completion of his
monograph of the genus Asclepias. He has also continued the editing, with
Dr. Schery, of the “Flora of Panama,” the third volume of which is now
approaching completion.
Dr. Henry N. Andrews, Assistant to the Director and Associate Professor
in the Henry Shaw School of Botany, has continued his research work with
the Carboniferous plants of Illinois and certain Chalk-Age deposits in Idaho.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 19
During May and June a collecting trip was made in Wyoming and Idaho
with Mr. Lee W. Lenz, a graduate student in the School of Botany. A few
days were spent in Yellowstone Park gathering information concerning the
succession of the fossil forests that exist there. With the aid of Mr. Henry
Thomas, a considerable number of fine specimens of petrified fern stems
were made near Wayan, Idaho. These add appreciably to our already ex-
tensive collection of these beautifully preserved Cretaceous plants. Collec-
tions of other fossil plants were made in southwestern Idaho, most notable
being a petrified bracket fungus and cones of evergreen trees which formerly
grew in what is now the Owyhee Desert. These collections were made pos-
sible largely through the aid of Mr. W. A. Peters of Jerome, Idaho, and
other geologists of that region.
Mr. Frederick O. Thompson has continued to send specimens from the
coal fields near Des Moines, Iowa, and in September an article was published
in the ANNALS dealing with certain petrified seeds found in his collections.
In November the Garden acquired approximately one quarter of a ton of
fine coal-ball specimens as a gift from Professor L. R. Wilson, Head of the
Geology Department at Massachusetts State College. These specimens like-
wise came from the Iowa coal fields and may be expected to reveal still more
of the ancient forests that grew there in past ages.
Dr. Carl C. Lindegren, Research Professor in the Henry Shaw School of
Botany of Washington University, has devoted the greater part of his time
to the cytogenetics of yeast. New advances have been made, this year, in
the understanding of mitosis of the yeast cell, and a paper is now in press
showing that metaphosphate is essential for the division of the chromosomes.
A new theory of the nature of the gene and its mechanism of action has been
evolved as a result of the genetical work. A new method of studying yeast
growth has been invented which promises to be of considerable practical
value.
The work on yeast genetics is being carried on in the laboratory of Reb-
stock Hall and has been supported by grants from Anheuser-Busch, Inc.,
American Cancer Society, and by direct aid from Washington University.
The staff includes Mrs. Gertrude Lindegren, Mrs. Amy Pabor, Mr. George
Kline, Mrs. Jean Nicholson Meyer, Caroline Raut, and four part-time student
assistants. Dr. Folke Skoog worked four months in the laboratory, and
Dr. Michael Duodoroff, of the University of California, six weeks. Manu-
scripts containing their work with Dr. Lindegren were prepared, and the
paper with Dr. Skoog is now in press. Dr. J. M. Wiame, of the University
of Brussels, has been carrying on a joint study.
Foreign visitors who have spent a few days in the laboratory studying
the new techniques of yeast hybridization include: Dr. Holger Jorgensen,
20 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Copenhagen, Denmark; Dr. Lundin, Stockholm, Sweden; Dr. Lartarjet and
Dr. Roger Gautheret, Paris, France; Dr. M. J. D. White and Dr. Virden,
London, England, and many others.
Dr. Robert W. Schery, Research Assistant to the Garden and Assistant
Professor in the Henry Shaw School of Botany of Washington University,
after three years with the Rubber Development Corporation in Brazil, re-
sumed his duties at the Garden in January. Some plants collected in tropical
Brazil during his stay there were determined, and labels for this collection
were made ready for future determinations. Cooperating with Dr. Hamp-
ton, of the Allergy Laboratories of Washington University Medical School, a
display of hayfever plants was set up for the general public in the entrance
of the Floral Display House, various plants being exhibited from March
until July as they came in flower. Dr. Schery also helped prepare a full-page
rotogravure on hayfever plants for the S#. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Courses in economic botany, systematic botany and dendrology were
given by Dr. Schery during the summer at the University of Wisconsin. In
the fall he gave the course in Botany 1 at Washington University. With
Dr. Woodson, two parts of the Orchidaceae of Panama were edited, which
appeared as Fascicles 2 and 3 of Volume HI of the “Flora of Panama”
in the February and November numbers of the ANNALS. Manuscript was
also prepared for the Leguminosae of Panama to be contained in a future
volume of the “Flora.”
Mr. Paul H. Allen, Tropical Plant Collector for the Garden, returned
from his wartime duties with the Rubber Development Corporation in
March. He is now stationed at Gamboa, Canal Zone, and is engaged in
making collections primarily for the “Flora of Panama.” Mr. Allen’s speci-
mens also will be used as exchange material with other botanical institutions.
Dr. Gustav A. L. Mehlquist, Horticulturist to the Garden and Associate
Professor in the Henry Shaw School of Botany of Washington University,
has devoted his research during the year to genetical studies in the genera
Antirrhinum, Chrysanthemum, Delphinium, and Dianthus. About 7000
plants of Dianthus “Heddensis,”’ a hybrid between D. chinensis and D.
Heddewigii, and 5000 plants of hybrids involving D. arboreus, D. chinensis,
D. Heddewigii and D. superbus were grown at the Arboretum at Gray Sum-
mit during the summer. Due to the fact that June and July were rather
dry months the plants did poorly until late in the season. Cuttings were
rooted from some fifty of the most promising plants for further tests in the
City Garden. The whole block of plants will be left for another season for
additional data as to winter hardiness, drought resistance, etc. It is hoped
that selections of pinks suitable for the Missouri conditions can be obtained
from this planting.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 21
The space in the Experimental Greenhouse that was not used for the
annual course in horticulture was devoted to genetical research. Some 800
advanced hybrids between the red-flowered Del phinium cardinale and D. ela-
tum, one of the common garden delphiniums, were grown during the spring
and early summer. The results brought us one step nearer to the desired red-
or pink-flowered garden delphinium. Diploid and tetraploid carnations have
been increased during the year to provide material for comparative studies
of inheritance in diploids and tetraploids. Some 600 tetraploid snapdragons,
all derived from a simple spontaneous tetraploid that occurred in a cross be-
tween two diploids, have been grown during the year. The segregations for
flower color and other characteristics proved so interesting that a large
population of diploids from the same cross are now being grown in order to
provide a more accurate basis for evaluating the segregations obtained in
the tetraploids.
In cooperation with Mr. Paul Kohl, breeding work with Chrysanthemum
was undertaken in an effort to obtain a greater range of color and flower size
in the cascade and basket types. To that end crosses were made between
good cascade types such as “Anna” and “Jane Harte” and colorful non-
cascaders such as “Red Melba” and “Red Radiant.” Altogether, about 1300
seedlings were grown. From these, twenty-five promising seedlings were
selected for trial another year.
The annual course in Horticulture was given from February 5 to May 7.
As in previous years there were more applicants than could be accommodated
in the space available in the greenhouse. A course in Plant Breeding was
given for the first time this year (September 6 to December 19). The en-
rollment of nineteen students for this course was considered very good con-
sidering its rather technical nature.
Degrees—At the June 1946 commencement the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy was conferred upon Lillian Nagel, B.S. University of Hlinois and
M.S. University of Colorado (Cytogenetics). The degree of Master of
Science was conferred on Ellen M. Kern, A.B. Washington University
(Morphology and Genetics).
Graduates and Fellows:—The following graduate students in botany
were registered in the Henry Shaw School of Botany in 1946:
Graduate Assistants (half-time graduate students): Richard W. Holm,
A.B. Washington University (Taxonomy); Daniel McClary, B.S. and M.S.
Southeastern State Teachers’ College, Durant, Oklahoma (Mycology).
Henrietta Heerman Scholars: Anna Caroline Raut, A.B. Cornell Uni-
versity (Microbiology) ; Russell J. Seibert, A.B. and M.S. Washington Uni-
versity (Taxonomy).
22 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Van Blarcom Scholar: Dorothy Carolyn Harper, A.B. Oklahoma Agri-
culture and Mechanical College (Taxonomy).
Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn Co. Fellow: John Jay Finan, A.B. Washington
University (Romance Languages and Botany).
Independent Graduate Students: Robert Baxter, A.B. Washington Uni-
versity (Morphology) ; Lee Wayne Lenz, A.B. Montana State College, M.S.
Louisiana State University (Genetics) ; Fred G. Meyer, A.B. and M.S. Wash-
ington State College (Taxonomy); Gerald B. Ownbey, B.A. and M.A. Uni-
versity of Wyoming (Taxonomy); Jonathan B. Sauer, A.B. University of
California, Berkeley (Genetics).
Published Articles.—
Allen, Paul A.: Pescatorea cerina. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:257-258;
South American Arrow Poisons. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:234-241.
Anderson, Edgar: The Blue of the Blue Ash. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull.
34:99-100; Daffodils for the Garden. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:63-66; Maize
in Mexico—A preliminary report. Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 33:147-247; More
about Balkan Ivies. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:142-143; Narcissus ‘“Moonshine”
as a Variety for Forcing. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:210-211; What is a Tetra-
ploid? Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:43-48; Who was Who? Mo. Bot. Gard.
Bull. 34:59; with Earl Hornback: A Genetical Analysis of Pink Daffodils
—A Preliminary Survey. Calif. Hort. Soc. Jour. 1945:1-11.
Andrews, Henry N.: Ancient Plants of the West. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull.
34:85-89; The Arboretum of Wide Benefit to the State. Garden Forum
81:4; Bonsai. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:144-146; Coal Balls—A Key to the
Past. Scientif. Month. 62:327-334; A Colorful Greenhouse Vine. Mo. Bot.
Gard. Bull. 34:78-81; Craters of the Moon. Earth Science Digest 14:3-6;
The Empress Tree. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:157; A Fossil-hunting Trip in
the Wayan District. Soda Springs Sun [Idaho], July 16; Missouri Botanical
Garden. Parks and Recreation 29:297-302; Onions are Easy to Grow. Mo.
Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:60-61; St. Louis To-day. Scientif. Month. 62:263-266;
Soil Fertility and Organic Gardening. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:93-94; Yews
in St. Louis. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:58; with Jules A. Kernen: Contribu-
tions to Our Knowledge of American Carboniferous Floras. VIL. Another
Medullosa from Iowa. Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 33:141-146; with Ellen M.
Kern: Ibid IX. Some Petrified Seeds from Iowa. Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard.
33:291-306; with Lee W. Lenz: The Gallatin Fossil Forest. Ann. Mo. Bot.
Gard. 33:309-313.
Beilmann, A. P.: The Catalpa—An Interesting Tree. Mo. Bot. Gard.
Bull. 34:96-99; Feeding Trees. Better Homes and Gardens 25:128; Keeping
the Soil Where it Belongs. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:195-201; The Liquid
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 23
Feeding of Trees. Trees 6:9-10; Maintaining Soil Fertility at the Arboretum.
Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:89-93; Transplanting Trees in Midsummer. Mo.
Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:94-96.
Clark, Robert B.: The Chinese Scholar Tree. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull.
34:213-215; A Selection of Trees for St. Louis and Vicinity. Mo. Bot. Gard.
Bull. 34:219-234.
Cutak, Ladislaus: Is there Palatable Water in the Barrel Cactus? Mo.
Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:182-189; Peniocereus Fosterianus, a New Unique Species
from Old Mexico. Jour. Cactus & Succulent Soc. Amer. 18:19-25; Succu-
lents for the Home Gardener. Home Gardening 6:300-301; Spine Chats.
Monthly contribution in Jour. Cactus & Succulent Soc. America, vol. 18.
Fairburn, David C.: Cultura des Orquidees em Cascalho. Orquidea
74:145-161 (translated and reprinted from “Gravel Culture of Orchids” in
Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull.) ; Germination Period for Garden Seeds. Mo. Bot. Gard.
Bull. 34:66-69; Growing Plants. Il. Vegetative Propagation. Southern
Florist & Nurseryman 58°°:5, 6, 45; 584°:5-6, 13-14; 584!:8, 9, 12 (re-
printed from Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull.) ; Plants for Shady Gardens. Mo. Bot.
Gard. Bull. 34:103-111 (reprinted in Modern Cemetery 56:80-81); Scented
Geraniums. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:261-262; with George H. Pring:
Orchids. Monthly contribution in Gard. Chron. Amer. Vol. 20.
Kohl, Paul A.: Good Lawn Management. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:178-
182; Twilight Fragrance. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:139-141.
Lenz, Lee W. (with Henry N. Andrews): The Gallatin Fossil Forest.
Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 33:309-313.
Lindegren, Carl C.: Additional and Corrected Data on the Respiratory
and Fermentative Activity of Yeasts containing Stored Reserves. Archiv.
Biochem. 9:353-359; Breeding Yeasts for Their New Role in Nutrition.
Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:37-43; A New Gene Theory and an Explanation of
the Phenomenon of Dominance. Nat. Acad. Sci. Proc. 32:68-70; Sex in
Yeast and Flavor in Beer. Brewers’ Digest. December 1946; Yeast Genetics
(Condensation of Bact. Rev. article). Amer. Brewer. December, 1946.
Mehlquist, Gustav A. L.: The Ancestors of Our Present-day Cymbid-
iums. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:112-135 (reprinted as a supplement to Amer.
Orchid Soc. Bull.) ; “Booster” and “Starter” Solutions for Pot Plants. Mo.
Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:201-203; Rabbits and Pinks. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull.
34:258-260; Tetraploidy and Pinks. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:48-58.
Nagel, Lillian: A Cytological Study of Yeast (Saccharomyces cere-
visiae). Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 33:249-288.
Pring, George H. (with David C. Fairburn): Orchids. Monthly con-
tribution in Gard. Chron. Amer. Vol. 20.
Schery, Robert W.: The Barrel-bellied Tree of Brazil. Nat. Hist. 55:219;
24 MISSOURI BOT ANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
The Brazilian Toad. Nat. Hist. 55:245; Brazil’s Old ‘““Wildwest.”” Mo. Bot.
Gard. Bull. 34:74-77; Chocolate Country of the Americas. Mo. Bot. Gard.
Bull. 34:147-153; A Conservationist Views the Tropics. Mo. Bot. Gard.
Bull. 34:154-157; Strangler Figs. Nat. Hist. 55:438; with Robert E. Wood-
son, Jr.: Flora of Panama. Part III. Fasc. 2. Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 33:1-140,
Fasc. 3, 315-404.
Woodson, Robert E., Jr.: About Gloxinias. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:247-
258; Amsonias. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 34:158-159; Apocynaceae and Asclep-
iadaceae, in H. N. Moldenke’s Contributions to the Flora of Extra-tropical
South America. Lilloa 11:193-195; Memorabilia Filicum Panamensium.
Amer. Fern Jour. 36:82-89; with Robert W. Schery: Flora of Panama.
Part Ill. Fasc. 2. Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 33:1-140, Fasc. 3, 315-404.
Scientific and Popular Lectures.—
Dr. Edgar Anderson, Geneticist to the Garden: January 28, at Des
Moines, Iowa, before seminar of the Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn Co., ‘‘Genetics of
Kernel Shape and Kernel Texture”; May 9, Federated Garden Clubs of Mis-
souri, Gray Summit, “Story of the Boxwood Garden”; May 3, joint meeting
of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, “Role of Science in Post-War Education”;
May 10, led group discussion on ‘Flora of Ozarks” at Webster Groves
Nature Study Society; August 12, Men’s Garden Club of Des Moines, “Sun-
flowers.”
Dr. Henry N. Andrews, Paleobotanist to the Garden: before Paleobotan-
ical section, Botanical Society of America, meeting in St. Louis, March 28,
“Pennsylvanian Floras of the Middle West,” and March 29, ‘““The Tempskyas
of Idaho”; April 9, the Brentwood Kiwanis Club, and April 23, the Webster
Groves Kiwanis Club, ‘““The Missouri Botanical Garden”; May 24, Wellston
School Parent-Teachers’ Association, ‘Four Seasons at the Missouri Botanical
Garden”; November 15, Group 1 of the Webster Groves Garden Club,
“Plants of the Past.”
Mr. August P. Beilmann, Manager of the Garden Arboretum: January
4, before the Western Association of Nurserymen, Kansas City, “Tree Feed-
ing’; April 26, the St. Louis Commercial Club, ‘Floral Displays in the
Arboretum”; August 20, Washington, Mo., Lions Club, “The Arboretum
and Its History”; September 9, Union, Mo., Lions Club, “History of the
Arboretum”; November 1, Missouri Academy of Science, “Behavior of a
Watershed when Both Engineering and Biological Methods are Used to Con-
trol Floods.”
Mr. Robert B. Clark, Arboriculturist to the Garden: November 9, before
Group 9 of Webster Groves Garden Club, “Shrubs.”
Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of Succulents at the Garden: January 18,
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 25
before Group 5 of Webster Groves Garden Club, “Plant Hunt in Old
Mexico”; January 30, Webster Groves Garden Clubs, February 5, St. Clair
County Garden Club, Belleville, Ill, February 15, Better Gardens Club of
Greater St. Louis, ‘Cacti and Succulents’; March 8, Founders Circle of
Rosemary Garden Club, Pattonville, Mo., “Gardens of Florida”; March 10,
Henry Shaw Cactus Society, ““Vagabonding in the Southwest”; March 26,
Kiwanis Club of Northwest St. Louis, and April 1, Northwoods Garden
Club, ‘Plant Hunt in Old Mexico”; April 14, Southern California Cactus
Exchange, Los Angeles, ‘Missouri Botanical Garden in the Four Seasons”’;
May 24, Kiwanis Club of the South Side, “Shaw’s Garden, Attraction of the
Midwest”; July 14, Franklin-Gasconade County Firefighters Association, at
Gray Summit, September 20, Botany Group, Webster Groves Nature Study
Society, October 2, Art Section of Scottish Rite Woman’s Club, October 22,
Woman’s Auxiliary of St. Marks Church, November 8, Highland Way-
farers, and November 20, Wright District Garden Club, Clayton, Mo.,
“Plant Hunt in Old Mexico”; September 9, Chevy Chase Garden Club, at
Clayton, Mo., “Gardens of Florida’; October 22, Business and Professional
Woman’s Club of Y.W.C.A., “Exploring Texas with Camera and Tripod”;
November 17, Amateur Cactus Society of Illinois at Chester, IIl., “Cacti
and Succulents.”
Mr. Paul A. Kohl, Floriculturist to the Garden: January 10, before the
Talisman Circle of the Rosemary Garden Club, “The Four Seasons in the
Missouri Botanical Garden”; April 9, St. Louis College Club, ‘Spring
Gardening”; June 6, Winstanley Garden Club, East St. Louis, IIl., ‘The
Four Seasons in the Missouri Botanical Garden”; September 20, Group 5 of
the Webster Groves Garden Club, “Chrysanthemums”; September 29, vis-
itors to the Mid-West Dahlia Show, “Four Seasons in the Missouri Botanical
Garden”; October 4, Group 8 of the Webster Groves Garden Club, ‘‘Rhodo-
dendrons and Azaleas.”
Dr. Carl C. Lindegren, Research Professor: January 26, took part in the
Mutation Panel of the Committee on Growth, American Cancer Society,
New York, and February 14, in the Botany Panel, Committee on Growth
of the American Cancer Society, Washington, D. C.; March 29, American
Genetic Society of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science, St. Louis, “Cytoplasmic Effects and Chromosome Maps in Saccharo-
myces cerevisiae’; May 6, American Brewing Chemists, Milwaukee, Wis.,
“Sex in Yeasts and Flavor in Beer”; July 2, Carnegie Symposium on Varia-
tion of Micro-organisms, at Cold Spring Harbor.
Dr. Gustav A. L. Mehlquist, Horticulturist to the Garden: February 5,
before the Greater St. Louis Association of Gardeners, “Some Experiences in
Plant Breeding”; May 3, St. Louis Horticultural Society, ‘““The Origin of
26 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
New Garden Plants through Hybridization’; November 6, before the Great-
er St. Louis Flower Growers’ Association, “If I Were a Carnation Grower.”
Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden: January 8, before
the Northwoods Garden Club, “Orchids”; January 15, the Nature Study
and Garden Club of Terre Haute, Ind., ‘Four Seasons in the Garden’; Feb-
ruary 1, the Oak Ridge Garden Club, Chicago, IIl., “Four Seasons in the
Garden”; February 21, Parent-Teachers’ Association of Stix School, “Ac-
tivities of the Missouri Botanical Garden”; March 4, University City Rotary
Club, ‘Romance in Flowers”; March 7, Grantwood Garden Club, “Fantasy
in Orchids”; March 12, Guild Meeting of Normandy Presbyterian Church,
“Orchids”; March 26, in the N.B.C. Studio, New York, “Orchid Explora-
tions in the Andes’; April 9, Business and Professional Women’s Club, at
Y.W.C.A., “Fantasy in Orchids’; April 15, Men’s Garden Club of Webster
Groves, conducted Garden Clinic; April 24, Men’s Garden Club of Maple-
wood, “Four Seasons in the Garden’; May 17, Civitan Club, “Mr. Shaw’s
Garden”; July 23, Rotary Club of DeSoto, Mo., “Mr. Shaw’s Garden’’;
September 17, St. Louis Women’s Auxiliary to the Railway Mail Association,
“Fantasy in Orchids”; October 1, Members 22nd District Illinois Federation
Women’s Clubs, Nashville, Ill, “What the Federated Clubs Can Do for the
Community”; December 4, Spotlight Dinner of Civic League of Business
and Professional Women, ‘“‘Recognition in Originating New Water Lilies.”
Dr. Robert W. Schery, Research Assistant to the Garden: October 10,
before the Webster Groves Garden Club, ‘Gardens of Eastern Brazil”;
October 31, regional meeting of State Federated Garden Clubs, “Shrubs.”
Mr. Russell J. Seibert, Graduate Student at the Garden: October 19,
before the 75th annual convention of the Illinois State Grange, at Hotel
Statler, “Latin American Efforts to Develop a Rubber Industry’; October
19, Shiloh Valley Grange, and November 23, Turkey Hill Grange, near
Belleville, Ill., “Peru, the Land of the Inca.”
THE HERBARIUM
The regular activities of the herbarium during 1946 have gone forward
in usual manner. Prewar conditions are gradually coming back; and it is
evidenced by the accessions of several foreign consignments of important
collections of exotic plants. It is of interest to note that among the follow-
ing enumeration of acquisitions a goodly number of plants have been re-
ceived from remote parts of the world—such, for instance, as the southeastern
coast of Greenland, faraway New Caledonia, Australia, Alaska and Ant-
arctica.
New Accessions: Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 18 plants
of northwestern United States; Bailey Hortorium, 39 specimens of Hedera;
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 27
F. A. Barkley, 125 plants of Alaska and 135 plants of northern Mexico;
Mrs. Nettie Mae Bauer, 3 plants of horticulture; Miss Violet Bauer, 6 plants
of horticulture; Mrs. Pamela Beard, 303 plants of British West Indies;
Bernice P. Bishop Museum, 55 lichens of Hawaii; Miss Lydia Bourgere, 1
plant from Louisiana; Brother Allyre, 14 lichens of Quebec; Butler Uni-
versity, 86 plants of Indiana; M. Quirds Calvo, 28 fungi and lichens of
Costa Rica; Chicago Natural History Museum, 675 plants of Central and
South America; R. T. Clausen, 3 plants of New Mexico and Panama; Sam
Coffin, 2 plants of Missouri; H. $. Conard, 1 plant from Colorado; Con-
servatoire Botanique, Geneva, 100 plants of the Mediterranean region;
William B. Cooke, 35 specimens of Micobiota of North America, Fasc. 6;
L. Cutak, 2 cacti of Mexico; H. C. Cutler, 72 plants of Oklahoma and
Utah; Robert Darrow, 39 lichens of Arizona; Otto Degener, 106 plants of
the Bahamas and Hawaii; C. W. Dodge, 136 plants of Costa Rica and
Panama; L. M. Dougan, plant of Ohio; Dudley Herbarium, 3 plants of
western United States; Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, 8 plants of
Florida; Helena Forbes, fruit of Raphia vinifera from South Africa; H. S.
Gentry, 2 plants of Mexico; Gray Herbarium, 23 plants of Brazil; Abul
Hamil, 30 lichens of India; Dorothy Carolyn Harper, 345 plants of Colo-
rado; A. W. Herre, lichen from Brazil; K. E. Hartmann, 1 plant of horti-
culture; Charles Heiser, 51 plants of Arizona and California; Miss Clara
Heising, 2 plants of horticulture; F. J. Hermann, 58 plants of Maryland,
Virginia and Colombia; A. L. Hershey, 10 plants of New Mexico; C. L.
Hitchcock, 1216 plants of Montana; L. Hubricht, 2 plants of Virginia; Juan
Hector Hunziker, 78 plants of Argentina; Inst. Miguel Lillo, 90 lichens of
Argentina; Duane Isley, 9 plants of Alabama and Iowa; Jardin Botanique,
University of Montreal, 2 lichens of Quebec; A. L. Kammerer, plant of
horticulture; A. Krapovickas, 171 plants of Argentina; James Kucynak, 5
lichens of Quebec; J. Mackenzie Lamb, 26 lichens of Antarctica; Roy Lat-
ham, 5 lichens of New York; O. S. Ledman, Panax quinquefolium from
trade; E. S. Lutrell, 268 lichens of Virginia; Frank McFarland, 2500 plants
of Kentucky; Rogers McVaugh, 5 Asclepias of Texas; H. M. Moldenke, 2
plants of Ecuador; National Herbarium, Botanical Gardens, Sydney, 25
plants of Australia; New York Botanical Garden, 201 plants of Nevada,
California, and Mexico, and 500 photographs of Arnica; Mrs. Karl R. Oakes,
67 lichens of Maine; H. B. Parks, Tetrapanax papyriferum from horticulture;
M. Adrien Questel, 23 fungi, algae, and lichens of Guadeloupe; W. F. Rapp,
21 plants of New Jersey and Illinois; Veli Rasainen, 75 lichens of Finland;
H. S. Reed, 2 plants of Pennsylvania; Mrs. H. G. Reh, 51 plants of Green-
land; Rocky Mountain Herbarium, 123 plants of Wyoming; C. L. Reming-
ton, 12 plants of New Caledonia; B. Rosengurtt, 45 plants of Uruguay;
28 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Robert Runyon, 27 lichens of Texas; P. O. Schallert, 512 plants of western
United States; R. W. Schery, 4 photostats of Cassia oxyphylla Kunth; R. J.
Seibert, 18 plants of Peru; Mrs. Doris Hustis Speirs, Lobaria pulmonaria from
Ontario; State University of Iowa, 29 fungi from Panama and Colombia;
J. W. Thomson, 60 lichens of Wisconsin; W. L. Tolstead, 359 plants chiefly
from Pennsylvania and Nevada; U. S. Department of Agriculture, Division
of Rubber Plant Investigation, by R. J. Seibert, 190 specimens of Hevea;
Robert Stratton, 1 plant of Oklahoma; U. S$. Arboretum, 14 rubber plants
of Brazil; U. S. National Museum, 52 plants of Alaska and 7 specimens of
South America; University of Arizona, 264 plants of Arizona; University
of California, 200 plants of California and 411 plants of South America;
University of Georgia, 16 plants of Georgia; University of Helsingfors, 300
lichens of Finland; University of Michigan, 72 grasses from Mexico; Uni-
versity of Mexico, 15 specimens of Juniperus from Mexico; University of
Oklahoma, 155 plants of Oklahoma; University of Texas, 159 plants of
Texas; Hermann von Schrenk, 4 plants of horticulture; U. T. Waterfall, 223
plants of Texas and New Mexico; West Virginia University, 30 plants of
West Virginia; L. Williams, a new orchid from Brazil; Robert Woodson, 4
palms of Panama.
Mounting and Insertion of Specimens: The mounting of herbarium speci-
mens has continued during the year; 10,350 specimens have been mounted.
This work has been done effectively by Miss Violet Bauer. Most of this
material has been sorted, fumigated, placed in families, and filed in the her-
barium; and most of this work has been done by the Curator assisted by Mrs.
Nettie Mae Bauer and Mr. Fred Meyer.
The congestion of the herbarium in many places is so acute that further
filing is impossible without causing serious damage to the fragile plant speci-
mens. The overflow of new and valuable material is placed in special cartons,
sealed, and put in storage. Naphthalene has been used freely to prevent
damage by herbarium insects.
Exchange: The exchanges of duplicate herbarium specimens during 1946
have taken a more international aspect than for the past decade. We have
received on the basis of exchange 4,146 specimens; and we have sent 2,465
specimens to correspondents.
Use of the Herbarium: The number of visiting botanists who have used
the herbarium during the past year is greatly in excess for any one year for
the last thirty years. This is due in a large part to the many botanists in
attendance at the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement
of Science last March. The requests for loan of herbarium material by
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN Zo
specialists, who are engaged in monographic, floristic researches and prob-
lems of geographical distribution, are increasing from year to year. If the
fragile, dried, pressed plants are carefully packed and shipped by express or
parcel post it carries with minimum fragmentation. Critical study enhances
the scientific value of herbarium specimens. Hence, the loan of such
material has been encouraged.
Statistical Summary (For the year ending December 31, 1946):
Number of specimens received during 1946:
Byes LCL aS ape aa ceases seveecuesetessctces eric ph eats a2 2 eet: SUeeraeeeaseas 5,048
IBS a Ea meet me apes a eee en es A eS Bee pee 1,863
Biv exchiain ce eye cree sane ea eserrec eee taeere a cays 52a s, ee eee 4,146
1S ifene a) 28 nh 2-0 cv mc ee Seer AS re enn oar ere ery ee eee 20
gi Wo} 1 [Re-ment e e ee uM
Number of specimens mounted and incorporated in 1946 ..........0000.0...2220 cece eecee eee 10,350
Number of specimens carried forward from 1945 ...........22222200.--2e220000ceeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 1,425,289
Ae, tea eee en ee EI ae ee ee Pee a ere 1,435,639
Number of specimens discarded during 1946 .................20::cce22000ceceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 53
Total number of specimens in Herbarium ..............222......---200002200000eeeeees 1,435,586
LIBRARY AND PUBLICATIONS
The past year has seen a return almost to pre-war conditions in the Gar-
den library. Not only have exchange relations been resumed with foreign
countries, but our European subscription agent at the Hague has sent all
the European publications which he had purchased for us during the war
years. It is a source of gratification that these valuable botanical journals
continue from where they left off in 1941, with hardly a number missing.
While the number of serial publications received during 1946, by exchange
and purchase, does not equal the old-time peak of 1200 annually, it has
almost doubled since 1941. Two shipments of ANNALs to 102 foreign
institutions were made through the Smithsonian Institution during the year.
These consisted of 410 packages containing the volumes issued between 1940
and 1945.
Through the “Friends of the Garden” movement the help that the library
can give has been brought to the attention of many local gardeners. On
the other hand, the value of the Garden library has long been known to
research botanists. Two conventions held in St. Louis in 1946—The Botan-
ical Society of America, and the combined meetings of the American Insti-
tute of Park Executives and the American Association of Botanical Gardens
and Arboretums—brought visitors by the hundreds. In fact, it was im-
possible to keep a record of those using the library during the days of the
Botanical Society meetings. Many botanists came to St. Louis earlier than
the convention, or stayed over, in order to take advantage of the library and
30 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
herbarium. The greater number of graduate students in the Shaw School of
Botany has also brought about an increased use of the library.
Foreign book catalogues, which are the principal sources of obtaining our
desiderata, are being received in greater numbers. Although they are care-
fully checked few wanted things seem to be offered. However, it is inter-
esting to note the increase in value of the rare “classics” acquired some years
ago, most of which have at least doubled and many have increased more
than three times.
With the prospect of a new building as soon as conditions permit, little
shifting of books was done, but the basement had become so overcrowded
that some time had to be spent rearranging the Department of Agriculture
publications there. A survey was also made of the present building (now
occupied by offices, herbarium and library) to see how it could be utilized
in case it was taken over entirely by the library.
Publications.—Volume XXXIII of the quarterly ANNALS and Volume
XXXIV of the monthly BULLETIN were issued during the year. The volume
of the ANNALS contains 408 pages, nineteen plates, and 276 text-figures.
The February and November numbers were devoted to the Orchidaceae of
Panama, by Louis O. Williams, constituting fascicles 2 and 3 of Part III of
Woodson and Schery’s ‘Flora of Panama.’”’ The BULLETIN contained 260
pages and numerous illustrations. Beginning with September, 1946, all
“Friends of the Garden” have been receiving the BULLETIN, since which the
issue has more than doubled. An innovation with this volume was the use
of colored plates, in this case representing eight varieties of Narcissus, given
by the Oregon Bulb Farms to accompany Dr. Anderson’s article in the Feb-
ruary BULLETIN. Among the BULLETIN articles reprinted in other maga-
zines were: Lindegren’s “Breeding Yeasts,” in Chemurgic Digest; Fairburn’s
“Plants for Shady Gardens,” in Modern Cemetery; Fairburn’s ‘Growing
Plants Vegetatively,” in Southern Florist and Nurseryman; Mchlquist’s
“Ancestors of Our Present-day Cymbidiums” as a supplement to Bulletin of
the American Orchid Society.
Although additional copies were printed of the April 1945 ANNaLs,
containing the papers read at the conference on “Gene Action in Micro-
organisms,” the edition is now exhausted. However, as it is still in demand,
mostly by foreign institutions, the available reprints were bound with offset
reproduction of cover and Discussion pages to make replicas of that number
of the ANNALS.
About 540 reprints of ANNALS papers were mailed out during the year
to 102 botanists on our exchange list. Many publications are also sold, the
receipt for Annals, Bulletins, ‘Spring Floras,” etc. in 1946 being $6,140.57.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 31
Library Accessions.—Probably the most outstanding acquisitions during
the year were some lacking volumes of two periodicals: The Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society of London—Ser. B, Vols. 184-230. 1893-
1941; and the American Journal of Science—missing volumes of old series,
and Vols. 1 to date of the current series. Of the Royal Society publications
the library had only the abridged volumes of the early Philosophical Trans-
actions. The later ones had never been purchased because they could be
obtained at several other libraries in St. Louis, but since they contained many
botany papers, especially paleobotany, all the available volumes were ordered
when seen advertised in a British book catalogue. Our set of American
Journal of Science was almost complete except for the current series, and
last year all the missing parts were purchased. Subscriptions for future
volumes of both journals have also been entered.
An interesting bibliographical rarity was Richard Bradley’s A general
treatise of husbandry and gardening. ‘This work is in three volumes, which
consists of monthly issues from April 1721 to September 1722. There are
other copies in botanical libraries in this country but they all differ from
ours in some detail, and whether the copies in the English libraries are dupli-
cates is doubtful. To quote a bibliographical authority: “His [Bradley’s]
botanical publications show acuteness and diligence, and contain indications
of much observation in advance of his time.” Another early scientific journal
acquired was vol. 1 of the American Monthly Magazine and Cultural Review
(1817), which contains one of Rafinesque’s papers.
Other noteworthy accessions, in addition to current works that one
would expect to find in a botanical and horticultural library, were the fol-
lowing: Backeberg, Curt, and Knuth, F. M. Kaktus-ABC—En Haandbog
for fagfolk of Amatorer. 1935; Brongniart, A. Histoire des végetaux fossiles.
Paris 1828-1837. Facsimile edition, 1915; Cobbett, William. A treatise on
Cobbett’s corn. 1828; Cox, J. M. A cultural table of orchidaceous plants.
1946; Descole, H. R. Genera et species plantarum Argentinarum ... Vol. 2,
1946; Duursma, G. D. Succulenten en beeld en woord. 1930; Fuentes y
Guzman, F. Recordacion Florida . . . del Reyno de Guatemala. (From 17th
century Codex). Vols. 1-3. 1931-33; Hendrichs Perez, P. R. Por tierras
ignotas. Viajes y observaciones en la region del Rio de las Balsas. Vol. 2,
1946; Hill, J. Fossils—arranged according to their obvious characters. 1771;
Hogben, L. An introduction to mathematical genetics. 1946; Hume, H. H.
Camellias in America. 1946; Hutchinson, John. A botanist in southern
Africa. 1946; Lange’s Flora Agaricina Dansk, Vol. 5, 1939; Miiller, O. F.
Efterretning og Erfaring om Svampe... Pilse. 1763; The Naturalist—A nat-
ural history of North England. Vols. 1-13. 1891-99; Niethammer, A. Die
32 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Mikroskopischen Boden-Pilze. 1937; Paucke, F. Hacia alla y para Aca,
1749-1767. Vols. 1-3. Translated by E. Wernicke, 1942-1944; Reprints of
Rafinesque’s Flora Telluriana and New Flora and Botany of North America.
1946; Squier, E. G. Peru—Incidents of travels and exploration in the Land
of the Incas. 1877; Zittel-Schimper’s Handbuch der Palaeontologie. 1876.
Several new serials were purchased: The Land; Wrightia; and Boletin de
la Sociedad Argentina de Botanica. New institutions on the ANNALS ex-
change list were: Instituto Botanico de Faculdade de Ciencias de Universidad
Lisboa, which sends us Series A and B of its Acta Biologica; Instituto de
Agricultura Tropical de Universidad de Puerto Rico, which exchanges its
Boletin for our ANNALS.
Visitors—The Garden library seems to be used more often by out-of-
town research workers. Dr. Whitaker and Dr. Cutler, for instance, both
Guggenheim Fellows, spent several months at the Garden. Other visitors
who spent several weeks or more in the library were Dr. Ledyard Stebbins
and Dr. Carl O. Sauer, of the University of California, Berkeley, and Dr. T.
G. Yuncker and Dr. Winona Welch, of DePauw University, Greencastle,
Ind. Dr. J. L. Collins, of the Pineapple Research Institute, University of
Hawaii, who is studying the origin of the “Cayenne” Pineapple, and Dr.
S. L. Fernaroli, of Bergamo, Italy, studying maize, stayed about a week going
over the Garden’s collection of early natural-history books.
The following list includes the out-of-town visitors to the library during
1946, except those visiting the Garden on the days of the Botanical Society
meetings in March: Mr. Charles Gibbs Adams, Landscape Architect, Pasa-
dena, Calif.; Mr. Joseph W. Adams, of the Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia;
Miss Josephine Antoine, of University of Iowa, Iowa City; Dr. Fred A.
Barkley, of University of Texas, Austin; Mr. Walter D. Bellingrath, of
Bellingrath Gardens, Mobile, Ala.; Dr. Lyman Benson, of Pomona College,
Claremont, Calif.; Dr. William L. Brown, of Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn Co., Des
Moines, Iowa; Dr. Hamilton H. Card, of the Fillmore Community High
School, Fillmore, Ill.; Mr. Robert Casamajor, of California Horticultural
Institute, Pasadena, Calif.; Dr. J. L. Collins, of the Pineapple Research
Institute, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, H. I.; Mr. Gordon C. Cooper, of
Cleveland, Ohio; Dr. Hugh C. Cutler, Guggenheim Fellow, Botanical
Museum of Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.; Dr. Carl G. Deuber, of
Stauffer Chemical Co., New York; Dr. A. W. Dimock, of Cornell Univer-
sity, Ithaca, N. Y.; Dr. Ethel Eltinge, of Mt. Holyoke College, South Had-
ley, Mass.; Dr. Carl C. Epling, of University of California, Los Angeles,
Calif.; Dr. Ralph O. Erickson, of University of Rochester, Rochester, N. Y.;
Mr. Robert Evers, of University of Illinois, Urbana; Dr. Norman Fassett,
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 33
of University of Wisconsin, Madison; Mr. C. W. Fenninger, of Tyler Arbo-
retum, Philadelphia; Prof. S$. Luigi Fernaroli, Director Stazione Sperimentale
de Maisocultura, Bergamo, Italy; Dr. Ruth M. Foster, of University of Texas,
Austin; Dr. Harry J. Fuller, of University of Illinois, Urbana; Prof. Roger
Gautheret, of the Faculté des Sciences, Nogent s. Marne (Seine), France;
Dr. Joseph C. Gilman, of Iowa State College, Ames; Mr. Clarence Godshalk,
of Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Ill.; Dr. George J. Goodman, of University of
Oklahoma, Norman; Dr. George B. Happ, of Principia College, Elsah, IIL;
Mrs. Gretchen Harshbarger, Garden Editor, The Household; Dr. Ada Hay-
den, of Iowa State College, Ames; Dr. Alexander Hollaender, of National
Institute of Health, Bethesda, Md.; Mr. Niels Jacobsen, Carnation Grower,
Aabenrau, Denmark; Dr. James A. Jenkins, of University of California,
Berkeley; Dr. George Thomas Johnson, of Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology, Boston; Mr. Raymond E. Johnson, of the Minnesota Department of
Conservation, St. Paul; Mr. E. L. Kammerer, of Morton Arboretum, Lisle,
Ill.; Mr. George Kelly, of Littleton, Colorado, Editor of Green Thumb; Dr.
Maxine Larisey, of Judson College, Marion, Alabama; Dr. Pierre Larroque, of
Institut des Recherches Agronomiques de I’ Indochine; Dr. Samuel G. Leh-
man, of North Carolina State College, Raleigh; Dr. Catharine M. Lieneman,
of Wisconsin State Teachers’ College, River Falls; Mr. Lyman, of Hilo,
Hawaiian Islands; Prof. Howard E. McMinn, of Mills College, Oak-
land, Calif.; Dr. Frank P. McWhorter, of Oregon Agricultural Ex-
periment Station, Corvallis; Prof. A. D. Moore, of University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor; Mr. B. Y. Morrison, of U. S$. National Arboretum, Washington,
D. C.; Mr. Paul Mose, Rose Grower, Glamsbgerg, Tyn, Denmark; Dr. A. C.
Murneek, of University of Missouri, Columbia; Mrs. Iva Newman, of San
Mateo, Calif., Garden Editor Peninsula Life; Mr. Roy M. Nordine, of Mor-
ton Arboretum, Lisle, Ill.; Dr. Marion Ownbey, of Washington State College,
Pullman; Dr. E. F. Paddock, of Ohio State University, Columbus; Mr. Hot-
bar Pauldan, of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural Highschool, Copen-
hagen, Denmark; Father Dromede Pohlkamp, of St. Anthony Hospital,
Louisville, Ky.; Mr. Robert Pyle, of Conard & Pyle, West Grove, Pa.; Dr.
Carl O. Sauer, of University of California, Berkeley; Mr. Richard D.
Schein, of DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.; Dr. Jacob R. Schramm, of
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Dr. H. A. Senn, of Dominion
Arboretum, Ottawa, Canada; Mr. Lloyd L. Smith, of Bureau of Fisheries,
Minnesota Department of Conservation, St. Paul; Mr. Walter K. Smith, of
Bellingrath Gardens, Mobile, Ala.; Mr. Richard Spears, of University of
Louisiana, Baton Rouge; Dr. E. R. Spencer, Consulting Soil Botanist and
Plant Pathologist, Lebanon, Ill.; Dr. Ledyard Stebbins, of University of
California, Berkeley; Dr. Julian A. Steyermark, of Chicago Museum of
34 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Natural History; Mr. Henry Teuscher, of Montreal Botanic Garden, Canada;
Dr. T. H. Van Eck, of the General Experiment Station, Buitenzorg, Java;
Dr. J. Van Overbeck, of Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Mayaguez, Porto
Rica; Dr. Winona Welch, of DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.; Dr.
Louis O. Williams, of Escuela Agricola Panamericana, Tegucigalpa, Hon-
duras, C. A.; Mr. Harold F. Winters, of the Federal Experiment Station,
Mayaguez, Porto Rica; Mr. Harry Wood, of the Arthur Hoyt Scott Founda-
tion, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa.; Mr. Richardson Wright, of New
York, Editor House and Garden; Mr. C. A. Wychoff, of University of Okla-
homa, Norman; Dr. Donald Wyman, of Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain,
Mass.; Dr. T. G. Yuncker, of DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.
During the year the library loaned 141 books to 26 institutions on the
interlibrary loan plan.
Statistical Information.—There have been donated to the library or re-
ceived in exchange during the year 530 books valued at $1,273.63, 1,424
pamphlets valued at $314.75, and 1 manuscript valued at $5.00. There
were 412 books bought at a cost of $2,857.31, 110 pamphlets at a cost of
$81.18, and 4 maps at a cost of $4.50. The library now contains 57,317
books, 98,147 pamphlets, and 356 manuscripts. The number of index cards
now totals 1,109,289, of which 7,982 were added during the year, 1,222
having been written by Garden employees and 6,760 purchased at a cost of
$154.79. One hundred and twenty-two books were bound.
ANNUAL BEQUESTS
The annual flower sermon “On the goodness of God as shown in the
growth of flowers, fruits, and other products of the vegetable kingdom,”
provided for in the will of Henry Shaw, was preached at Christ Church
Cathedral on May 12, by Dr. Henry Sloane Coffin, for many years president
of the Union Theological Seminary, New York.
The gardeners’ banquet fund was used to provide turkeys for employees
at Christmas.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 35
ATTENDANCE FOR 1946
(Not including visitors to Arboretum)
Week-days Sundays
3,461 4,862
4,840 8,186
Phew Wa 12,874
11,778 15,354
INVA see ca eee cee mee ne asec eee sae e eee 12,735 12,456
BA 4 (ea ead ae ee OS ere ae 155523 6,661
i [| bomen ne ee ae Me Ree tie Putt ene ease PM Ie ee Oe Race 15,062 6,715
DNV 34 VK) ae ee ee ee te Se ee RE eee eee ee 14,942 9,267
Septern De riser sore cetiree ete yi ee teeter ee ee ee an ee 16,045 28,346
5 © Yoh 01 bY) geet one ae eR nan 2 A ADO Es Ee ree 10,472 10,753
IN OV Gtr) De tesa renee arm nee SOE in is Gg 2 Veen Gs 16,114 21,078
MO CCETT De Ree ee eee Mee he al ee AL 3,909 4,943
132,406 141,495
132,406
Sl +] | ERR Re mR Se pS Be NER De Pe SS Sear a EE EE 273,901
Respectfully submitted,
GeEorGE T. Moore, Director.
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN
The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr.
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date until his death in 1889 it
was maintained under his personal direction. Although popularly
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden
was chosen by Mr. Shaw and he definitely indicated that he wished
it called by that name. The Garden passed at his death into the
hands of a Board of Trustees, designated in Mr. Shaw’s will, and
the Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members,
is self-perpetuating. By a further provision of the will the immedi-
ate direction of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by
the Board. The Garden receives no support from city or state but
is maintained almost exclusively from the estate left by Henry
Shaw. Since 1939 many Garden Clubs and interested individuals
have contributed to a “Friends of the Garden Fund” which is used
in developing the new Arboretum, located at Gray Summit, Mo.
The Arboretum (1) serves as a source of plants, trees and shrubs
for the city Garden; (2) affords areas for gradually establishing
a pinetum, a wild-flower reservation and various other features
on a scale not possible in the city; (3) provides greenhouses for
some 20,000 orchid plants.
The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species
of plants are grown, both out of doors and under glass. It is open
every day in the year except New Year’s Day and Christmas; week
days, 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.; Sundays, 10:00 a.m. until 7:00
p.m. The greenhouses are closed every day at 5:00 p.m.
The main entrance to the Garden is at Tower Grove and
Flora Place, on the Sarah bus line (No. 42). The Tower Grove bus
(No. 21), direct from downtown, passes within three blocks of the
main entrance.
THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
George C. Hitchcock... era clceeentinnwa PEPSEet
Daniel. K.-Cathnnc. eneneenneeeceeceneeccenensenee------ Wice-President
| Ere an fd 8 Seinen oR Ne RO SE OS Second Vice-President
L. Ray Carter Richard J. Lockwood
Dudley French George T. Moore
John S. Lehmann A. Wessel Shapleigh
Ethan A. H. Shepley
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
Arthur H. Compton. satis Chancellor, Washington University
A. P. Kaufmann 2... in! Mayor of the City of St. Louis
Strattord Lo Mortot2 2 President, St. Louis Academy of Science
William Scarlett = Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri
Elmore M. Putney.........-....------------- President, Board of Education of St. Louis
Sera CR tg hn ine ee ene See elt) ere tary
STAFF
Georre Tl ., “MOore 2 sats Sa Beas om per he sree Nae Meee ee tae eh Director
Hermann von Schrenk___. BS Sete tok AMR Me Ma coe eee Pathologist
Jesse M. Greenman Parenrs Curator of Herbarium
MRE LON. NY «
without becoming truly ligneous.”” Examples of this group are the hardy
bamboos, butterfly-bushes and the chaste-tree.
While trees require many years before reaching maturity, shrubs attain
* The present article is a sequel to “A Selection of Trees for St. Louis and Vicinity,” that
appeared in the November 1946 BULLETIN.
46 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
useful sizes and begin to bloom and bear fruit within a few years. More-
over, given proper care they remain presentable for decades. And yet to
grow shrubs well it is not necessary to fuss with them. Most shrubs prefer
a circumneutral to slightly acid soil (except ericaceous plants like rhodo-
dendrons, which demand a medium to strongly acid soil), a light or partial
shade, and judicious pruning every year or so. In planting shrubs healthy
plants are imperative, and smaller plants are usually preferable to larger ones.
Select a well-drained situation and prepare the soid by generous application
of stable manure, or, if that is not available, a complete commercial fertilizer.
Keep the soil moist but not puddled. A mulch of dried leaves (any kind
but oak) or straw will provide adequate moisture and discourage weeds.
Weigela floribunda
The following lists are made up of tested shrubs for the St. Louis area.
No attempt has been made to include all the shrubby plants that may be
grown in this region; in fact, only a few bush roses, one mock-orange, one
cotoneaster, and a few spireas, honeysuckles and viburnums are given. Ref-
erence has already been made to those plants which usually die back nearly
to the ground each year. There are many plants whose branch tips some-
times or regularly are affected by winter temperatures. These include the
beauty-berries, bush-clovers, false-spireas, groundsel-bush, Snowhill Hydran-
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 47
gea, Japanese Kerria, Securinega, tamarisks and the Desert Willow. Other
species which are unreliable and die back occasionally, according to the
severity of the winter, are the Laland Firethorn and the California Privet.
The lists give important data for comparing one plant with another.
The first column deals with the texture of the foliage: coarse (C), medium
(M), or fine (F). Several factors contribute to the texture. If the leaves
are large with smooth margins and a glossy top surface, the texture is coarse.
Ural False-spirea (Sorbaria sorbifolia)
Conversely, when the leaves are small, pinnately divided or saw-toothed and
the surfaces are dull, their texture is fine. A mixing of these characters is
likely to produce a medium-textured foliage. The second column refers to
the color of the flowers; inconspicuous flowers are represented by a dash. The
third column lists the time of blooming. The fourth column gives the
color of the fruit, and again, if inconspicuous, a dash is used. The fifth
column deals with the soil reaction, if established*. The sixth column
records the preference of plants to sun or partial shade (X).
Shrubs are useful in the landscape according to their ultimate heights.
Excluding ground covers, prostrate and other low-growing shrubs, they may
* Spurway, C. H., Soil reaction (pH) preferences of plants, Mich. Agr. Exp. Sta. Spec.
Bull. 306. 1941.
48 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
be separated arbitrarily into the following classes: 2-3 ft., 3-4 ft., 4-6 ft.,
6-8 ft., 8-12 ft., and 12-20 ft. In the first group are plants for foreground
of shrubberies, edging material, background for rockeries, and a variety of
other situations. They are rather small and will adapt themselves nicely to
limited spaces in the garden area.
Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis )
There is a wider selection of shrubs in the 3—4-foot category. If they
have sufficiently attractive mass and texture of color throughout the seasons,
they may be used for accent; otherwise they become “fillers” the primary
value of which is “filling” voids between outstanding shrubs, and the sec-
ondary purpose is supplying one attractive aspect during any given season.
The Five-leaf Aralia and the barberries are thorny, an important or valuable
character for low-growing hedges.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 49
SHRUBS 2-3 FEET TALL
s/ 2 ‘ 3
Botanical Name Common Name = 3 S iF * 3
3 ane g i ic =
B za a => a. w
Berberis Julianae...................-- Wintergreen Barberry...| C | yellow Ap black | neutral x
Berberis Thunbergii minor.....| Box Barberry.................. F yellow) Ap red _—_| neutral Xx
Deutzia gracilis... Slender Deutzia............. M | white | Ap—-My _- 6.0—7.5 Sun
Genista tinctorid.....0..000200.2... Woodwaxen..............2.... F | yellow) Je-Aug — ___jindif Sun
Hydrangea arborescens
Randi Lota Snowhill Hydrangea...... C | white | My-Jy _ 6.0—8.0 XxX
Lonicera syringantha Wolf’s Lilac
1 rah 6] Seana a renee. Honeysuckle.............. F | red Ap red |indif X
Pseudosasa japonica................. Metake (Bamboo)......... G — —_ — —_ 4
Pieris japonica.......-...-.....---..-- Japanese Andromeda...... M_ | white Ap — 5.0-6.0 xX
Rhododendron obtusum
AMLOCTIUTN osc ss0escs cesses Amoena Azalea.............. P red Ap—-My me 4.5-6.0 >.
Rhododendron yedoense Korean Yodogawa
poukhanense........2.......-...--- Azalea................. .. M | blue Ap — subacid xX
Rosa carolina .....0..000000...0..2220--. Pasture Roseé-....22.2:2.:.:.. M | pink Ap-—My red — Sun
Spiraea ar guta............000000000- Garland Spirea............... F white | Ap-My — neutral 6
Spiraea Bumalda...................... Bumalda Spirea......... M | pink My-—Je ~ 6.0—7.0 x
Sym phoricarpos orbiculatus....|Snow-berry....... are: F — Aug white |5,.5-7.5 X
Smy bhoricar pos racemoasus.....|Coral-berry.......00....0...... F — Aug red neutral ».4
SHRUBS 3-4 FEET TALL
| a ee 5
Botanical Name | Common Name o e g 5 3
¥ —_ S u < =
Se eee eee Pee kB oy wn a a. ae
Abclia grandiflora....000......... |Glossy Abelia.................. Bes white | Je-N 6.0—8.0 x
Acanthopanax Sieboldianus....|Five-leaf Aralia.............. M as Je _— neutral x
Aronia arbutifolia.. 000000... Red Chokeberry............ M | white Ap red 5.0-6.0 x
Berberis mentorensis..............| Mentor Barberry........... M |} yellow] Ap red neutral x
Berberis Thunbergii
atropurpured 0.0000. Purple-leaf Barberry...... M | yellow) Ap red neutral Xx
Calycanthus floridus....00......... Strawberry-bush............ C | red Ap-Jy — 6.0—7.0 x
Forsythia ovata........0.0..0000..000-. Early Forsythia.............. C | yellow] Mr—Ap — indiff x
Forsythia suspensa Fortunei....| Fortune Forsythia.......... F yellow) Mr—Ap _— 5.0—6.5 x
Ilex crenata convexa................ Box 1ollyetg oe M —_ Je black |5.0-6.5 Sun
Kerria japonica plena.............. Japanese Kerria.............. M |} yellow! Ap-—S — 6.0—7.0 x
Mahonia Aquifolium............. Oregon Holly grape.......|C | yellow) Ap black | — 4
Rhododendron japonicum...... Japanese Azalea... M | red Ap — subacid x
Rhododendron mucronatum..|Snow Azalea................... M | white | Ap—-My — subacid x
Rhododendron roseum............ Roseshell Azalea............. M | pink | Ap—-My — subacid x
Rhodoty pos scandens... Jetbexdhccee nis mere M | white | Ap,S black |6.0—7.5 x
TROSGNDAIGISETIS oer ote eset Swamp Rose................... M | pink Je-Au — 6.0—8.0 Sun
TROSG TUR OS eres ee Rugosa Rose.................. M | pink |Ap—My, red — Sun
Securinega suffruticosa........... Securinegar.s.ccssececstaseees F white Je —- —_ x
Spiraea prunifolia plena.......... Bridalwreath..........000..... F white Ap —_— neutral x
* The figures in this column represent the soil reaction best suited to the plant; for ex-
ample, pH 7.0 is neutral; 6.5-6.9 is slightly acid; 5.3-6.4, medium acid; 4.5—5.2, strongly
acid; 7.1-7.5, slightly alkaline; 7.6—-8.2, medium alkaline.
is not established it is expressed as neutral, indiff, or by a dash.
When the exact soil preference
50 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Shrubs 4-6 feet in height reach the normal level of the eye. This group
and succeeding ones contribute appreciably in forming living walls of gar-
dens and in enclosing areas. Like those plants of the preceding group,
certain species find use as “fillers” or as “accents,” depending upon their
mass, texture and color.
SHRUBS 4-6 FEET TALL
vu sd u
5 A rs =
Botanical Name Common Name i 3 3 Pf =
5) = $ re ao
‘on omy Va) 1, a
Buddleia alternifolia................ Fountain Butterfly-
DUS hen. cecectesst paceezenteies F | blue My — —
Buddleia Davidii..................... Orange-eye Butterfly-
bush_.......-...ee eee M | blue Je—O — |6.0-7.5
Callicarpa purpurea.............- Beauty-berry.........0........ C | white Jy purple | —
Cercis chinensis.....0......-.......-.. Chinese Redbud............. C | red Ap — —
Chaenomeles lagenaria............. Flowering Quince.......... C | red Ap = 6.0—7.0
Deutzia scabra.......... peeceteiees! Rough Deutzia............. M | white | My—Je — —
Elaeagnus multiflora.............. Cherry Elaeagnus........ M | yellow) Ap-My red —
Euonymus hkiautschovica........ Spreading Euonymus..... C | green Je red —
Tex glabra. ........12.0200-00020--2 Inkberry..........-...2...--.--- M — My black |4.5—-5.0
Lonicera Morrowi................... Morrow Honeysuckle..... F | white | Ap-My red —
Malus Sargentii_.......00...........-- Sargent Crab-apple._..... M | white Ap red —
Philadel phus virginalis
SOV ATHIDAL ocescs.<
Enonymus alata... Winged Euonymus........ M | yellow) Ap purple |6.0-7.5 XxX
Forsythia intermedia Showy Border |
Spectabilis..... 00... ccc eee Morsytniaeee essere C | yellow) Mr-Ap — 6.0-7.5 x
Grewia biloba parviflora... Grewia str ees hie C | white Ap red — x
Hibiscus syriacus.........00.20----- Shrub Althea......000........ C |various| Je-S — 6.0—7.5 Sun
Hydrangea paniculata Early Panicle |
DPIGECOX eee ee Hydrangea................. C | white | Je-Jy — — Sun
Kolkwitzia amabilis.......0...-..... Beautybush......... 0... F pink My — 6.0—7.5 Sun
Les pedeza bicolor..............--..... Purple Bush-clover........ F white S = = He
Ligustrum amurensis............... AUG Priv ets: 27082 %3e: M~ white | My—Je black | indiff xX
Ligustrum ibolium.................. Ibolium Privet............... M~ white | My—Je black | indiff x
Ligustrum obtusifolium
Regelianum...........-...---.------ Regel’s Privet__............... M | white | My—Je black | indiff X
Ligustrum ovalifolium............ California Privet............ M — — — indiff Sun
Ligustrum Quihou..........-.....-. Quihou Privet................ M | white | Aug-S | black |indiff Sun
Lindera Benzoin..............-.-2..-- Spicebush.......200.....2200-- M | yellow] Mr-Ap red = |4.5-6.0 >.<
Lonicera fragrantissima.......... Fragrant Honeysuckle...| C | white | Mr—Ap — indiff >:4
Magnolia stellata..................... Star Magnolia................. C | white | Mr—Ap — 5.0-6.0 | Sun
Phyllostachys aureosulcatus....\ Hardy Bamboo............... M — = — — x
Rhus aromatica................-----.- Fragrant Sumac............. F | yellow) Mr—Ap red — xX
Rosa setigera.......0.........0..00000--- Prairie Rose.................--- M | fink |My—Aug red _— Sun
Sambucus canadensis............... Elderberry....................- C | white | My—Je black — >.4
Sorbaria sorbifolia................... Ural False-spirea............ M | white | Je—Jy —- indiff X
Syringa Henryi “Lueéce’’........ Ilenry, Wilacs teen, C | lilac My — neutral Sun
Syringa microphylla... Little-leaf Lilac.............. F pink | Ap—My —_— neutral Sun
Syringa nanceana “Floréal”....| Nancy Lilac................... C | lilac My — neutral | Sun
Syringa Villosa.......ccc00c0cceee Wate ilacn uae Coaiplilac My = neutral Sun
Viburnum Lantana................- Wayfaring-tree.............. C | white | Ap-My | black |5.5-7.0 x
Viburnum Opulus...............--. European Cranberry...... M | white My | red 6.5-7.5 x
Viburnum tomentosum........... Doublefile Viburnum....... C | white | Ap-My | black |6.5-7.5 x
Vitex Agnus-castus..........--..--- Lilac Chaste-tree............ M | lilac Je-S — 6.0-7.0 | Sun
Xanthoceras sorbifolia............. Shiny-leaf Yellowhorn..| M !' white | Ap—My — —— Sun
Shrubs for tall screens and for large mass effects are found in the follow-
ing group. These plants are on such large scale that it usually requires parks
and large estates to display them properly. The average gardener would do
well to use them in moderation or as single specimens.
ia
|
|
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
SHRUBS 8-12 FEET TALL
Common Name |
Ame'anchier canadensis.......
Baccharis halimifolia
Caragana arborescens...
Chionanthus virginicus...
Cornus mas
Euonymus atropurpurea
Exochorda Giraldii
Wilsonti....0000 eee
Hamamelis vernalis.......
Hamamelis virginéana..
Prunus cerasifera
atropurpurea.....
Rhamnus Frangula....
Shepherdia argentea..
Syringa amurensis japonica...
Tamarix gallica...
Viburnum prunifol an
—~|Common Witch-hazel.
_|Purple-leaf Plum........ :
_| Buffalo-berry.................
Hardy Silk-tree......... |
| Shadbush. oe. |
| Groundsel-bush.......
_| Siberian Pea-tree....
_| White Fringe-tree.....
_|Cornelian Cherry...........
_|Eastern Burningbush...
Wilson Redbud
Pearlbush...... Peer
Vernal Witch-hazel......
Alder Buckthorn...........
Japanese Tree Lilac.
French Tamarisk.
_| Black Haw................
NOZONNS ™) Texture
‘ F |
x= A
pink Je-Au
white Ap
white | S—-O
yellow Ap |
white | My |
yellow| Mr
purple) My |
white | Ap—-My |
yellow) Ja-F |
yellow) O-N
pink Mr-Ap
yellow My |
yellow) Ap—My
white | My—Je
pink | Ap-My
white My
a
L no
anil | Qa,
purple |5.0—-6.0
white |7.0-8.0
—_ 6.0—7.0
blue | 5.0—6.0
— youtral
— ndift
— 6.0-7.0
red —
black —
red 6.0—8.0
— neutral
— subacid
black —
Tallest of shrubs are those that reach
usually, though loosely, referred to as small trees. In spite of the appealing
characters of these plants care should be taken that too many are not used
in a small place and that only those best suited to such an area be chosen.
Botanical Name
Cyrilla racemiflora..
Elaeagnus angustifolia .....
Halesia carolina... seuefs
Magnolia Soulangeana
Magnolia virginiana...
12-20 feet in height and are
SHRUBS 12-20 FEET TALL
Cemmen Name
_|Leatherwood..........
Russian Olive........ :
Mountain Silverbell.....
| Saucer Maenolia.......
Sweet Bay......--....----------
a0 omz| Texture
-
= =
S 2 |
-
oo
white | Je-Jy |
yellow] My
white Ap
white | Mr—Ap
white | My—Jy
Cunila origanoides, the American Dittany.—
September always finds the American Dittany in flower along dry
wooded ridges near St. Louis.
ca
2 |
5
re | uF
aa a.
= 5.0—8.0
yellow —
green 5.0—5.0
red 5.0—6.0
red | 4.0—5.0
It is a delicate little plant of the Mint family,
about two feet high when in blossom and bearing its small plumes of lav-
It is easiest to
ender-pink flowers well above its simple, light green leaves.
recognize by its odor, from which it gets both its common and its specific
name.
dittany and might well be tried out as a substitute for those flavorings.
The leaves when crushed smell almost exactly like wild marjoram or
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN Do
Nymphaea gigantea var. alba
THE INTRODUCTION OF THE WHITE NYMPHAEA GIGANTEA
GEORGE H. PRING
In 1939, when the writer and Mr. Robert S. Trickett, of Ealing, London,
were working together with species of Nymphaea in the Herbarium of the
Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, he mentioned a white form of Nymphaea
gigantea from Australia. I was interested, for I had never heard of a white
gigantea in cultivation, and he offered to try to contact some water-lily man
who would collect seeds for me. The outbreak of the war, the following
month, prevented all possibility of any one giving time for such details but
it did not keep Mr. Trickett from corresponding. In September, 1945, he
wrote to Mr. Albert De Lestang, of Adel’s Grove Botanic Gardens, North
Queensland, and received the following letter in reply:
54 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Adel’s Grove Botanic Gardens
Via Camooweal
North Queensland
10/11/45
Dear Mr. Trickett,
Your letter of 20/9/45, airmailed at 7:15 p.m. on that date, came to hand last
night, 6 weeks and one day on the way. At this fast rate of air traveling I am
afraid lily tubers would perish on the way...
Now about that virgin-garbed beautiful swcul you desire. Beware of her
fascinating beauty. My old friend, Mr. C. T. White, is getting short-minded from
crowded work and roving about if he failed to tell you about the white nymph
living here when he was at Kew some years back, for just before he went I sent him
specimens of the floral belle. Mr. W. D. Francis, who is the acting boss in the absence
of the chief, at that time could not be sure my white nymph was a N. gigantea.
Our water nymphs are yet a bit mixed in names.
I will see what can be done about luring the beauty out of her watery home or
robbing her babies (seeds) to be airmailed to you, if the fare is within my purse.
The white-flowered form of N. gigantea, as known here, is irregular in its ap-
pearance. I have not seen it the last two years. The type is plentiful in the gardens;
thousands of blooms are floating about. Will keep an eye for the white form but it
grows in deep water, here 30 ft. or more, coming to the surface on a root stalk
40 ft. or more long; the tubers beyond my reach, and the seed will be hard to get,
for water beetles devour the stamens and ovules. The flower will have to be pro-
tected, and I do not know how it can be done. Will try anyway.
As to the white lilies with the blue ones in the pool near Rockland, Camooweal, I
doubt their origin and how often seen. Will try to get in touch with the blacks
there and get them to collect seeds if available; also will inquire from the roving
blacks if white lilies are seen in other parts. Here only N. gigantea occurs...
With Kindest Revards,
(signed) Albert De Lestang
In the next letter, seeds of the white-flowered Nymphaea gigantea were
enclosed:
2/1/46
Dear Mr. Trickett,
In pursuance to my letter of 10/11/45, herewith enclosed please find seeds of
Nymphaea gigantea white-flowered form, or purporting to be this plant. Seeds were
collected by the bush blacks, and seeds alone have no means to identify them. Our
natives have long lost their natural honesty and adopted the white man’s wiles. I
hope that the seed will turn all right to your satisfaction. Meantime I am keeping
an eye on the garden pools for the white beauty in the event of the blacks having
tricked us. I am also sending seeds to Mr. C. T. White, who was expected back in
Brisbane last Christmas, to have them tried in the Botanic Gardens,
Soon after I wrote you the previous letter I contacted the bush blacks and after
filling their ‘tucker bags” they readily agreed to get the seeds from shallow pools in
the hills. They are expert at collecting these for to them they are the equival of
wheat to the white man. From these seeds they make good native bread, as they do
with other species we despise. You will remember the Old History telling us the
so-called Nile Lotus which the trade foists upon the public as the Egyptian Lotus of
the tombs and monuments was introduced in the Nile in the Roman period to stave
off famine when the grain crops failed or all went to feed hungry Rome :
I trust you received my previous letter okay. This one ought to have gone weeks
back, but this place has been in blessful isolation since the 10th of last month by
flood rains, and it is not known when the mail will next be through, though it has
been fine the last few days. Camooweal P. O. is 180 miles from here; Burketown, the
nearest, 140, but isolated by flooded coaster rivers at this period, our tropical wet
season...
With Kind Regards,
Yours sincerely,
(signed) Albert De Lestang
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 55
In May 1946 Mr. Trickett sent the Garden about 100 of the white
Nymphaea seeds which he had received from Mr. De Lestang. Since
Nymphaea gigantea is hard to bring into bloom during our short season for
tropical growth, it was thought advisable to send half the seeds to Mr. A. J.
Proebstle, of Brazoria, Texas, who has often collaborated with the Garden
in growing water-lilies.
Mr. Proebstle planted the seeds on June 3, and on July 3 one had germi-
nated (No. 1 plant). The seedling continued to flourish until sprayed with
an insecticide which caused it to “go to sleep.” The second seedling (No. 2)
germinated soon after. Its first flower started to open on September 9, and
was pure white. The plant was still in flower on September 20, at which
time it was photographed (p. 53). The flowers were pollinated by hand,
also by insects. In order to prevent cross-pollination from the blue-flowered
plants the latter were not allowed to bloom in any of the pools. Up to
October 20 the white-flowered plant had carried fifteen flowers and four
seed-pods. Several hundred seeds were produced within these pods, some of
which were sent to the Garden.
In October I made a special trip to Texas to see the white-flowered
Nymphaea grown by Mr. Proebstle. Arriving in Brazoria at 6 p. m., October
19, I lost no time in viewing the No. 2 plant. The flower was then fully
expanded and Mr. Proebstle told me that it stayed open day and night. I
was sure that no water-lily did that, but he insisted that all of the fifteen
flowers had closed the first night and remained open for the succeeding four
nights. Being as I was from Missouri I had to be shown, so with the ap-
proach of darkness we again went out to the pools. Sure enough, the flower
was still open. I was still not convinced and told Mr. Proebstle that it
would be closed in about an hour according to all previous records of day-
blooming water-lilies. At 10 o’clock, though, it was still wide open. It
was hard to realize, even though some extraordinary things are done in Texas,
and I prophesied that it would be closed in the morning. My host woke me
at 6 o'clock in the morning, saying, ‘Put on your bath-robe and come out
and look at the water-lily.” The flower was still open, and it never closed
from October 19 to October 23. Proebstle had noticed that the outer
stamens always seemed to curl around the petals, and he concluded that this
might be the reason that it couldn’t close. This might be a contributing
factor, but the stamens on the blue type also become reflexed.
The next point to be brought up was the No. 1 plant that went to sleep.
The seeds had been sown on the surface of the soil in a large galvanized tub
and covered with a thin layer of sand to prevent them from floating. That
part of the tub where it had been planted was marked by a stake. I sug-
gested that we look for a tuber there since our young plants in St. Louis had
56 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
tubers the size of a pea. So the tub was lifted out of the water and Proebstle
started to feel for the tuber, which we both figured would be about two
inches below the surface of the soil. Sure enough, he felt something hard
about an inch below the soil, and when the mud was washed out there was
revealed a thin shoot with a swelling which was about to produce roots. The
tuber, which had produced the shoot and seedling, was found eight inches
below the surface of the soil and was the size of an English walnut. It was
quite a surprise to find a new tuber as deep as that formed from seed that was
planted on the surface five months before. In St. Louis we have noticed
that Victoria seeds which have become buried five inches deep will extend
their shoots to reach the surface. The question is: How does a tuber develop
on the surface and then, with subsequent growth, push itself eight inches
below.
The flower was cut on the sixth day for the purpose of study. ‘There is
no question that it is the pure white form of Nymphaea gigantea, the form
alba listed by H. S. Conard in his “Monograph of the Genus Nymphaea”’
(Carnegie Inst. Washington, Publ. 4), in 1905. Following is a description
of the Texas plant.
Description.—
Frowers white, fragrant, 6-8 inches in diameter, opening 4-6 days,
closing only the first night. PEDUNCLE light green, supporting the flower
14-2 feet above the water. Sepats obovate-lanceolate, prominently
hooded, outermost pale green suffused with white toward the margins, inner-
most sepals whitish with 10-12 light green veins, 6 of which are prominent.
Perats 17-20 in three rows, outermost row hooded, showing 9 veins, 7
being prominent at the base. STAMENS 600-800, Cadmium Yellow, in-
curved at the summit the first day, exposing the stigmatic center, later be-
coming reflexed, interior stamens rolling over the stigma. Filaments white,
thread-like, the outside row the longest. Carpets 14-20, separated from one
another, particularly after ripening of the seed-pod. SrED-pop balloon-
shaped, containing many seeds; flowers readily pollinated by insects; does not
hybridize with other tropical day-blooming types (Brachyceras). RHIZOME
spherical in the seedling stage, becoming ovoid when mature and showing
prominent leaf and bud scars.
Submerged leaves triangular to hastate; first floating leaves ovate, pale
green above and below, sinus broad. Mature leaves orbicular-ovate or
elliptic, 1 foot or more in diameter, margin slightly wavy, sharply dentate,
teeth short; upper surface at first brownish pink becoming pale green, under
surface pale green with prominently reticulate veins. PrtTIoLEs pale green,
smooth, terete, 3-4 feet long.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 7,
A NEW HARDY PYGMY WATER-LILY
NYMPHAEA “JOANNE PRING”
GEORGE H. PRING
In 1942 a pink sport from a yellow Nymphaea helvola (N. tetragona
x N. mexicana) appeared in the Garden lily pools. Its pink color was con-
stant when the plants were propagated by division of the multiple crown, and
the color was reported fixed by both Mr. Robert S. Trickett, of London,
England, and Mr. C. Tricker, of Saddle River, N. J., to whom plants were
sent for trial. This pink-flowered variety is a welcome addition to the hardy
pygmy water-lilies for tub culture, and has been named “Joanne Pring.”
Plants growing cutside in tubs will produce numerous flowers which are
pink suffused with white toward the base, 3 inches across, rising 2—3 inches
above the water the first day, afterwards floating at water level. The leaves
are circular, 3 inches across, dark green above, pink underneath, when
young occasionally striped with reddish-brown. The leaf stems (petioles)
and flower stems (peduncles) are brownish-green. Fully developed plants
develop a multiple crown.
Young plants in the greenhouse are hard to distinguish from the parent
Nymphaca “Joanne Pring”
58 MISSOURI BOT ANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
N. tetragona, both having dark green leaves which are pink on the under
side. The distinguishing character at this early stage is the petioles; those
of N. tetragona are light green and those of the pink hybrid are brownish-
green. The yellow hybrid, N. helvola, differs from both by its light green
leaves, spotted or suffused with reddish-brown which shows on the under
side. The petioles and peduncles are also light green. With age N. helvola
also produces multiple crowns.
Description.—
SEPALS 4, oblong-lanceolate, 1-1/2 inches long and about '/2 inch wide,
Dark Cress Green* on the under side, frequently lighter at the base and
Lettuce Green suffused with white to pinkish toward the margins; upper
surface whitish or faint pinkish, usually suffused with light green at the
tips. Prrars 16, linear-lanceolate, acute-tipped, 1-1'% inches long and 4
inch wide, the four outermost longest, Rosolane Purple, whitish at base on
the under side, with Lettuce Green tips and a prominent median stripe, suf-
fused with deep pink (Rosolane Purple) toward the margins, usually lighter
on the upper surface; inner petals smaller, more pronounced Rosolane Purple
on both surfaces. STAMENS about 30, Light Cadmium Yellow (orangish)
on inside, suffused with Rosolane Purple on outside, giving a burnt orange
hue. CarpELLARY Styles 12, Light Cadmium in color.
* Color terms are those of Ridgway’s “Color Standards and Nomenclature.’
’
Gillenia stipulata, American Ipecac.—
It is curious how common certain wild flowers can be, and yet seem
completely unknown to the general public. Gillenia is one of these, and
though its dainty rose-colored flowers are very common in the rocky wood-
lands of Missouri in May and June, it never seems to reach popular attention.
This may be because it blossoms at a time when the woods are hot and
muggy and when mosquitos, chiggers, and ticks are all at a maximum. It
certainly cannot be due to any delinquency on the part of the flower itself.
The five delicate rose-colored petals are borne on dainty stems in loose
clusters held well above the three-parted leaves which are set close to the
stem and are attractively and regularly incised along the margin.
Choosing the worst sticktight in Missouri would be quite a task since
there are so many of them but certainly Torilis would be among the leading
candidates. This European weed looks very much like Queen Anne’s Lace,
but its seeds are covered with tiny hooks and it is a nuisance in wool socks
or the ears of Cocker Spaniels. Since its seeds are ripe by midsummer it is
troublesome over a longer period than are any of our other uninvited “‘fellow-
travellers.”
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 59
NOTES
The biology class of the Community High School of Carrier Mills,
Illinois, visited the Garden, February 1, accompanied by their teacher, Mr.
Norlan C. Henderson, formerly a graduate student at the Garden.
Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, made a trip to
Florida recently where he visited the Alberts orchid collection at Jacksonville,
the Gore collection at Fort Lauderdale, and many smaller private establish-
ments. He also visited the Fairchild Tropical Garden at Coconut Grove.
Hardly had the debris from the severe storm of September 1 been cleared
away when a windstorm damaged the Garden on January 29. The wind
reached a velocity of 37 miles an hour, breaking branches of trees and blow-
ing off many vents in the Linnean House.
At the December meetings of the American Association for the Advance-
ment of Science Dr. Edgar Anderson was elected Vice-president of the
Botanical Society of America; Dr. Robert E. Woodson, Jr., Secretary-
Treasurer of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists; and Dr. Henry
N. Andrews, Jr., Chairman of the Paleobotanical Section of the Botanical
Society of America.
Dr. Edgar Anderson and Dr. Henry N. Andrews, of the Garden staff,
were among those invited to the Conference on Evolution which was held
at Princeton, January 2—4. The conference was sponsored jointly by Prince-
ton University, as part of its anniversary celebration, and by a committee
of the National Research Council of which Dr. Anderson is a member. Two
former graduate students of the Henry Shaw School of Botany also took
part in the conference, Dr. Carl C. Epling, of the University of California at
Los Angeles, and Dr. Marion Ownbey, of Washington State College, Pull-
man, Wash.
Recent visitors to the Garden library and herbarium include Mr. Walter
H. Bangham, Geneticist Goodyear Rubber Plantations, San Jose, Costa Rica;
Mr. Arno H. Bowers, of the American Amaryllis Society, Pasadena, Calif.;
Dr. George J. Goodman, Professor of Botany, University of Oklahoma, Nor-
man; Maj. and Mrs. R. S. Davis, orchid enthusiasts, of Dayton, Ohio; Mrs
Francis King, well-known horticultural writer; Dr. Carl O. Sauer, Professor
of Geography, University of California, Berkeley; Dr. H. G. Quaritch
Wales, of the book-firm, Bernard Quaritch Ltd., London, England; Miss
Patricia Poindexter, botany major, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville;
Dr. Carl George Deuber, of the Stauffer Chemical Co., Ardsley, N. Y.; Mr.
Richard D. Schein, botany major, DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana;
Mr. K. M. Broman, Superintendent, Royal Botanic Gardens, Hamilton, On-
tario, Canada.
60 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
It is a great pleasure for the Garden to announce that at the 43rd annual
meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Science, held in Boston,
December 27-29, 1946, Dr. Gustav A. L. Mehlquist (Horticulturist at the
Missouri Botanical Garden and Associate Professor of Botany at Washington
University) was presented with the Leonard H. Vaughan Memorial Research
Award in Horticulture, carrying with it a remuneration of $500.00. Two
such awards are made each year by the Society, the funds being contributed
by the Vaughan Seed Stores of Chicago in memory of Mr. Leonard H.
Vaughan. One of these awards is made for distinctive work with vegetable
crops and the other for an outstanding contribution in floriculture. Dr.
Mehlquist’s award was made in recognition of his hybridization work with
carnations. The results of this research were published in the Proceedings
of the Society for 1945, under the title “Inheritance in the Carnation. V.
Tetraploid Carnations from Interspecific Hybridization.”
Lemon Balm in Missouri.—
The Lemon Balm, Melissa officinalis, was recently found to be growing
wild in great profusion in a woodland near Ferguson, Mo., and from time
to time it has been reported on wastelands and along roadsides in various
parts of the state. Lemon Balm is a humble-looking plant, in general ap-
pearance something like a greener catnip, but it has one of the most dis-
tinguished aromas in the entire plant world. The plant is a perennial with
heart-shaped scalloped leaves, and for centuries it has been grown in gardens
for its lovely odor which is something like that of the Lemon Verbena.
Years ago it was used in medicine on the theory apparently that anything
with such an appealing smell should be of some use. Modern scientific
medicine however has not justified this prejudice, and today it is merely a
harmless roadside plant (one cannot call it really a weed) or a subject for
those occasional gardeners who interest themselves in old kinds of plants
which have had a long association with mankind.
Wisteria in Missouri.—
Missouri has a native Wisteria in its swampy southeastern corner, and
while most of the plants have been exterminated in the ditching and drain-
ing of that area they still persist commonly enough to amaze visitors in late
spring and early summer. Wisteria macrostachya, the species in question, 1s
surprisingly similar to the cultivated Oriental species and it is occasionally
transplanted to our gardens, though its blossoms are ineffective compared to
those of its Oriental cousins. Nowadays it is most frequently seen along
drainage ditches and railroad rights-of-way, climbing up luxuriantly above
bushes and small trees and bearing its gray-blue racemes of flowers in con-
siderable profusion.
THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
| cel recs Bao pain Do) 005 RO ne RE see President
RPC) iO anole ee a Ne es Vice-President
CNY CoE Me of) 29 SAE Ae Se Ae a ee Second Vice-President
L. Ray Carter George T. Moore
Dudley French A. Wessel Shapleigh
John S. Lehmann Ethan A. H. Shepley
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
Ye gd 15) ae oy Pang @ 601 of 6) » Race aN ce mee eae Chancellor, Washington University
Ay, Haute =o: 1 ee ee Mayor of the City of St. Louis
Stratford L. Morton _.... President, St. Louis Academy of Science
MW ALMA SCATIO G2 2 ooo Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri
Elmore M. Putney _.......... President, Board of Education of St. Louis
ig Co tag BA ha (et 0 nee ene a sis baaciead vaganemeneee eng tease _.... Secretary
STAFF
LE (i) 4 ae DA (2s) na ER ARE NaI aE ME en Director
PERO Tai VON SCOTCH een etna Pathologist
(eS IPAe 0 oT seta bf ho eee ee nee ee Curator of Herbarium
Carroll W. Dodge. : _.............----Mycologist
Edgar Anderson _ Geneticist
Robert E. Woodson, Jr. Lc caeesapacbeaccbasate Assistant Curator of Herbarium
Henry N. Andrews Assistant to the Director and Paleobotanist
[a] sto) ahs GER: cl») 9 ae a ene e ee Research Assistant
Nell C. Horner Librarian and Editor
cet M6) | (sre a i lactate Business Manager
George H. Pring sine eee Superintendent
Pat An On ae = _ _......Floriculturist
BES sts Be CRAM slid >) 7: re Sie __Orchidologist
Castay A. t. Mehlquist os, sc i sede aoe OPTIC U EU EIRE
Ie] of Se: POR, G) © 1d | ea ioscan owe Atboriculturist
J ECVaIE) CAST Gi: | ehh ae i oe eee In charge of Succulents
August P. Beilmann_____..___.._______. Riesccts of the Arboretum, Gray Summit
Gurney Wilson, F.L.S.........._.._ Representative in England, Hove, Sussex
Paul H. Allen. eS ne ioaks woneeeneeee---------- Tropical Plant Collector
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN
The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr.
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date until his death in 1889 it
was maintained under his personal direction. Although popularly
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden
was chosen by Mr. Shaw and he definitely indicated that he wished
it called by that name. The Garden passed at his death into the
hands of a Board of Trustees, designated in Mr. Shaw’s will, and
the Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members,
is self-perpetuating. By a further provision of the will the immedi-
ate direction of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by
the Board. The Garden receives no support from city or state but
is maintained almost exclusively from the estate left by Henry
Shaw. Since 1939 many Garden Clubs and interested individuals
have contributed to a “Friends of the Garden Fund” which is used
in developing the new Arboretum, located at Gray Summit, Mo.
The Arboretum (1) serves as a source of plants, trees and shrubs
for the city Garden; (2) affords areas for gradually establishing
a pinetum, a wild-flower reservation and various other features
on a scale not possible in the city; (3) provides greenhouses for
some 20,000 orchid plants.
The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species
of plants are grown, both out of doors and under glass. It is open
every day in the year except New Year’s Day and Christmas; week
days, 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.; Sundays, 10:00 a.m. until 7:00
p.m. The greenhouses are closed every day at 5:00 p.m.
The main entrance to the Garden is at Tower Grove and
Flora Place, on the Sarah bus line (No. 42). The Tower Grove bus
(No. 21), direct from downtown, passes within three blocks of the
main entrance.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL
GARDEN BULL
4 TIN
CONTENTS
Growing Roses
A Tribute Notes
&
Volume XXXV March, 1947
N umber 3
Cover: The Rose Garden.
Editorial Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue,
St. Louis 10, Missouri.
Published monthly except July and August by the Board of Trustees of the
Missouri Botanical Garden. Subscription price: $2.50 a year,
Office of publication: 306 E. Simmons Street, Galesburg, Illinois.
Entered as second-class matter January 26, 1942, at the post-office at Gales-
burg, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Do not discard a copy of the Bulletin. If you have no further use for yours
Please:
pass it along to a friend or return it to the Garden. Return postage will
be guaranteed.
Missour1 Botanical
Garden Bulletin
Vol. XXXV MARCH, 1947 No. 3
GROWING ROSES
PAUL A. KOHL
The rose is the only flower that every one knows and loves. Many books
on rose culture have been written, and every garden magazine devotes pages
to this flower each year. New varieties are constantly being added to the
already-long list of hybrid tea roses; membership in the American Rose
Society is on the increase; local rose societies are being formed in many com-
munities, one of the most recent being in St. Louis; and so the interest in the
rose continues unabated. Small wonder, then, that information is constantly
being sought by those who are just taking up rose culture, or by those who
are meeting with difficulties or are interested in enlarging their collections.
Current rose catalogues place considerable emphasis on hybrid tea roses.
They are first, if the popularity of the different groups of roses is measured
by the number of varieties offered in the catalogues, some nurseries listing
between seventy and eighty varieties. Polyanthas and their large-flowered
cousins, called floribundas, are second with fifteen to twenty varieties; and
climbing roses are third, the list of available varieties being from twelve
to thirty-five. Other groups, but of less importance, are the pillar roses,
the shrub roses, the old-fashioned roses and the miniatures.
Hybrid Tea Roses.—These roses are practically ever-blooming; they
commence flowering in May and continue until frost. Given a reasonably
good soil all varieties will thrive in the garden, and if they are protected
during the winter they will grow in succeeding years. Roses, like people,
are individuals, and some varieties are sturdier than others. Thus, in time
certain roses are recognized throughout the country as being superior, and
these maintain their popularity for many years. The rose catalogues picture
and describe many new roses each year. A beginner will find it difficult to
select a few good varieties without some guidance, but he can be assured of
(61)
62 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
purchasing good ones if he selects those marked with the insignia bearing
the letters “AARS.” Varieties so marked represent the “All American Rose
Selections,” being reliable roses after they have had a thorough trial in all
parts of the United States. Another source of information is the ‘Proof of
the Pudding” in the American Rose Society’s annuals, which contains com-
ments on the performance of the newest roses by rose growers from different
parts of the United States.
Polyantha Roses —The word “polyantha” means many-flowered. For-
merly most of the roses in this group had small flowers, but in recent years
hybridizers have created varieties with flowers nearly as large as the hybrid
teas, and these have been called “‘floribundas.”’ As a group they are very
popular because they bloom so freely throughout the season and are fine for
mass displays in the garden.
Hybrid Per petuals—Many years ago hybrid perpetuals were almost the
only roses grown. They can stand the changeable winter weather better
than the hybrid tea roses. The flowers, for the most part, are double, pink,
red, or white, with a few partly yellow; some are very fragrant, others
slightly so or not at all. The plants are tall, and some varieties have very
thorny canes. Their best period of bloom is in June, only a few varieties, as
“Frau Karl Druschki,” producing a second crop of flowers in late summer.
Shrub Roses. —Closely resembling the hybrid perpetuals in hardiness and
vigorous growth are the various shrub roses, such as rugosa roses, sweetbriers,
and the species roses of which our native prairie rose, Rosa setigera, is an
example.
Climbing Roses.—From the standpoint of flower size and time of bloom
the climbing roses may be divided into two groups: the large-flowered ones
which commence to bloom about May 15, and the small, cluster-flowered
ramblers which bloom during the first and second week of June. The climb-
ing hybrid tea roses represent a class that blooms during the summer and
fall. They require several years to become established and must be protected
during the winter.
Miniature Roses.—These dwarf fairy roses are charming reproductions of
the large-flowered hybrid tea roses. The buds of some of them measure less
than one-quarter of an inch and yet they are as perfectly formed as any of
the larger roses. Since the plants are small they should be grown in separate
beds or in pots.
The Rose Bed.—Hybrid tea roses may be grown along the front of shrub
beds or planted among perennials, but when a dozen or more are grown it is
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 63
EN Te
HYBRID TEA AND SHRUB ROSES IN GARDEN OF MRS. GEORGE W. TAYLOR
simpler to care for them in one bed. Roses should receive at least half a day
of sunshine. If they are planted near shallow-rooted trees, such as the elm
and maple, they suffer not only from the shade cast by the trees but also
from lack of water and food which the tree roots take. Low places are un-
desirable for rose beds. Because the soil is wet most of the year, the plants
are in danger of being heaved by the frost in winter and finally killed.
Soil.—In this area the soil is a fairly heavy clay loam, and if other plants
have been grown successfully in it for some years it is in reasonably good
condition for roses. So often, however, the soil about the home consists
mostly of subsoil which was spread after the house was built. In the process
of leveling much of the building material, such as sand, mortar, broken
bricks and roof tiles, was covered with a few inches of soil. It is a chore
like the removal of this building trash from the soil that takes the joy out
of gardening, but it must be done. About the best way to proceed with the
preparation of a rose bed is to remove the upper six inches of soil and throw
it to one side. Bonemeal and superphosphate is then spread in the trench at
64 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
the rate of about three pounds of each to every 100 square feet of bed area.
This is spaded into the subsoil and then the topsoil is returned to the bed.
Both layers of soil will be improved by the addition of leafmold or peat moss
at the rate of two to four bushels to every 100 square feet of bed. A good
compost pile should be maintained in every garden to supply additional
humus whenever it is needed. A newly spaded rose bed should be allowed to
settle several weeks before the roses are planted. If this is not possible, then
the soil should be firmed as it is returned to the bed.
HYBRID TEA ROSE “PEACE” CHINA ROSE “HERMOSA”
Rose Plants —Almost all the roses that are purchased from nurseries or
stores are budded plants, as this is the method by which roses are produced
commercially. Many rosarians, however, grow their own plants quite suc-
cessfully from cuttings. Dormant roses should be planted in March if pos-
sible, and planting may be continued into April. The later in spring dormant
roses are planted the less chance they have of becoming established before
warm weather sets in. Pot-grown roses may be planted any time and will
grow if carefully handled so that the ball of soil surrounding the roots
does not fall apart. Roses may also be planted in October or November
providing the plants are obtainable. In December weather conditions usually
prevent proper planting, and the soil is too cold for any root action.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 65
Planting.—Roses should be unpacked soon after being received. If it is
impossible to plant them immediately they should be “‘heeled-in,” that is, the
roots and most of the tops covered with damp soil.
It is surprising how rapidly roses dry out when they are exposed to the
wind and sun while the holes are being dug. To avoid this, the plants may
be taken to the garden in a bucket of water or the roots may be dipped in
water and the plants wrapped in paper or burlap.
The hole to receive the rose should be large enough to accommodate the
roots without crowding. Leave a slight mound or cone of soil in the center
and on this spread the roots. The knob (that place where the rose is budded)
should be level with the surface of the soil. This will allow for settling
and eventually the budded portion will be an inch beneath the surface. Work
the soil between the roots with the fingers. (A good pair of leather gloves
will be found indispensable for this work.) Add more soil as needed and
finally firm with the feet. Leave a depression around each plant, into which
pour a half pail of water after all the roses are planted. This helps to settle
the soil and prevents any loss of roses from drying out. When the water has
drained away the remaining soil is drawn around the plants and mounded to
about six inches to protect the buds until they form new shoots. Later this
soil is washed down by rains or leveled off when the beds are cultivated.
Planting Distances.—The dwarf polyanthas and the majority of hybrid
tea roses should be planted fifteen to twenty inches apart; large hybrid tea
roses, as “Radiance,” two feet; hybrid perpetuals, two to three feet; and
rugosa and shrub roses at least four feet apart. Climbing and rambler roses
are planted singly at the bases of arches or pillars. On fences or trellises
they should be spaced eight to ten feet apart, while unusually strong-growing
varieties, like “Dr. Van Fleet,” may be even farther apart.
Watering.—Drought periods may occur in June, July or August. When
the upper layer of soil becomes dry the growth of the bush roses is checked.
Shrub and climbing roses have a deeper root system and do not show the
effects of drought so quickly. Rose beds should be soaked once or twice a
week during dry periods, the early morning being a good time if a fountain
sprinkler is used. Wetting of the foliage in the evening tends to spread
diseases. If the rose beds are watered in the evening it is better to use a
canvas hose soaker or to flood the beds with the open end of the hose laid
on a board to prevent washing the soil.
Insects.—Since the insects which attack roses do most of their damage
early in the season it is wise to have the materials on hand with which to
fight them, also sprayers and dusters in working order. Gardeners should
66 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
re
PLANTING A DORMANT ROSE
HYBRID TEA ROSE IN MARCH PROPER PRUNING CUT ABOVE
Remove weak and dead canes and A BUD
sucker at left
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 67
learn to recognize the kind of insects which feed on roses and know the
remedy.
Aphis appear each spring. They are easily controlled if the roses are
sprayed with any contact insecticide containing nicotine or pyrethrum.
Sometimes they are tough and a double-strength solution is needed to kill
them. Another infestation occurs a few days later when those with wings
are blown in by the wind, and this calls for a second and third spraying.
A number of chewing insects appear every year, of which the rose slugs
are the worst. They skeletonize the leaves so quickly that the damage is
done before the spray gun has been brought into play. They begin feeding
on the underside of the leaves in May and do most of the damage by early
June. If the roses are sprayed in early May with arsenate of lead and again
after heavy rains in anticipation of an attack, the slugs will be controlled.
Several kinds of beetles eat the tips of rose buds or bore into them. Leaf
cutter bees cut perfect circles from the leaves, and, like the beetles, they are
difficult to control. Stem borers sometimes injure rose canes. They enter
the stem where it has been recently pruned and as they bore down they inter-
fere with the flow of sap. Very little can be done to prevent this type of
injury. The pruning cuts are sometimes painted or covered with grafting
wax, but it is questionable whether the time spent in treating each wound
is worth the effort.
In some years red spider causes partial defoliation of the roses during
June and July. These mites draw the sap from the underside of the leaves,
and to dislodge them the plants should be syringed with a strong stream of
water. Dusting sulphur is somewhat effective but it also injures rose leaves
if the temperature is above 90 degrees.
Some roses, particularly the rugosas, are subject to various scale insects,
such as oyster shell and scurfy scale. When the entire cane is covered with
scale it should be cut away at the base of the plant and burned. Spray these
roses with an oil spray during the winter.
If tender rose tips wither and turn black and few flower buds develop
during the summer, it is quite certain that rose midge has invaded the garden
and the injury is not due to heat as was formerly supposed. This insect has
been prevalent in greenhouses for many years, but only about ten years ago
was it recognized as a serious garden pest. Dr. W. E. Blauvelt, of Cornell
University, has been studying this insect and its control and on various
occasions has reported his observations in the American Rose Annuals. In
describing his work in the 1946 Annual, Dr. Blauvelt considers DDT the
most promising insecticide and recommends about 11% tablespoonfuls of
25% wettable DDT powder to one gallon of water. This may be combined
with the other new spray material ‘‘Fermate,” and if the Grasselli Spreader
68 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
MILDEW BLACK SPOT
~ ee
APHIS CATERPILLARS
DISEASES AND INSECTS
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 69
Sticker is added we have one of the finest combination sprays, that will
control a number of insects and the diseases affecting the rose.
Diseases.—Several fungous diseases plague the roses, the most serious one
being black spot. It occurs in every rose garden, and the intensity of the
attack varies each year with weather conditions. The disease is on the roses
long before it is recognized, but by the time the leaves develop the character-
istic spots and drop to the ground it has made such inroads that nothing can
be done to prevent premature defoliation. The control of black spot calls
for a spraying or dusting program that continues uninterruptedly from
spring until fall. For many years Massey dust (named for Dr. L. M. Massey,
of Cornell University, who has done much research on black spot) has been
the standard spray or dust in controlling this disease. Massey dust consists
of 9 parts dusting sulphur and 1 part arsenate of lead. If roses are dusted or
sprayed at ten-day intervals, and with an occasional extra dusting during
rainy periods, one can feel reasonably sure of checking this disease. It is not
possible to stamp it out but it can be held in check. The new material,
“Fermate,” has given promising results in black spot control. Any other
diseases which affect roses will be controlled by the same fungicides used
for black spot, with one exception—Fermate will not control mildew.
Dusting and Spraying.—Gardeners have a choice of dusting or spraying
their roses. Either way is effective and each has certain advantages. Dusting
guns are quickly loaded and can be used on short notice, as just before a rain.
They are also cheaper than sprayers, and the latest types weigh less and
are very easy to use. In order to get good coverage, dusting must be done
when there is little wind, in the morning or the evening. The wearing of
goggles is recommended, for if sulphur gets in the eyes they smart for some
time.
Fermate can be stirred into dusting sulphur in a bucket in much the same
way that paint is mixed, using 10 per cent Fermate and 90 per cent dusting
sulphur. DuPont’s Garden Dust contains DDT, Fermate, Rotenone, and
several other materials which makes it an all-purpose dust. Pomo-green
with nicotine is another fungicide easily used in the duster, as is also Massey
dust which has already been mentioned.
Good quart-size compressed-air sprayers and the larger two- and three-
gallon ones are again available for those who prefer to use liquids instead
of dusts. Tri-ogen, the all-purpose spray, will control sucking and chewing
insects and fungous diseases. Wettable sulphur can be used at the rate of 2
tablespoonfuls to one gallon of water, plus 5 to 8 drops of Grasselli Spreader
Sticker. Fermate is used at the rate of 2 tablespoonfuls to the gallon of
water or, if combined with sulphur, 2 teaspoonfuls of Fermate and 2 table-
70 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
1. SCURFY SCALE ON RUGOSA ROSE
3. SMALL DUSTER
2. COMPRESSED-AIR SPRAYER
4. LARGE DUSTER WITH BELLOWS
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 71
spoonfuls of sulphur to the gallon. A ten-cent set of aluminum measuring
spoons is an indispensable item for the gardener’s spray shelf. Fermate and
DDT do not mix well with water. DDT should be shaken with a cupful
of water in a Mason jar before being added to the full amount of water. In
making Fermate solution stir about 8 drops of spreader sticker into one
gallon of water in a large glass jar and then float 2 tablespoonfuls of Fermate
on the water. Let this stand to permit some of the powder to settle to the
bottom. After fifteen minutes the mixture is stirred and poured into the
spray tank. Sprayers should always be shaken periodically while being used
as most of the mixtures settle to the bottom.
The success or failure of the various fungicides is directly dependent
upon the timing of the applications. Frequent rains necessitate several dust-
ings or sprayings. During dry weather the applications can be spaced at
two-week intervals and during the hottest and driest weather dispensed with
entirely. Sulphur injures the leaves if used when the temperature is above
90 degrees. Fermate can be used alone during those periods as a spray or
combined with talc instead of sulphur.
Fertilizing.—The following fertilizers for roses are suggested:
Commercial fertilizers with a 4-12-4 or similar formula. Apply half a
handful to a plant and cultivate it into the soil in April and June.
Use more for large climbing and shrub roses.
Concentrated liquid fertilizers (4-8-4). Use about a tablespoonful to
one gallon of water.
Rose food (7-8-5).
Dried and shredded cattle manure.
Liquid cow manure (1 bushel of fresh cow manure in a 50-gallon barrel
of water). This proportion may be varied for a smaller container.
Let the cow manure and water stand for several days and then use
1 to 2 pints of the manure water to 2 gallons of water. Apply half
a gallon to each rose about every two weeks. The soil should be
moist when any liquid fertilizer is used. Where is the cow manure?
As a last resort gather a few pancakes from a pasture the next time
you take a ride in the country.
Discontinue feeding roses by August 15.
The problem of rose fertilization is complex, and there is still much to
be learned. Almost every issue of the American Rose Annual or The Rose
Magazine contains information on this subject which gives a fuller apprecia-
tion of the problems involved.
Summer Mulching.—An artificial mulch during summer prevents weeds,
conserves moisture, and insulates the soil against the hot rays of the sun.
72 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
a
ee
an ee
CLIMBING ROSES ON LINNEAN HOUSI
From left to right: Purity, Milky Way, Wartburg, Christine Wright, Purity, Mary Wallace,
Dr. W. Van Fleet, Paul’s Scarlet Climber
CLIMBING ROSE “DR. W. VAN FLEET”
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 73
Peat, buckwheat hulls, and spent hops may be used. About a two-inch layer
of any of these materials should be applied to the rose beds in early June and
left until the end of August or early September. Mulching material should
not be heaped around the base of the roses as the stems are sometimes burned
when the weather is damp and hot. Some rose growers contend that artificial
mulches aid the spread of black spot.
Pruning Climbing Roses.—The term ‘‘climbing roses” is applied to the
large-flowered varieties whose flowers are borne on laterals a foot or more
long. These roses do not produce numerous canes from the base of the
plants each year but many of the new growths start from the two- and
three-year-old canes. The “rambler’’ roses, “Dorothy Perkins,” for instance,
annually produce many strong and fast-growing shoots from the base of the
plant. Both climbers and ramblers should be pruned during the summer.
The large-flowered kinds should be thinned so that half of the remaining
wood is two or more years old and the other half of the current season’s
growth. Varieties such as “Dr. Van Fleet” grow so rapidly after the summer
pruning that it becomes necessary to do some additional thinning in the
spring.
It might be well to pause for a moment in the discussion of pruning to
say a few words about the pruning tools. The pruning shears are used more
than any other tool. It should be strong, made of good steel, and may be
either single-edged or double-cut. To cut canes a half inch or more in
diameter, a pair of lopping shears, with 24-inch handles, is the proper tool.
Climbing roses are thorny and have a nasty way of catching in clothing. The
lopping shears will be found indispensable in picking up long and unruly
canes and dragging them away. When the crowded condition of the stems
makes it impossible to cut heavy basal canes with lopping shears a key-hole
saw is the tool to use.
In pruning rambler roses almost all the canes which bore flowers in June
should be removed. There will be many new canes at the base of the plants
to replace them. Such treatment seems drastic, but it is surprising how fast
the new shoots grow. Before pruning, all of the canes should be removed
from the trellis and laid on the ground. The old canes are then severed at
the base and the new ones tied in place. When the ramblers are badly
tangled, the old canes must be cut away in sections. It may be stated at this
point that if rose canes have been tied to one side of the trellis, instead of
being woven between the bars, it is much easier to remove them before
pruning. Ramblers on large arches or trellises are not pruned so severely.
Propagating Roses.—A great deal of the interest and fascination of grow-
ing roses is centered in their propagation, and nearly all rose-growers prac-
74 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
GOLDEN CLIMBER “MRS. ARTHUR CLIMBING ROSE “AMERICAN
CURTISS JAMES” PILLAR”
CLIMBING ROSE IN BLOOM IN MAY, “ALIDA LOVETT” AFTER BEING
“ALIDA LOVETT” PRUNED IN JULY
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN vor
tice it with varying results. Some of the climbing, polyantha, and strong-
growing bush roses thrive as well on their own roots as do the budded plants.
Many of these roses are rooted by the popular Mason-jar method. The
cuttings are usually made in the autumn from blooming wood. About
three inches of the stem immediately beneath the spent flower is cut away,
the next six inches of wood yielding a good cutting. The basal cut is made
immediately beneath a bud. Remove all leaves except the upper two or
three. A rose leaf is a compound leaf, each leaf usually being composed of
five or seven leaflets. When it is said that all of the leaves, except the upper
two or three, should be removed, the statement refers to the compound
leaves and not to the leaflets. Several additional cuttings can usually be
made from the same stem. These cuttings are inserted at least two inches
deep in light soil and covered with a glass jar pressed into the soil. When
colder weather occurs some additional soil is heaped around the base of the
jars. The cuttings may be placed in a spot where the rose bush is to grow
or they may be started in a specially prepared bed and transplanted a year
later. They are kept under the jar during the fall and winter but in late
April or May they are gradually hardened by removing the jar a few hours
each day.
Roses may also be grown from cuttings made in June, or August and
September. Such cuttings are made three to four inches long, from firm,
twiggy wood, with one leaf at the top. Rooting can be hastened and im-
proved by first dipping the cuttings in one of the root-forming chemicals.
Moisten the end of the cutting, shake off the water, dip in the hormone
powder, tap the cutting on the edge of the container to remove the surplus
powder, and then insert it in the rooting medium with a dibber. Summer
cuttings are inserted in flats or pans of sand and placed in a cool and shaded
spot. Meramec sand packs tightly and does not need as much water as the
coarser Mississippi River sand. Spray the cuttings several times a day the
first two weeks and always shield them from the wind with cloth or paper.
After the third week some varieties will have rooted, and these are potted
when the roots are at least an inch long. The most recent medium in which
to root cuttings is vermiculite. The grade best suited is sold under the trade
name “Terra-Lite.”’ It is sterile, very light weight, retains a great deal of
moisture, yet drains well. Try it and you can be assured of excellent results.
Incidentally, there is no better material in which to sow seeds.
Climbing roses can be rooted by layering. This is done in early spring
by bending some of the long canes to the ground and covering the bent sec-
tions with six inches of soil. A piece of wire, shaped like a hair pin, will
hold the stem in place. The loose end of the cane is tied to a stake or the
trellis. In March of the following year the cane is severed from the parent
76 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Thin canes yield the best summer cuttings Winter cuttings under glass jar
PROPAGATING ROSES
HILLING ROSES IN NOVEMBER ROSES PROTECTED WITH
PENNISETUM GRASSES
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 77
plant and set in its new location. Climbing roses will root more quickly
if a cut is made half way through the stem and a small stone inserted in the
cut surfaces before it is pegged down and covered. They also root easily
from thin, but firm, greenwood cuttings.
Winter Protection About mid-November the soil should be hilled up
around the base of the hybrid tea roses, with the work completed by Thanks-
giving. Soil from the border of the bed and from between the plants is
used. This is the best way to protect hybrid tea roses, but additional pro-
tection can be given when material is available. Baled straw is useless as
most of it is too short. Excelsior is fairly good; ornamental grasses, both
annual and perennial, furnish good mulching material; and oak leaves can
be used if held in place with chicken netting. In late November the plants
are given a winter mulch to shield them against the wind and the sun.
Polyantha, hybrid perpetual, and climbing roses pass through normal win-
ters without the additional mulch. Roses should not be uncovered too soon
in the spring. Warm weather in February will induce the buds to swell, but
each year these spells are followed by a freeze. Winter mulches are removed
when the roses are pruned in late March or early April.
Spring Pruning.—All roses require some pruning each year. Polyantha
roses should have the weak wood and some of the older canes removed. The
remaining stems are cut back to about a foot.
Hybrid tea roses receive the most pruning. In severe winters much of
the wood is frozen as far back as the mulch, but varieties differ in their hard-
iness. When grown for garden display they should be moderately pruned.
Three to six canes are left to each plant and these are pruned to twelve to
twenty-four inches, the cut being made above an outside bud. Frozen wood
is shriveled and brown but sound wood is green and the buds are plump.
Most of the new canes of the hybrid perpetuals grow from the base of
the plants after the blooming period. Some of these canes grow six feet
tall. At whatever height they are pruned in the spring, the flower-bearing
laterals will develop near the top. The number of flowers of the hybrid
perpetuals can be increased by tying the long canes horizontally. Most of
the old flowering canes are removed during the summer.
When pruning rugosa roses examine them closely, as they frequently are
infested with scale. Single rugosa roses are pruned to a height of three or
four feet and the hybrid rugosas to four to five feet. Shrub roses should
always have the wood removed at the base.
Rose varieties—In answer to the many requests the Garden receives for
names of suitable roses for this locality the following partial list has been
compiled:
78
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
HYBRID TEA ROSES
Amr Quinarp—single and semi-double, velvety crimson.
Betty UpricHarp—salmon-pink and coppery carmine.
BriarcLirF—deep rose-pink.
CHARLOTTE ARMSTRONG—red.
CouNTEss VANDAL—coppery bronze.
Crimson GLory—rich red.
Dicksons Rrep—red.
Ducuess oF WELLINGTON—golden-orange and salmon.
Eciipse—yellow.
EpirH Nevure PerktNs—pink.
EroiLte pE Hottanpr—red.
GiroNA—multicolored.
Marcaret McGrepy—carmine-rose.
MiraNpy—red.
MMe. JuLeEs BoucHE—white.
Mrs. CHartrs Bevt—shell-pink.
Mrs. Erskine PEMBROKE THOM—yellow.
Prace—yellow, edged pink.
Raptance—pink.
Rep Rapiancr—red.
Rusaryat—red.
POLYANTHA AND FLORIBUNDA ROSES
Betry PRror—pink,
CHATILLON Rose—bright pink.
FLorapora—orange-pink.
Gruss aN AACHEN—mixture of pink and salmon-yellow.
red.
KirsteEN PoutseEN—light red.
HOoLstTEIN
LarayeTreE—cherry-crimson.
Mrs. R. M. FrncH—pink.
PrnoccHio—pink and salmon.
CHINA ROSES
GREEN RoseE—a curiosity.
Hermosa—soft pink.
HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES
AmericaN Beauty—pink and carmine, very fragrant.
BaRON DE BoNsTETTEN—vVelvety crimson, very fragrant.
Captain Haywarp—deep pink, moderately fragrant.
Criio—pale pink, fragrant.
Frau Kart DruscuKki—white, scentless.
GeorG ARENDS—soft pink, fragrant.
Mrs. JoHN Latnc—clear pink, moderately fragrant.
Paut Neyron—rose-pink, moderately fragrant.
Prince CaMILLE pe RoHAN—dark crimson, fragrant.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 79
HYBRID PERPETUAL “FRAU KARL HYBRID TEA ROSE “FAIENCE”
DRUSCHKI”
FLORIBUNDA ROSE “SNOWBANK” SHRUB ROSE “HARISON’S YELLOW”
80
MISSOURI BOT ANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
RUGOSA ROSES AND HYBRIDS
AGNEs—coppery yellow, fragrant.
Conrad FERDINAND Meyer—light pink.
F, J. GRooreNporst—small, fringed, bright-red flowers.
Hon. Lavy Linpsay—yellow and pink.
Nova ZeEMBLA—white, tinged pink.
PINK GROOTENDORST—Ppink.
Rosa RUGOSA ALBA and R. RUGOSA ALBO-PLENA—single and double, white rugosas.
SaraH VaN FLeEET—rose-pink.
VANGUARD—orange-salmon.
SHRUB AND SPECIES ROSES
BLancHte Morrau—moss rose, white, tinged pink.
Crested Moss—moss rose, rose-pink.
Harison’s Yettow—Scotch rose, yellow.
Rosa Huconis—yellow shrub rose.
PENELOPE
hybrid musk rose, shell-pink.
Rosa sETIGERA—a native pink rose.
TRAILING ROSES
Max GRrar—pink.
Rosa WichuRAIANA—white.
CLIMBING ROSES
Large-Flowered Varieties:
Auipa Lovert—double, shell-pink.
Bess Lovett—semi-double, crimson-red.
BLaze—semi-double, red.
Curistine WrigHt—semi-double, bright pink.
CiumBING AMrricaN Beauty—double, carmine.
DousLoons—double, yellow.
Dr. W. Van Fieet—double, flesh-pink.
Jacorre—semi-double, apricot.
Mary Loverr—semi-double, bright pink.
Mary Wattacre—semi-double, bright pink.
Mrs. ArtHuR Curtiss JAMES (Golden Climber )—semi-double, yellow.
Paut’s ScarLeT CLiMBER—semi-double, red.
Purrry—semi-double, white.
Roserte—double, deep to light pink, thornless.
SttveR Moon—semi-double, white.
Small-Flowered Varieties:
AMERICAN PILLAR—single, scarlet with white center.
DorotHy PeRKINs—double, pink.
EVANGELINE—single, soft pink.
ExcreLtsa—double, deep rose-pink.
GHISLAINE DE FELIGONDE—semi-double, apricot-yellow.
Gruss AN FrReUNDORF—semi-double, dark crimson.
HiawatHa—single, carmine with white center.
WartBuRG—semi-double, deep pink.
Wire Dororny—white.
WiIcHMoss—moss-covered buds, semi-double, bright pink.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 81
A TRIBUTE
An unsurpassed record of continuous service to the Board of Trustees of
the Missouri Botanical Garden terminated January 22, 1947, with the resig-
nation of Judge George C. Hitchcock as Trustee. It is a privilege for the
members of the staff to acknowledge and honor his unselfish devotion to this
institution, conceived and endowed by Henry Shaw, by recording below a
resolution unanimously passed by the Trustees at a meeting of the Board
held on February 19, 1947.
RESOLUTION
When a man who has served for nearly half a century as a faithful member of a
Board of Trustees wishes to retire, it calls for something more than a perfunctory
resolution. When the same man serves with distinction as President of this Board
for eighteen years and determines to resign it would seem to call for something more
than a mere record in the minutes. But when that man is George C. Hitchcock,
resolutions and minute recorded motions are the most that he will permit and even
these are possible only because he is not present at the meeting.
Mr. Hitchcock was elected a Trustee of the Missouri Botanical Garden on Novem-
ber 11, 1903, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Joseph Branch, one of the
original Trustees named in the will of Henry Shaw. He was elected President of the
Board in March, 1928, to succeed Mr. Edward C. Eliot, who died in office. San April 5 4+
Wild Cherry Prunus serotina an: . “ae ae April 5 4+
Black Walnut Juglans nigra an (a, April 7 4+
Black Locust Robinia Pseudo-Acacia 7 ae April 15 4+
Sour Dock Rumex Acetosella jo ars April 19 4+
Persimmon Diospyros virginiana — |= April 28 4+
Smartweed Polygonum Persicaria eh Slant iat May 3 4+
Sheep sorrel Chenopodium album a? eee May 3
Narrow-leaf Plantain Plantago lanceolata eye (on ae May 3
Catalpa Catal pa bignonioides a? “a May 6
Later wild flowers Smilacina, Krigia, aaa: re May 9
Melilotus, etc.
120 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
DARIEN
PAUL A. ALLEN
Every schoolchild knows that Balboa first sighted the Pacific from a
mountaintop on the Isthmus of Panama, and many could, with reasonable
accuracy, place the locale as having been somewhere in “Darien.” Although
the highroad of discovery and conquest crossed this vast forested tract of
eastern Panama, shorter routes were found to the cities established on the
drier shores of the great south sea, leaving Darien to its primitive Indian
tribes. The building of the Panama Canal has focused the spotlight of the
modern world on this strategic area, yet near-by Darien is little changed. No
roads have penetrated its forests, so that a shield of isolation has been between
the remnants of the aboriginal population and civilization. Approach can be
made only by sea, on one of the small coastwise banana boats whose cramped
quarters do not encourage casual visitors.
A recent collecting trip may be taken as typical. Departure from the
Panama City waterfront was with the tide, the rusty anchor being weighed
at about 10 P.M. The night was dark, but delightfully calm. There was
much phosphorescence in the water, the bow waves breaking in luminous
fire. Previous experience had taught me to shun the tiny, air-tight, cock-
roach-infested cabins, so a comfortable night was spent on deck in my ham-
mock. Dawn found us at the entrance of San Miguel Bay, with the familiar
haze over the land, the long rolling surf breaking over the entrance bar, and
the tiny thatched fishing village of Gonzalo Vasquez barely visible in the
distance.
Ropes rattled in the rigging, while the masts and cargo booms described
lazy arcs against the sky. Long dark serpentine lines of sea birds skimmed
the water above fleeting schools of fish, and bands of porpoise sported about
our bow, breaking the surface in their incomparably graceful fashion. Many
uninhabited islands dot the inner channel, where dense stands of Cuipos,
leafless at this season, tower over the lower, darker vegetation. Sand beaches
alternate with bold rocky headlands, on one of which near La Palma stand
walls of a ruined stone fort, half swallowed by encroaching forest, relic of
Spain’s colonial empire. La Palma, capital of the province, is an unattractive
line of frame houses set on tall stilts above the fluctuating tides, backed by
poorer thatched houses plastered, tier above tier, against a steep, barren
hillside.
Extensive mangrove swamps border the estuary above this point, having
a typical climax association of Rhizophora Mangle, Avicennia nitida, and
Laguncularia racemosa. Open spots are filled with the common swamp fern,
Acrostichum aureum or spiny thickets of Bromelia Pinguin. Decreasing
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 121
salinity in the water above Chepigana encourages numerous other species
typical of such situations. The short-trunked swamp palm, Corozo oleifera,
with its sessile, cone-like clusters of orange fruits, is very common, associated
with the spiny Astrocaryum Standleyanum and the graceful Euterpe pana-
mensis, the latter two palms indicative of the Atlantic coast character of
the flora. Frequent are huge buttressed trees of Prioria copaifera, as are
Bombax barrigon, Pachira villosula, and the grotesque Cecropia mexicana.
Spots of vivid color were provided by the red-winged fruits of Triplaris
americana, and the pink flowers of Tabebuia pentaphylla.
Loading Bananas, El Real, Darien
At the junction of the Rio Tuira and the Rio Chucunaque our craft
grounded on a mud flat, so we had to wait an hour backed against a thicket
of sagittate-leaved Montrichardia arborescens until the rising tide carried us
off. After the giant rivers of South America, the Tuira looked a tiny stream
indeed, with barely room at the Real waterfront to accommodate three of
the rival banana boats. With a roar of rusty chain our anchor was down,
and bare brown Indians and ragged blacks began poling their banana-filled
piraguas alongside for unloading. Here the banana is king, and, as in most
areas of the sort, is cultivated to the virtual exclusion of everything else; as
a consequence away from Indian settlements fresh food is difficult to obtain.
122 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Bananas pay for machetes, tins of sardines, crackers, rice, coffee, sugar, and
the little clothing needed, not to mention aguardiente. Even after a round
of drinks with friends in a local cantina, there is often a surplus to be ven-
tured, with the professional gambler seated nightly at the waterfront calling,
“Try your luck. Who will have supper at my expense?” Far into the night
there are vibrating drums, clapping hands, and high-pitched singing accom-
panying the dances, the perspiring blacks rhythmically posturing and
gesticulating, watched by rows of impassive Indians.
Gray morning light revealed the shadowy bulk of Cerro Piri in the far
distance, across the vast pastures of high grass which surround El Real, with
clumps here and there of giant trees representing remnants of the original
forest. Orchids are conspicuously absent, as are epiphytes in general, unlike
any other part of Panama known to me. Blacks and Indians, having spent
their earnings, were starting the long voyage home to Yape or Boca de Cupe,
poling their piraguas against the current, three or four being in view at
every turn of the meandering river course. Areas of rich flood plain on
alternate banks are entirely in bananas, with remarkably little evidence of
the dread Panama disease which has ravaged so many plantations. Bunches
of twelve and thirteen ‘“‘hands” are common, and it seems that this region
may expect to profit by this easy-money crop for many years to come. Much
of the original forest has been felled along the river, but occasional low
rocky ridges retain patches of timber. Conspicuous are gigantic trees of
Cavanillesia platanifolia, whose interlocking crowns often form a_ solid
canopy, interspersed with Ceiba pentandra, Lecythis tuyranae, Anacardium
excelsum, Chrysophyllum Cainito, Schizolobium parabybum, and Ficus crassi-
uscula. Occasional specimens were seen of the magnificent golden yellow-
flowered Tabebuia Guayacan, and here and there tree tops glowed with the
blood-red spikes of the handsome liana Combretum coccineum. In the vi-
cinity of Pinogana it was gratifying to find ample flowering material of
Aristolochia grandiflora, although no specimens seen equaled in size the
enormous flowers collected at Yape in 1937, and destroyed in our tragic
fire of that year.
The village of Yape had changed little since my last visit, except that
the thickets which had harbored the fine Aristolochias had been cleared for
agriculture. Thatched houses of the blacks in a barren clearing on the
north bank face the stilted thatched homes of the Indians on the south, the
latter attractively set among trees. On crossing over, we were received with
dignified reserve by a middle-aged Choco man, clad only in a scarlet loin
cloth, who invited us in his halting Spanish to climb the notched log stair-
way to the living platform of his home. The season’s harvest had been re-
cently gathered, and we found great clusters of rice heads suspended from
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Native boy holding flower of Aristolochia grandiflora
124 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Choco Indian house, Yape, Upper Darien Province
the rafters, and bushels of corn in the husk stored in huge circular bins
made of the bark of the Balsa tree (Ochroma limonensis). In addition to
the common yellow corn grown in much of Panama, he had two curious
red and brown types not previously seen. Although he insisted that all
were purposely kept and grown as distinct varieties, his meager Spanish broke
down on questioning as to specific uses. Samples and photographs were
obtained which have been sent to Dr. Edgar Anderson, the Garden’s Geneti-
cist and authority on tropical American corn, to be added to his extensive
collections. All in all, some 200 plant specimens were obtained, which have
been forwarded to St. Louis as additions to our limited knowledge of the
flora of this isolated area.
In June keep your eyes open for the Cancer-root, Orobanche uniflora. It
is a parasite without any green coloring matter and its amber stems bear
attractive light-colored flowers.
The Partridge Berry, so common in New England woods, does grow and
flourish in Missouri, though comparatively few people ever see it here. With
us it is restricted to moist, shady habitats in little rocky canyons.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN i>
BETTER FORSYTHIAS FOR ST. LOUIS
EDGAR ANDERSON
Forsythias are outstanding in the early spring garden because they last.
Other spring shrubs may be even more effective in the landscape, but they
are here today and gone tomorrow. If the weather is at all warm, Japanese
Cherries are seldom in flower more than a week or ten days in St. Louis, and
lilacs can be even more fleeting. But early spring or late spring, dry or wet,
Forsythias can be counted on for several weeks of spectacular bloom.
Forsythias are all pretty much alike, yet there are two choice varieties
(F. viridissima var. koreana and F. intermedia var. primulina) which are al-
most never seen in St. Louis gardens though both of them take very well to
our climate. The Korean Forsythia has slightly smaller flowers than the
common kinds and the bush is lower and denser. It blooms just a little in
advance of the rest; in early springs perhaps only a day or so earlier, but in
late springs, like the present one, it may be a week or ten days ahead of all
the others.
Several named varieties of Forsythia have appeared upon the market.
The variety spectabilis is a large but nicely formed bush and is very thickly
set with big, brilliant yellow flowers. It is a kind of super-Forsythia and is
already becoming widely planted in St. Louis. Hardly any one here, how-
ever, seems to have heard of the equally interesting variety primulina. It is
similarly shaped and nearly as floriferous but the flowers are a soft primrose
yellow as the name indicates. As a background for spring-flowering bulbs
and early Iris it is almost without a peer. The soft light yellow makes the
perfect setting for bright-colored spring bulbs such as hyacinths and early
tulips.
Did you ever need a strong piece of string when on a hike in the coun-
try? An effective substitute can be made in a few minutes from the bark
of almost any of our larger milkweeds.
Transplanting Irises—The best time to move nearly any Iris is shortly
after it blooms. If you will pull up an Iris plant then and look at the roots
and rhizomes you will find that they are starting out vigorously in new
growth. Transplanted at this time, one gets the advantage of all the strong
new roots. The tall-bearded irises can be moved during almost any part of
the growing season if they are not kept out of the ground very long and if
extra care is taken in moving them. Right after blooming they are not so
sensitive. They can be dug up almost casually and left out of the ground
for a day or more with no apparent damage.
126 MISSOURI BOT A4NICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
NOTES
NOTICE: Requests are frequently received for back numbers of the
BULLETIN, many of which are now out of print. If you have any back
issues, regardless of the number or date, and have no further use for them,
please return them to the Garden. The postage will be promptly refunded.
A woodcock was observed in the City Garden on several occasions in
April. This interesting bird is seldom seen in the city.
Dr. Gustav A. L. Mehlquist, Research Horticulturist to the Garden, has
been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to study in England this summer.
Work has begun on the installation of an elevator in the Administration
Building of the Garden, to be located at the north end of the Library-
Herbarium.
The annual flower sermon, provided for in the will of Henry Shaw, was
preached at Christ Church Cathedral, on Sunday, April 20, by the Rt. Rev.
Austin Pardue, D.D., Bishop of Pittsburgh.
Both at the Arboretum and the City Garden the White Redbud has
flowered well this spring. It gives a particularly pleasing color contrast in
those spots where it has been interplanted with the ordinary redbud.
Tulips are back again at the Garden, and the unusually cool spring has
brought them into almost perfect development. Another plant which is
flowering well in the Knolls this year is the Imperial Azalea, Rhododendron
Schlip penbachii.
Among recent visitors to the Garden were Dr. Barry Commoner, of
New York City, formerly Biological Editor of Science Illustrated; Miss Alice
Dustan, of New York, Garden Editor of House Beautiful; Father George H.
Link, of Michael, Ill., formerly Naturalist at Pere Marquette State Park,
Godfrey, Ill.; Dr. R. C. Allen, Secretary-Editor of the American Rose
Society; Dr. William L. Brown, Geneticist, Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn Co., Des
Moines, Iowa.
Mrs. John Riordan, of St. Louis, recently presented to the Garden an
old scrapbook which was given to her grandmother, Mary Emma Harris, by
Henry Shaw, about 1868. The book contains carefully pressed specimens
>
of the flowers then growing in “‘Shaw’s Garden,” some of which are indi-
vidually mounted and some in designs of wreaths, hearts, and sprays. The
collection is not only of historical interest as a Shaw relic, but also is of
great horticultural value because accurate lists of plants growing in gardens
of that period are extremely rare.
THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Richard J. Lockwood _ = _. President
Daniel K. Catlin ae a2 AR ee Vice-President
Eugene Pettus... Second Vice-President
L. Ray Carter John S. Lehmann
Dudley French George T. Moore
Henry Hitchcock A. Wessel Shapleigh
Ethan A. H. Shepley
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
Arthur H. Compton —.......... Chancellor, Washington University
A. P. Kaufmann en _.........Mayor of the City of St. Louis
Stratford L. Morton. _ President, St. Louis Academy of Science
We iat SCR OUl ce a Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri
Elmore M. Putney President, Board of Education of St. Louis
Gerald Ulrici - cadee tuapeeneastuy egy estetsg-tes cess eee ero eat Secretary
STAFF
ss aa Bs 0 9) Le a ee tear roe eR ER a _ Director
PREP G iii ee ie RE a ee area ee Pathologist
Noam REF oo 11 1) |» See eo RR ERO ll CAE Curator of Herbarium
Carroll W. Dodge = ee ae cee eg ea Mycologist
Edwar. “Anderson, 2204 ot oie i SAIL ea eae Geneticist
Robert 6. Woodson; J)ic8 22.0 ck ht Assistant Curator of Herbarium
Henry N. Andrews Assistant to the Director and Paleobotanist
Robert W. Schery:-.22c.03-c2.2: PO Pea Ae ane aera meee ae Research Associate
Gustav A. L. Mehlquist_- Boas Poor Ae cs reciene ae te Research Horticulturist
Mell GC. Homers 452, = Librarian and Editor
Gerald: Uirict.. > =... se dia cde deeattee soe ae cae a eee cae Business Manager
George H. Pring _ : I Mascaras See Superintendent
Paul: io Keen) cece: SAE Se ee Floriculturist
Ladislaus Cutak 7 _In charge of Succulents
August P. Beilmiann< 2 Manager of the Arboretum, Gray Summit
G. R. Lowry-. eA ER aR SS SO et Orchid Grower
Gurney Wilson, F.L.S,.......__.______Representative in England, Hove, Sussex
Paul Wa) essa se me Tropical Plant Collector
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN
The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr.
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date until his death in 1889 it
was maintained under his personal direction. Although popularly
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden
was chosen by Mr. Shaw and he definitely indicated that he wished
it called by that name. The Garden passed at his death into the
hands of a Board of Trustees, designated in Mr. Shaw’s will, and
the Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members,
is self-perpetuating. By a further provision of the will the immedi-
ate direction of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by
the Board. The Garden receives no support from city or state but
is maintained almost exclusively from the estate left by Henry
Shaw. Since 1939 many Garden Clubs and interested individuals
have contributed to a ‘Friends of the Garden Fund” which is used
in developing the new Arboretum, located at Gray Summit, Mo.
The Arboretum (1) serves as a source of plants, trees and shrubs
for the city Garden; (2) affords areas for gradually establishing
a pinetum, a wild-flower reservation and various other features
on a scale not possible in the city; (3) provides greenhouses for
some 20,000 orchid plants.
The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species
of plants are grown, both out of doors and under glass. It is open
every day in the year except New Year’s Day and Christmas; week
days, 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.; Sundays, 10:00 a.m. until 7:00
p.m. The greenhouses are closed every day at 5:00 p.m.
The main entrance to the Garden is at Tower Grove and
Flora Place, on the Sarah bus line (No. 42). The Tower Grove bus
(No. 21), direct from downtown, passes within three blocks of the
main entrance.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL
GARDEN BULLETIN
CONTENTS
Woolly Buckthorn for Hedges
The Fabulous 2-4-D The September Storm Damage
Chocolate A New Cactus for the Hanging
Fossil Plants of the Coal Bin Basket
Notes
Volume XXXV June, 1947 Number 6
Cover: Linnean House Garden in the spring.
Editorial Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue,
St. Louis 10, Missouri.
Published monthly except July and August by the Board of Trustees of the
Missouri Botanical Garden. Subscription price: $2.50 a year.
Office of publication: 306 E. Simmons Street, Galesburg, Illinois.
Entered as second-class matter January 26, 1942, at the post-office at Gales-
burg, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Please: Do not discard a copy of the Bulletin. If you have no further use for yours
pass it along to a friend or return it to the Garden. Return postage will
be guaranteed.
Missouri Botanical
Garden Bulletin
Vol. XXXV JUNE, 1947 No. 6
WOOLLY BUCKTHORN FOR HEDGES
ROBERT B. CLARK
During the spring of 1939 ten young plants of Bumelia lanuginosa var.
oblongifolia were dug up from the wild and set out in the hedge demonstra-
tion plot at the Garden. They did not establish themselves readily, so the
following spring eight seedlings were interplanted with them. The seed-
lings soon overtook the older plants, and now it is difficult to distinguish
between them. Today the hedge is compact and stands three feet high.
The rate of growth is comparatively slow, last year the hedge being sheared
only once and in other years not more than twice during the season.
Though the Woolly Buckthorn seldom exceeds 20 feet in height, its
growth habit is such that it will tolerate shearing. Irregular in outline,
like the hawthorn, this tree has two types of branches—terminal ones that
zig-zag with alternate leaves, and lateral ones that develop short shoots on
which leaves are fascicled (in bunches). Moreover, the dense branches are
armed with stout thorns among the glossy leaves. Another feature that
makes the Woolly Buckthorn appropriate for hedges is its capacity for with-
standing hot, dry situations. Frequently hedges are planted along walks or
driveways where the summer sun beats down onto the pavement, generat-
ing intense heat, and where automobiles whizzing by swish the foliage into
browned shreds.
The question may be asked, “where has the Woolly Buckthorn been all
these years?” It has been growing unobtrusively in the dry, rocky Ozark
uplands—the glades, knobs and bluffs. This plant and its close relative,
the Southern Buckthorn or Ironwood, Bumelia lycioides, are the hardiest
species of this predominantly tropical American genus. Bumelia belongs to
the Sapodilla family whose milky latex is known commercially as chicle,
the base for chewing gum. Indeed, one of the popular names for this species
is Gum Elastic, alluding to its gummy sap. It is also commonly called
(127)
128 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Chittimwood, but bears no relationship to the chittim of Biblical lore (which
is Acacia Seyal). No doubt this name is applied because of its hard, close-
grained, yellowish-brown wood which suggests the ancient chittimwood.
The more generally accepted common name, Woolly Buckthorn, is derived
from the superficial resemblance of the small tree to the common buck-
thorns (Rhamnus spp.), while the adjectival name refers to the woolly
appearance of the young leaves.
Woolly Buckthorn (Bumelia lanuginosa var. oblongifolia) in hedge demonstration
plot at the Garden.
Bumelia lanuginosa was first collected in the forests of Georgia by the
elder Michaux about 1800. Approximately twenty years later Nuttall,
exploring for plants along the Mississippi River, came across specimens of
the present, more widely distributed variety in Arkansas which he called
B. oblongifolia. More recent botanists have recognized the similarity of
these species, some calling them identical, others considering Nuttall’s plant
a variety of the older species—thus Bumelia lanuginosa variety oblongifolia.
In its native habitat Woolly Buckthorn thrives when other trees suc-
cumb. Even at a temperature of 100° F. the leaves do not wilt appre-
ciably. The reason for this reaction in such marginal situations is not hard
to see. If one has ever tried to transplant this shrub when it is only about
two feet tall, he no doubt found an exceedingly long tap-root. On the
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 129
rocky limestone glades the young plants send their roots far down into the
crevices in search of water. Newly germinated seedlings give a clue as to
what to expect (see cut).
A B Cc
A and B, seedlings germinated in soil mixture consisting of equal parts of sand, peat moss,
and loam. A, from pan kept in cool greenhouse; B, moved to warmer range; C, seedling
germinated in soil mixture consisting of equal parts sand and peat moss and placed in
warmer range. Drawings 45 natural size.
The seedlings pictured above represent the variation in size and vigor
according to three methods of seed propagation. The seedlings on the left
(A) and in the center (B) were started in soil preparations consisting of
equal parts of sand, moss peat, and loam. The pan containing seedling A
was left in a cool greenhouse (temperature 55-60° F.), while that of seed-
ling B, after 6'¥2 weeks, was removed from the cool greenhouse to a warmer
range (62-75° F.). Seedling C (right) received better treatment, for its
seeds were sown in equal parts of moss peat and sand and started in the
warmer ranges. The time between sowing and germination of the first seed-
ling of C was 4 weeks, as against 8 weeks for B, and 11 weeks for A.
Moreover, percentage of germination was greatest for the “C” group, 58
per cent; “B” group, 56 per cent; and the “A” group, 42 per cent.
130 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Plants of Woolly Buckthorn have never been available in nurseries, and
it is difficult to obtain seed because this tree does not bear seed every year.
However, if it is possible to secure young plants, no better material could
be suggested for hedges in dry, hot situations once the plants become
established. The fragrant, but small, midsummer flowers, black berries in
September, glossy leaves that turn reddish-bronze late in autumn, and the
dense branch pattern make it an interesting plant throughout the year.
THE FABULOUS 2-4-D
ROBERT W. SCHERY
Within the last several years much attention has been focused on that
“magic weed exterminator” 2-4-D. No weed killer before it has been so
easily handled, so accessible to the amateur, so relatively cheap, and finally,
so selective in killing noxious plants of the lawn while permitting most
grasses to grow unharmed. Within a short few years 2-4-D has been highly
publicized and advertised, offered for sale under innumerable brand names,
and used by a goodly portion of the neighbors in every one’s block. Yet in
spite of all this, it is surprising how few of its users understand what 2-4-D
is, and especially how it works. Thus it may not be out of place to add to
the already impressive array of articles that have appeared on the subject a
simplified epitomization of what the experts say about 2-4-D.
The term ‘2-4-D” stands for the chemical compound 2-4-dichloro-
phenoxyacetic acid. No wonder then that it is simply called 2-4-D. A
number of other related chemical compounds, producing very similar results
to it, have also been synthesized. Various of these may be incorporated in
some of the ‘'2-4-D” solutions on the market. All such chemicals are a
special kind of “growth hormone,” that is, a substance which in very minute
quantities will stimulate tissues or cells to exaggerated or unusual “growth.”
Almost every one knows that the human body is in part regulated by
hormonal secretions from various glands, such as the thyroid or adrenal
glands. These, at least in part, regulate growth and development from the
child to the adult. Similarly, it has been shown that development in plants
is at least partly controlled by hormones secreted by such structures as
growing stem tips or terminal buds. Very small amounts of these secretions
are effective in altering or maintaining the growth pattern of the plant.
And, much as uncontrolled or uncoordinated hormonal activity within the
plant might cause unusual “growth” upsets in various cells and tissues, so
2-4-D acts when applied externally. Applied to any portion of the plant, it
seems to be rapidly transmitted through the tissues to all other parts in suf-
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 131
ficient strength to cause characteristic “hormonal effects.” When leaves
are sprayed with 2-4-D, as is commonly done, even the roots eventually die.
Perhaps this chemical, not formed naturally in plants, should be termed a
growth-regulating substance rather than a hormone.
The experts show us that growth-upsets in the plant after 2-4-D appli-
cations in recommended herbicidal dilutions can be described much as
follows. The upper stems and growing parts seem to add rather uncoord-
inated extra layers of cells to certain tissues. Also cells of several types
become unusually large. This increase in cell size and cell number tends to
break proper contact between tissues of the various parts of the plant, and
ce
probably inhibits proper “circulation” of food and water to many of the
tissues. Meanwhile, living cells seem to “live at a faster pace” under the
effect of 2-4-D—that is, they are stimulated to carry-on their normal activ-
ities more rapidly than is usual. With ‘decreased circulation” coupled with
an apparent inability of most cells to form reserve foods in the presence of
2-4-D, the physiological activities of the plant continue at an increased rate
and it soon exhausts itself. It seems unable to make the necessary green
pigment, chlorophyll, and turns yellow, wilts, curls or twists, and eventually
dies. Since exhaustion of many cells may take days or even weeks (depend-
ing upon the type of plant, the season, and many other factors), the results
of a 2-4-D application may not show for some time.
When 2-4-D is applied to the lawn in the St. Louis area according to
directions on the bottle the most rapid and pronounced results seem to be
against plantain (Plantago). Within two days its leaves begin to curl, turn
yellow, and the plant becomes a distorted, dying remnant of its former robust
self. Chickweed (Stellaria) likewise yellows and dies, but in my experience
not so rapidly as does plantain. Dandelion (Taraxacum) appears to be much
more resistant to 2-4-D in the spring than does chickweed or plantain. Older
dandelions succumb to 2-4-D within a week or two, showing symptoms
similar to those of treated plantain, while others (apparently younger ones
not yet flowering, and not mature enough to respond physiologically to the
chemical) seem to be relatively uninhibited after several weeks. My experi-
ence also indicates clover to be relatively more resistant to 2-4-D than
plantain or chickweed, especially during summer months.
The unique value of 2-4-D resides in the fact that grasses and related
plants are not affected by the chemical. Apparently physiology in grasses is
not upset by the presence of this growth-regulating substance to the extent
that it is in the broad-leaved plants. Thus 2-4-D is selective in what it kills,
and enables us to eradicate many lawn weeds without injuring the grass.
Many herbicides have been known which will kill weeds, but unfortunately
they also kill grass. Only with discovery of 2-4-D did science come upon a
132 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
lazy man’s technique for keeping up the lawn. In fact, on the market today
are fertilizers containing not only nutrient elements but also proper quantities
and forms of 2-4-D, so that a single spring application both encourages the
grass and kills most of the weeds.
In spite of its abundance and ease of application (most 2-4-D prepara-
tions come in liquid form to which only a measured quantity of water need
be added), 2-4-D is an insidious chemical to let loose in careless hands.
Applied during a windy day it may be carried from the lawn to near-by
shrubbery which may be killed or injured by even small quantities of spray.
Once a pressure sprayer or sprinkling-can has been used for 2-4-D, it may
contain enough residuum of the preparation to kill plants when used again
for normal watering or spraying. Moreover, very little is yet known about
the cumulative effect of 2-4-D, or whether or not after protracted use it
may have certain disadvantages or harmful effects. The scientist has shown
us that 2-4-D applied to a fruiting plant may be “‘carried-over” in the seed,
affecting adversely the succeeding generation. Of course, the most inhumane
use of the chemical could come in wartime, where enemy crops could be
destroyed by “chemical warfare.” During the recent war most of the top
experts on 2-4-D in the United States were on Government projects as
secretive as was the Manhattan Project, and detailed results of the work
have not been released, if ever they will be.
The efficacy of 2-4-D can be appreciated when it is realized that the
acid is toxic to plants in concentrations as low as 449 of 1 per cent. That
is, 1 cc. (about 1 teaspoonful) mixed with 1000 ce. (about 1 quart) of
water is of sufficient strength to kill most broad-leaved plants. However,
2-4-D may also be applied as a dust or in the form of a salve. Dusts have
proven less effective than have liquid solutions, and salves are only of use
for application (in heavy concentration) to unsprayable plants such as
trees. Trees to be killed by 2-4-D must have a section of bark removed
and the salve applied directly to the inner living tissues. 2-4-D may also
be of use in pre-treating soils against eventual weed growth. Soil in which
proper concentrations of 2-4-D have been mixed will be free of most weeds
for at least several weeks, while grass-like plants will germinate and not be
adversely affected—may even be somewhat stimulated to better growth
by the 2-4-D.
In turf maintenance the most effective way to apply 2-4-D is usually by
the liquid solution. Application in the spring or autumn is probably better
in the St. Louis area than in summer, since during these seasons blue-grass
is actively growing and will take over most of the bare spots left by dying
weeds. Weeds eradicated in summer will likely be replaced by the pestiferous
crab-grass, which reaches its peak of activity at that season while blue-grass
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 133
is not actively growing. On the other hand, dandelions are reported more
resistant to 2-4-D in the spring (before flowering) than later, and clover
is more susceptible to 2-4-D in spring than in summer. Also, certain weeds
are less susceptible at lower (spring) than at higher (summer) temperatures.
Thus intelligent turf maintenance must take into consideration which weeds
are predominant and at what season the desirable lawn components (usually
blue-grass in the St. Louis area) can best be encouraged at the expense of
the weeds. In any event, judicious use of 2-4-D is a boon to many a home-
owner previously harassed by dandelions, plantain, and their brethren of
the weedy lawn.
Redbud, Cow pastures and Beer Barrels.—
Redbud in Missouri is naturally a plant of the wood edges. It is seldom
found deep in the shade but makes a line of rose-purple around a cliff or
along a road. If, for any reason, a heavily wooded area has considerable
sunlight let in among the trees one may expect the redbuds to follow the
sun into the woods after a few years. Motoring through Missouri in the
height of the spring, it is easy to see the relation between redbuds and land
use. When a piece of woodland is cut over and pastured for several years,
thickets of rosy pink come in among the second growth, and it is usually
easy to see that the redbuds are thickest close to barns and feeding sheds.
The importance of St. Louis as a brewing center has led to the cutting
of mature oak trees for “tight cooperage” mills, where they are made up
into beer barrels. It has been a common practice, particularly on dry hill-
sides, to go through the woods and cut out the larger oaks, leaving the rest
of the forest substantially untouched. If these woodlands already have a
little redbud to serve as seed trees there is a great increase of them for five
to ten years after the oaks have been cut. Just as opening the woodlands
will encourage redbud, so thickening them up will discourage it. When
the Garden purchased its Arboretum at Gray Summit there were included in
the area a number of wooded tracts which had been so heavily pastured
that they were very bright with redbud every spring. Soon after the cattle
were withdrawn and these places were encouraged to go back to forest, the
redbuds started to die back and are now nearly all eliminated except around
the edges and along roadways where they blossom in greater perfection than
they did before.
E. A.
134 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
CHOCOLATE
PAUL A. ALLEN
When we enjoy a cup of hot chocolate on a cool afternoon, munch a
chocolate bar, or relax by the radio and reach for a chocolate cream, few
of us stop to consider that this rich, quick-energy food-confection was not
always on Everyman’s table. Fewer still would recognize the plant from
which it is obtained for chocolate is produced from a tree of the deep
tropics and few who have not visited the wet, warm lowlands of countries
near the equator have ever seen it. Although much of the world’s crop
today comes from tropical Africa, the tree is a native American. De-
Flowers and young fruit of the Chocolate Tree (Theobroma Cacao).
Candolle thought that its home was probably in the basin of the Amazon,
or the Orinoco, but primitive Indian agriculturists had watched its tiny
flowers transform into plump golden pods, filled with stimulating, nourish-
ing seeds, and had scattered it far and wide, from Peru to Mexico, in pre-
Columbian times.
Although chocolate in its many prepared forms ranks today as Big
Business, it was not immediately recognized as such by the first Europeans.
It is, perhaps, too much to expect that a man be wiser than his time, but it
is interesting to speculate on how closely fortune can sometimes pass, and
yet remain unrecognized. Columbus, in 1502, on his fourth, and last, dis-
astrous voyage to the New World, seeking shadowy Asiatic kingdoms,
captured a great sea-going Mayan trading canoe off the north coast of
Honduras. He looked in vain among the various items of cargo for one
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 135
evidence of that wealth which would justify the expense of his voyages in
the eyes of Spain. There were only textiles, copper axes and bells, pottery
jars filled with a maize beer, and a considerable quantity of some strange
“Almonds” which the Indians seemed to set great store by. How could he
know, as he fingered the curious bean-like seeds and as the excited crews of
both vessels stared and gabbled incompre-
hensibly at each other, that here was the
foundation of a plant industry which
would some day produce annually more
than the entire loot of all his voyaging?
Seventeen years were to pass before
Europeans saw chocolate again, but this
time there could remain little doubt in
their minds as to its importance to the
American Indian. Bernal Diaz, one of the
soldiers who followed Cortez on the con-
quest of Mexico, tells us that the Aztec
Emperor, Montezuma, consumed the con-
tents of fifty golden goblets of chocolate
daily, prepared in the Indian manner,
mixed with vanilla or other spices, beaten
to a froth, and served stone cold. Torque-
mada asks us to believe that the royal
household used over 200,000,000 pounds
of chocolate yearly, and while such a
figure is obviously preposterous neverthe-
less the seeds were an important item of
tribute, passed everywhere as a sort of cur-
Fruit of Theobroma Cacao — split
lengthwise to show seeds within. About rency, and were to the nation of tremen-
half natural size.
dous economic importance.
Cortez, a superb showman, brought a quantity of the seeds with him
on his triumphal return to Spain in 1520. Besides describing its use by the
Mexicans, he did not neglect to suggest that such a marvellous food, com-
bining nourishment with the stimulating effect of an alkaloid, must have
been created expressly by the Divine Providence, and that it had doubtless
been one of the trees of the Garden of Eden, placed there for the enjoyment
of man. Perhaps influenced by this sage opinion, the great Linnaeus, when
he described the plant in 1735, called it Theobroma, signifying ‘Food of the
Gods,” with the specific name Cacao, as most nearly approximating the un-
pronounceable Aztec name of “Cacahoatl,”
136 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Fruit of Chocolate Tree (Theobroma Cacao)
It is not known when sweet chocolate, served hot, as we now know it,
was first made, but this marked improvement over the bitter, frothy cold
Mexican drink appeared sometime during the sixteenth century while Spain
held a tight monopoly on the use of chocolate. In the homeland and in the
colonies, the drink became so popular that it produced learned discussions
among high authorities of the church as to whether it might properly be
taken on fast days, since it was nourishing. Fashionable ladies of Chiapas
had chocolate served them during church services, to the scandal of their
good Bishop, who passed an edict prohibiting such worldliness. Such a
popular drink could not long remain the exclusive property of any one
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 137
country, and by 1657 Samuel Pepys in London could record in his diary,
“To a coffee house to drink jocolatte, very good.” Today the world enjoys
the “Drink of the Gods,” and whole generations of masseurs rise up to call
it blessed, as they rub away the extra pounds on customers who could not
resist another chocolate mint.
Wisteria and Dogwood.—
It almost seems as though the dogwoods, both native and cultivated, put
forth an extra effort this spring to make up for the delayed arrival of warm
days, or perhaps the general paucity of blooms through early May made
them seem especially welcome. At any rate, their snowy splashes of pure
white through the woodland borders and county gardens added a measure
of hopefulness that summer was really just around the corner.
The incomparable brilliant white of the common flowering dogwood
knows no competition from other trees at any season but when this is com-
bined with the pink-flowering variety the two complement each other in a
way that is unequalled by any other two trees. Quite a few county residents
have realized the possibilities in this startling yet mellow union of colors and
have planted them within 20 or 30 feet of each other. Some thought must
be given to the fact that before many years they may be close to topping
the house but the late spring show will go on unabated, and in a region where
oaks, with all due respect to their many advantages, are sometimes a bit
monotonous the dogwoods are not to be thought of as merely a “flowering
tree” and forgotten the rest of the year. Although not so symmetrical in
their later years, they may supply a much-needed spot of shade through the
summer, and the leaves in autumn will hold their own with any of our
native trees and shrubs for a last splash of color on the landscape in fall.
Although the likelihood of improving this pink and white melody might
seem like a horticulturist’s dream, a few garden enthusiasts have done it—
by combining a tree wisteria with the two dogwoods. The wisterias too
have given a good account of themselves this season in most gardens, many
being covered with great solid masse of soft lilac sprays. When one of the
tree wisterias is planted within a few yards of a pink and a white dogwood, a
show of truly American hues is produced that will be long remembered.
Ordinarily the dogwoods may be expected to appear somewhat ahead of the
wisterias although this season the former were delayed just long enough so
that the blooming of all three coincided. But even in a normal season—if
we ever should be confronted with such a miracle—the pink and white of
the dogwoods will blend into the lilac-blue of the wisterias, lending a charm
to your garden that will be the envy of the neighborhood.—H. N. A.
138 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
PLANTS OF YOUR COAL BIN
HENRY N. ANDREWS
To those who are more than casually interested in the plants of past
geologic ages the great strip mines of northern Illinois constitute a veritable
Mecca. Located about 60 miles southwest of Chicago, it is one of those
unusual areas where some measure of success can be depended upon with
every visit. In the winter or spring you may freeze in a cold drizzling rain,
or you may bake in the summer sun, “picking fossils on the spoils,” but
there will be something worth while to take home at the end of the day—a
few mementos of the forest plants of the Coal Ages.
The story of these curious fossils goes back at least four or five decades
when geologists began to find distinctive oval-shaped rocks in the bed of
Mazon Creek, a small stream that flows through that part of Illinois. These
vary from the size of a kidney-bean (and they have pretty nearly the same
shape too) up to specimens a foot or more long. When they are hit with
a hammer on the thin edge they generally split open like the two halves of
a bean, revealing the impression of a fern leaf, a seed, stem, or some other
fragment of a plant—and more rarely animal remains such as insects,
crustacea and fish scales. These nodules or concretions are a rusty red in
color, and being appreciably harder than the sedimentary rocks in which
they are found they are much more resistant to weathering.
Foliage of the Calamites—giant Horsetail Rushes of the Coal Age
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 139
For many thousands of years great forests occupied this general region
and the plant debris that was shed each year accumulated in swamps, even-
tually being consolidated into coal. Later a vast embayment of the sea
crept in covering the swamps. Plant fragments, however, continued to
drift in with the muds and silts which later developed rock formations over
the coal seam. These sediments accumulated about the bits of leaves, seeds
and stems and became impregnated with oxide of iron which lends the char-
acteristic color and hardness. ‘When they contain but a single specimen the
nodules may be singularly beautiful, while others contain badly broken
fragments (fossil plant “hash”’) that are of no interest or value at all.
The supply of these nodules in the bed of Mazon Creek was of course
rather limited, but in 1927, when the coal began to be mined by stripping
operations, they were exposed in abundance. For twenty years now giant
electric shovels, biting out as much as 32 cubic yards at a time, have been
exposing the coal vein which lies 50 or 60 feet below the surface. Topo-
graphically, the result has been the creation of a rather extensive ‘‘bad-lands”
area, which has created a good deal of controversy among agriculturists,
conservationists and the coal-mining interests. But whatever may be the
sum total of the economics involved, we have learned a good deal about the
plants that lived there some 250 million years ago.
Almost immediately after the monstrous shovels scoop up the earth and
rock overlying the coal the nodules begin to weather out and one may wander
over these dumps, or “spoils” as they are locally known, gather up a few
dozen specimens, then seek out a hard rock and pound away with a stout
hammer to open the pages of a very old book. Predominant among the
plants represented are fragments of fern-like foliage. Some of these are
indeed true ferns (spore-bearing), while others belong to an extinct group
of plants known as Seed-ferns. Most of these foliage specimens are sterile,
—that is they bear no reproductive structures. Occasionally one will turn
up with the spore sacs in evidence (comparable to the characteristic “brown
dots” found on the underside of modern fern leaves), and these enable us to
establish their true identity. In some the spores may be well preserved and
can be removed and studied under the high powers of a microscope.
Perhaps the oddest and most fascinating fossils found in the nodules are
the distinctive whorls of Annularia. These are the leaves of the Calamites,
a great race of Coal Age plants that are ancestors of our modern Horsetail
Rushes. The latter are common along stream borders and railroad banks,
often forming dense thickets but attaining a height of only two or three
feet. Their fossil predecessors, however, were trees of respectable size, up
to 40 or 50 feet tall, bearing dense whorls of branches in a characteristic
jointed, mechanical fashion. The Annularia foliage was borne on the termi-
140 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Many of the Carbonifercus plants with fern-like foliage are now known to have borne
seeds and are called Seed-ferns.
Lycopodites—a plant related to our modern Clubmosses
nal branchlets which must have presented a superficial resemblance to the
common Bedstraw (Galium) of our modern woodlands.
Among the largest and most abundant of the forest trees of these ancient
swamps were the Lepidodendrons, the ancestors of our modern Clubmosses.
The Clubmosses of today are rather scarce in the Central States, but through
the Appalachians, from Georgia to Maine, they carpet the woodlands with
their evergreen verdure and are favorites for weaving Christmas wreaths and
other Yuletide decorations. It is a long road from these diminutive mod-
erns, resembling miniature pines, to their arborescent Coal Age relatives, but
they are sufficiently alike to indicate a great although somewhat declined
group of primitive plants.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 141
These distinctive fossil plants found only a few hundred miles to the
north have revealed a great deal about the vegetation of long ago. They tell
us that many millions of years ago, instead of the oaks, hickories and syca-
mores, fields of corn and oats, the Ferns, Horsetail Rushes, Clubmosses and
early seed plants grew in low-lying swamp lands, and their remains have
come down to us in the form of extensive coal deposits and the occasional
well-preserved plant fragments in the overlying rocks.
The Trumpet Cree per in Missouri—In midsummer the Trumpet Creeper
(Cam psis radicans) is so common in Missouri that it sometimes seems
as if it ran up every fencepost in the state. Once it gets into plowed ground,
pieces of the root are carried to different parts of the field, and nearly all of
them sprout up and make new plants. It is almost impossible to get rid of
this pest by just plain hoeing. For three years, in one Missouri garden, the
Trumpet Creeper plants were hoed out every time they sprouted but at the
end of that period they were still coming back month after month. The
new chemical weed exterminants are much more efficient in dealing with
such a pest.
The Trumpet Creeper’s original home in this part of the country was
most likely in the flood-plain forests, where it is still to be found climbing
high up into the tops of tall trees and flowering there among the branches,
much as its tropical relatives do in the Amazon basin. In virgin forests the
flowers and seed-pods were probably not as easy to observe and collect as
they are today along the fence-rows. The seed pods are most interesting in
their own right. They are about six to eight inches long, smooth and stiff
as if made from a high-grade plastic. They split open into two parts, re-
leasing hundreds of chaffy seeds which look like little pieces of torn brown
tissue-paper. The pods themselves are nearly as handsome as the flowers and
in the last few years have sometimes been sold by florists for winter decora-
tion, either plain or gilded.—E., A.
Unless June and July are very dry indeed the Yellow Coneflower or
Thimbleflower, Ratibida pinnata, is one of the commonest sights along Mis-
souri roadsides. It looks almost like a wilted sunflower since its long yellow
ray-flowers always hang down in a limp fashion.
142 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
AFTERMATH OF THE SEPTEMBER STORM
A recent letter in the Post-Dispatch from a lady in Illinois called atten-
tion to the quantity of dead trees and bushes in the Garden, and asked if
something couldn’t be done about it. While the necessary pruning and
cleaning up is proceeding as rapidly as circumstances will permit, it is
probable that few people who visit the Garden this spring have any concep-
tion of the cause of this unprecedented appearance.
Showing branches of Sumac (at back) and Prunus (in
front) killed by September hail-storm,
The wind and hail-storm of last September, referred to in the January
BULLETIN, was so local in its action that most people in St. Louis were un-
aware of it. With the exception of a strip through Tower Grove Park no
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 143
park in the city was touched. The wreckage of large trees and shrubs from
the wind alone had to be seen to be appreciated. The closing of the Garden
for three days while over 1000 truck- and tractor-drawn loads of litter were
hauled away was only the first of many efforts necessary to restore some-
thing like order. Some 100 large trees had to be cut into logs suitable for
the saw-mill or brush-pile fire, and much pruning of trees and shrubs broken
Azalea and Star Magnolia damaged by September hail-storm. Both
plants had to be pruned back to the ground.
by the wind still remains to be done, but an even greater damage, that could
not be appreciated at the time, was the effect of the shot-like hail driven by
a 65-mile wind. This is only now beginning to manifest itself through the
appearance of innumerable dead twigs and branches. The probabilities are
144 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Chionanthus, Azalea, and Weigelia, Kolkwitzia, Syringa, Prunus,
Magnolia Philadelphus, and Magnolia
Above, Sumac branch damaged on the north side by hail; below, south side, undamaged.
TWIGS DAMAGED ON NORTH SIDE BY SEPTEMBER STORM
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 145
that it will grow progressively worse during the season. The accompanying
photographs, showing the damaged stems and branches on the north side of
the plants contrasted with the undamaged portions on the south side, tell
the tale more graphically than any description in words. The action of the
hail was similar to a sandblast, cutting off or so bruising the bark that it
exposed the wood; consequently almost universal “die back” is prevalent
on practically all vegetation.
In addition to most of the large trees some of the most seriously injured
plants were Azalea, Philadelphus, Cercis (redbud), Deutzia, Rhus (sumac),
Viburnum, Buddleia, Kerria, Rhodotypos, Lonicera, Prunus, Ilex (holly),
Magnolia, Chionanthus, Weigelia, Kolkwitzia, and Syringa.
Although we have had our share of cyclones and hail-storms nothing
quite like this has ever struck the Garden, and we know of no similar case.
Too small to do any direct damage, the fine hail driven by the terrific wind
was sufficient to kill the living tissue wherever it struck. In only the rarest
cases was the plant able to attempt to heal the broken place, a reaction which
would normally cccur almost inevitably. We await with some anxiety the
final toll.
Natural gardens of Amsonia.—There are some Missouri wild-flowers that
can only properly be seen with a boat, not that they grow in the water but
because they develop best on sand and gravel bars and the display will be
good at one place one year and another the next. By going down the river
in a boat one can see them on one gravel bar after another and come upon
the place where they are best in that particular year. Outstanding among
these plants is the Ozark Amsonia, Amsonia illustris. It is found quite
commonly in Missouri in rocky creek beds and on gravel bars along such
rivers as the Meramec, the Bourboise, and the Big. Its strong roots anchor
in the basic gravel of these bars, and in those long curving arcs which be-
come floodways for the river at high water they have little competition and
sometimes grow in garden-like perfection for a hundred feet or so. In late
May and early June they are one of the most glorious wild flower spectacles
in the New World, yet few Missourians have ever seen them, and almost
nothing has been written about them. The Amsonia plants grow in thrifty
clumps with graceful shiny leaves almost like a willow. The flowers rise
well above the leaves in large open panicles of soft gray blue, each flower a
perfect blue star. The shade of blue varies slightly from plant to plant and
a great curving arc of hundreds of plants all in flower is a sight long to be
remembered.—E., A.
146 MISSOURI BOT ANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Pseudorhipsalis mac rantha grown in a hanging basket
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 147
A NOVEL CACTUS FOR THE HANGING BASKET
LADISLAUS CUTAK
The progressive gardener is always looking for new plants to try out,
and if he happens to be a “‘cactophile’ he is on the lookout for new suc-
culents, particularly those that are easy of growth and are fitting subjects
for the sun-porch, greenhouse, or window. At this time I’d like to bring to
the attention of the cactus enthusiast a fairly new plant, Pseudorhipsalis
macrantha, which is destined to become a great favorite. It will be found to
be appropriate for hanging baskets, as the accompanying illustration shows.
At present it is still a rare plant, but a few of the California nurserymen
have it in stock.
Pseudorhipsalis macrantha is one of the many discoveries credited to
Thomas MacDougall, a New York nurseryman who spends ‘his winters in
Mexico. He first collected the species north of Niltepec, near La Gloria, in
the state of Oaxaca, during the winter of 1939-1940. Cuttings were
brought back to New York and grown to maturity, at which time it was
found to be a new species. In 1944 Mr. MacDougall presented the Garden
with a cutting. It was promptly rooted and when new shoots developed
they were in turn cut off and rooted to form additional plants. One of the
stems condescended to bloom in 1946. At present, our specimens are being
grown in 5-inch flower pots from which shortly they will be shifted to a
hanging basket. In the wild state, Pseudorhipsalis is found upon. trees
growing in company with other epiphytes. The accompanying illustration
gives a hint as to its lush growth. Grown in a hanging basket, lined with
sphagnum moss, and filled with a porous compost of sand, rotted cow
manure, humus, and loam, with liberal watering during the growing season,
it makes a magnificent plant, particularly when studded with slender, golden,
star-like blossoms.
Herewith is a detailed description of Pseudorhipsalis macrantha—a plant
deserving a place in every sunlit porch or greenhouse.
An epiphytic plant with phylloid (leaf-like) stems and branches. Joints
are slender, not excessively succulent in the strict sense of the word, but
thin and flat, tapering into a petiole-like base. The stems may be anywhere
from 5 inches to 3 feet long. Margins are crenate with small areoles that
are minutely gray-felted. Flowers range from 2'4 to 234 inches (6-7 cm.)
long, equally as broad when fully expanded. They are very fragrant, usually
solitary from the lateral areoles, although Mr. MacDougall states that often
5 or 6 buds will develop from one areole on some of the oldest joints.
Flower tube is slender and naked, about 1 inch long (2.5 cm.), or with 1
or 2 minute scales in the lower portion, Chrysolite Green* (pale green),
* Technical color terms are those of Ridgway, Color Standards and Color Nomenclature.
148 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
later much lighter or flushed Pale Yellow-Orange. Perianth lobes (sepals
and petals) are linear, 14%4-1'/%2 inches (33-39 mm.) long, about 1 inch
(3-4 mm.) wide, cucullate (hooded) at the apex. Nine perianth lobes
appeared in each of the flowers on our plant, but as many as 13 have been
reported in the New York plant. The 3 outer perianth segments were
Yellow Ocher (light brown-orange) with rose-purple base, turning deeper
in color (Orange Cinnamon) on the third day. All others were Wax
Yellow throughout or whitish at base. Stamens appeared to be numerous,
somewhat decurved, the filaments white, 34-11% inches (2-3 cm.) long,
while the anthers and pollen were Ivory Yellow to creamish. Style and
stigma lobes white, equalling or slightly exceeding the stamens. Stigmas
spreading, strongly recurved, strongly papillose (minutely teat-like), 4 or
5 in number. Ovary is small, about 14 inch (5-6 mm.) long, light Mineral
Green in color, with 5 or 6 minute brownish-purple scales.
The Flower With Two Smells. —
Allium hyacinthoides is a flower with two characteristic smells which
are very different from each other. It is native to the Great Plains where
it often blossoms abundantly in late spring, making great patches of pink
in sandy places. The flowers not only look like little hyacinths, they smell
like them too and though they are only a few inches high the scent is so
strong that you can smell it just walking by. If you pick a bunch of them
they have a curious mingling of two quite different odors. The flowers are
just as fragrant as ever after they are picked, but Alliums are onions, even
when they are Hyacinth onions, and the cut stems reek strongly of garlic.
It is a curious sensation to sniff alternately at the two ends of a little speci-
men, the one so sweet and the other so garlicky.
If one can obtain bulbs from some dealer in native plants, Allinm
hyacinthoides is a beautiful and interesting plant to grow but a little way-
ward in its likes and dislikes. Though I have mixed sand in the soil it has
persistently got weaker and weaker in the spot where I originally planted it,
only to seed itself in considerable quantity between the cracks of a brick
walk nearby. E. A.
The Elephant’s-foot, Elephantopus carolinianus, is a strange little weed
with pinky-blue flowers in discouraged little heads. To one who knows a little
about the family to which it belongs, the Compositae, it is interesting be-
cause it suggests relationships between that family and others among the
flowering plants.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 149
NOTES
Mr. Lee Wayne Lenz, who holds a fellowship at the Garden from the
Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn Co., Des Moines, Iowa, has received a scholarship
from the Rockefeller Foundation to work for six months on the Founda-
tion’s Corn Breeding project in Mexico.
At the Washington University commencement, on June 12, advanced
degrees were conferred upon four students in the Shaw School of Botany:—
Russell J. Seibert and Gerald B. Ownbey, Doctor of Philosophy in Botany;
Robert Baxter and John Finan, Master of Science.
Among recent visitors to the Garden were: Dr. George F. Carter, As-
sistant Professor of Geography, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; Dr.
A. T. Erwin, Professor of Horticulture, Iowa State College, Ames; Dr. Emil
Heitz, Geneticist, Universitit Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Mr. W. C. Jennings,
Manager Hakulau Plantation, Hakulau, Hawaii; Dr. George Neville Jones,
Assistant Professor of Botany, University of Illinois, Urbana; Mr. L. D.
Pryor, of the National Park Service, Canberra, Australia; Mr. Frank J. Lind,
Orchid Grower, of Westwood, N. J.; Mr. Robert Schreiner, of Schreiner’s
Iris Gardens, Salem, Oregon; Mrs. F. Bucholtz, wife of the late Dr. F. W.
Bucholtz, who was a distinguished botanist in Russia before the Russian
Revolution.
Narcissus gracilis.—
Several years ago the Garden purchased a small shipment of Narcissus
bulbs under the name of ‘‘Yellow Biflorus,” from a dealer who frankly ad-
mitted that he did not know their varietal name but recommended them for
naturalizing. When they flowered they proved to be the old variety
“Gracilis,” which is seldom seen or heard of in this country but which has
been known in European gardens for many years. Even there it is somewhat
of a rarity.
Narcissus gracilis is indeed an excellent variety for naturalizing and so
late-flowering that it prolongs our Narcissus season at Gray Summit by
several days. It is an old garden plant which is thought to be a natural
hybrid of the true Jonquil (Narcissus Jonquilla var. simplex). The smallish
flowers, about the size of a five-cent piece, are borne in groups of two or
three, on tall slender stems. The flowers are flat with a small cup in the
center and are a soft pale yellow and deliciously fragrant. They have a
heavy texture and stand up well under the hot drying winds which often
blow from the southwest towards the close of the daffodil season. They are
increasing slowly in the plot where they have been planted at Gray Summit
and promise to make an interesting addition to our collection of Narcissi.
Been.
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN
The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr.
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date until his death in 1889 it
was maintained under his personal direction. Although popularly
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden
was chosen by Mr. Shaw and he definitely indicated that he wished
it called by that name. The Garden passed at his death into the
hands of a Board of Trustees, designated in Mr. Shaw’s will, and
the Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members,
is self-perpetuating. By a further provision of the will the immedi-
ate direction of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by
the Board. The Garden receives no support from city or state but
is maintained almost exclusively from the estate left by Henry
Shaw. Since 1939 many Garden Clubs and interested individuals
have contributed to a “Friends of the Garden Fund” which is used
in developing the new Arboretum, located at Gray Summit, Mo.
The Arboretum (1) serves as a source of plants, trees and shrubs
for the city Garden; (2) affords areas for gradually establishing
a pinetum, a wild-flower reservation and various other features
on a scale not possible in the city; (3) provides greenhouses for
some 20,000 orchid plants.
The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species
of plants are grown, both out of doors and under glass. It is open
every day in the year except New Year’s Day and Christmas; week
days, 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.; Sundays, 10:00 a.m. until 7:00
p.m. The greenhouses are closed every day at 5:00 p.m.
The main entrance to the Garden is at Tower Grove and
Flora Place, on the Sarah bus line (No. 42). The Tower Grove bus
(No. 21), direct from downtown, passes within three blocks of the
main entrance.
THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
Richard J. Lockwood
Daniel K. Catlin _.
Eugene Pettus___._.............-
La cRay Carter
Dudley French
Henry Hitchcock
Arthur ¢hls
alone,” countless thousands of plant species learned long ago that their own
desires and needs must be carefully woven into those of their associates—
and they have accomplished this without losing their own individuality.
There are many instances where plants and animals live very closely as-
sociated, and these relationships vary in kind and degree. When one organ-
ism such as the mistletoe or the dodder actually penetrates the host plant
(plant on which it is growing) and draws living juices from it we call that
organism a parasite. Similarly, certain bacteria, worms, insects, etc. may be
parasitic on the body of man and other of his fellow creatures. However,
it will be recalled that the mistletoe is green, whether it be the kind that is
commonly found on oak trees in the South or the common one of the lodge-
pole pine in the West. It is, therefore, only a partial parasite, manufactur-
ing some of its own food and obtaining the rest directly from its host.
(151)
152 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Some plants extract nourishment from their previously expired fellows.
Others, such as the fungi, the Indian Pipe, the Coral Root orchid, etc.,
obtain their food from decaying logs and the partially disintegrated litter
of the forest floor. These, we refer to as saprophytes.
A third group, including many lichens, mosses, and liverworts, as well
as a host of tropical plants such as the orchids and bromeliads, exist as
epiphytes. These “live upon” other plants only from the standpoint of
occupying space and are neither parasites nor saprophytes. The first re-
quirement of an epiphyte is freedom from extended periods of cold, hence
the tropics are especially rich in these plants, but we may first consider one
a little closer to home.
Certainly the most resplendent example of an epiphyte in the United
States is the Spanish Moss of the Gulf Coast states. The long gray-green
streamers festooning the trees of the streams and bayous are as typical of the
“Deep South” as the sagebrush is of the West. And there are few plants that
ask as little in return for the graceful beauty that they bring to the world.
In spite of its popular name it is not a moss but a member of the Bromeliad,
or Pineapple family, with small inconspicuous flowers. Since this plant
more or less typifies the social life of the epiphytes it will serve adequately
to outline this distinctive mode of existence. Fragments of the plants may be
torn loose from one tree and blown to another where they catch in a branch
and continue to grow. This may continue until the tree is densely shrouded
in the streaming “moss.” Those who are not familiar with the life processes
of plants in general may wonder how they survive without contact with
the soil, for the only way in which the mineral requirements of the plant
are satisfied is from the traces of dust that accumulate about the points of
attachment of the plant. No roots are present or needed, absorption of
the nutrient elements taking place, as in most bromeliads, directly through
the tender basal leaf tissue.
The actual dry weight of plants in general consists to a surprisingly
small degree of minerals extracted from the soil, most of it being the three
elements, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, which are taken from the air and
water. Spanish Moss, although perhaps on the exceptional side, illustrates
how relatively little in the way of minerals a plant requires for continued
growth. It is not uncommon to find this plant thriving on telephone wires
where the amount of accumulated mineral matter is indeed very slight.
Spanish Moss cannot be classed as a parasite because it does not extract food
from its host, but, being green, manufactures its own food. However, it
may develop to such an extent that it prevents the development of sufficient
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 153
Epiphytes may be detrimental to the host plant simply by virtue of the physical burden.
Here is a vast colony of the orchid Cattleya Skinneri var. autumnalis growing on Entero-
lobium cyclocarpum.
leaf surface by the host and thus it indirectly inhibits or destroys the latter.
Similarly, epiphytes in the tropics may grow in such tremendous numbers
on their host as to bring it crashing to the earth by virtue of their weight.
Visitors to the Garden during the past few years have noticed that the
trunks of the trees in the Palm House are now generously bedecked with
epiphytic plants known as bromeliads, larger and showier members of the
154
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Typical forest vegetation of the crest of Cerro Pavita, El Valle de Anton, Panama,
altitude 3500 feet.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 155
Dense profusion of bromeliads and other epiphytes in the hills north of El Valle
de Anton, Panama, altitude 3500 feet.
family to which the Spanish Moss belongs. And to those who have driven
through southern Florida, particularly along the Tamiami Trail between
Miami and Fort Myers, the millions of these plants perched up in the cypress
trees present a memorable sight strikingly expressive of the linkage in this
area between the tropics to the south and the cooler latitudes to the north.
The horticultural possibilities of these bromeliads, some of which have
beautifully variegated leaves and brilliant crimson and blue flowers, are just
being realized, and it is very likely that they will become frequent, if not
common, house plants with continued selection and improvement of the
most suitable varieties.*
Even seasoned travelers who really should know better often mistake the
bromeliads for orchids as it seems to have become traditional that all plants
that live up in the trees as epiphytes in the tropics or sub-tropics must be
orchids. However, the botanists are not splitting hairs in distinguishing the
two groups, for they are as different as a gopher and an elephant. The
characteristically thin, rather rigid leaves arranged in whorls and overlap-
ping at the base, and the absence of fleshy stems, bulbs, or leaves set the
*See “Bromeliads are fascinating plants”. Mrssourr BoTaNicat GARDEN BULLETIN,
September, 1945.
156 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
bromeliads decidedly apart from the orchids. Moreover, in Florida the
orchids are not as abundant as the bromeliads and are generally smaller.
Most epiphytes, be they orchids, other herbaceous plants, or shrubs, are
decided xerophytes, that is, they have pronounced variations from normal
structures to conserve moisture. As epiphytes, they must supplement their
meager supply of nourishment and insure their propagation. Many and
ingenious are the contrivances that have been evolved to meet these needs.
Most bromeliads, for example, have their leaves loosely or tightly imbricated
at the base so as to form a natural tank. Although the upper three quarters
of the leaf has a nearly impervious surface, resistant to the most extreme
drought, the basal quarter is of tender absorbent tissue, through which
nutriment and water are obtained. The roots of the larger kinds serve
mostly as cables to hold the tanks in an upright position, contributing little
or nothing to the sustenance of the plant. Epiphytic orchids have the leaves
or stems swollen for water storage, and the thickened roots of many contain
symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria which contribute this necessary element
from the orchid to the air. Others also develop masses of roots which
point hundreds of rootlets upward, to catch minute accumulations of
nutritive material. Some African and Australian ferns have specialized
basal fronds which act as funnels for the accumulation of decaying leaves.
Several of the tropical American epiphytic relatives of the common huckle-
berry have developed swollen tuberous roots, as well as leathery leaves, to
conserve moisture. A last, but extremely important, requirement for
epiphytes is facility for propagation. The seeds must be light and tiny
enough so that they can be sown by the wind through the tree tops and
find crevices in the damp bark to begin life anew, or they must be attrac-
tive to birds, or provided with a sticky coating for attachment to bark until
germination takes place. Both orchids and bromeliads, as the apex of the
epiphytic line of development, have perfected tiny seeds, ideally adapted to
such a mode of existence. Orchid seeds are so tiny that nearly a million
may be contained in a single pod, and the seeds of bromeliads, while larger,
are provided with parachutes which carry them through the forest top.
In the tropics a great number of plant families are represented among
the epiphytes having little in common except the previously outlined pre-
requisites for life in high, often sun-drenched areas of the forest top, on
low scrubby trees on the margins of grasslands, or on bare rocks, all sub-
ject to pronounced fluctuations in moisture supply. However, since all are
closely related to common terrestrial forms it is of considerable interest to
consider how they acquired their present habit.
Epiphytic shrubs such as those of the genus Marcgravia (a tropical
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Tillandsias, close relatives of the Spanish Moss, growing on pines in the highlands
of Siguatepeque, Honduras—5000 feet.
158 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Pitcher-plant) began as root climbers, with the seeds germinating in the
ground and the almost ivy-like seedlings (which are of a very different
appearance from the adult plants) climbing to the forest top where they
develop adult woody branches, foliage, and flowers. Some species of
Hydrangea and many Aroids (Jack-in-the-pulpit family) have been able to
free themselves from this pilgrimage to the ground each generation, but are
still mostly dependent for a start on accumulations of humus in tree forks
or other cavities. Many pseudo-bulbless, shade-loving orchids, as well as
many Aroids, have never gone the whole way, but have remained on the
shaded lower tree trunks where they suffer less from lack of moisture. Some
typically epiphytic shrubs live as entirely independent aerial organisms while
others, as noted above, have a link with the ground through the juvenile
stage; and still others are giant woody shrubs alternately climbing or
epiphytic, depending upon the situation. Still others begin life in the tree
tops but in time establish contact with the ground by long interlacing roots
which often strangle the host. Certain wild species of Ficus (figs), Clusias
known in the American tropics as ““Copey” or ““Sambogum,” and Topobeas
fall in this class and may be seen perched in the tops of forest trees, their
roots making a living straight-jacket about the trunk or they may be
found on occasion atop a granite boulder existing without benefit of
nourishment except what can be acquired from bare rock, water, and air.
Most primitive orchids and members of the heath family are terrestrial
and seem to have had an epiphytic existence forced on them by changing
circumstances. The story of the geologic history of the interior of northern
South America may serve as an example. An extensive highland plateau
once covered much of this area but has been almost entirely removed by
erosion over vast periods of time, the region now being largely reduced to
a peneplain with isolated remnants of sandstone mesas. These today form a
vast archipelago of floristic islands, their bases lapped by the sea of lowland
forest. Primitive terrestrial orchids abound on many of these mesa tops
wherever there is any soil left while adjacent blocks of bare stone harbor
thriving colonies of orchids differing from their terrestrial neighbors in the
possession of well-developed pseudo-bulbs or succulent or deciduous leaves.
With increasing radiation and sharper run-off of available moisture it seems
quite possible that these more specialized forms developed in place from the
more primitive types. Long isolation of small residual groups of orchids
able to withstand such severe conditions, and being in turn molded and
modified by such necessity, might well produce significant racial develop-
ments. Once equipped with means of protecting themselves against
drought it would seem to be an easy progression to adjacent rough-barked
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 159
c ;
ee
Young plants of Philodendron (broad-leaved) and Columnea starting
the long climb to epiphytic status. Mature plants bear little resemblance
to this stage.
trees and on to the tops of the lowland forest giants. From such small
beginnings in areas of stress a rich divergent development might be ex-
pected under more favorable circumstances such as are found in the
Brazilian coastal range or the mountains of Antioquia in Colombia.
Among the most curious of all epiphytes are the large-flowered species
of Utricularia (the Bladderworts) found in wet moss at high elevations
from Brazil to Costa Rica.* These have probably been derived from terres-
trial forms which in turn have purely aquatic ancestors. Typical aquatic
Utricularias have been seen on the elevated sandstone Yapoboda in the
* Aquatic bladderworts, typical of the group, are common in ponds throughout the
United States and are often used in pools and fish-bowls.
160 MISSOURI BOT ANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Vaupes (Colombia) growing in water not a half inch deep along sandy
margins of seepages flowing over bare rock, the leaves much reduced, but
with a super-abundance of traps for catching minute animals. Adjacent
moist sand had several terrestrial species some of which resemble species
found as far north as Panama. As the soil was swept away by erosion during
ages of time, it would seem possible that these terrestrial forms may again
have been developed here on the sandy margins of ponds, and as the situa-
tion became progressively drier and the radiation more intense, they re-
tained the battery of traps, but with the leaves reduced to slender, strap-
shaped structures. These terrestrial species are common in damp places
and may be found in wet moss high on rock faces of mountain peaks. Any
plant capable of sustaining itself in the latter situation would indiscrim-
inately grow on adjacent mossy wet tree branches, the traps distributed
through the moist cushion catching microscopic creatures for sustenance.
Thus it is evident that more than a few words are needed to define just
what an epiphyte is. Clearly enough, they all live upon other plants or
upon rocks. Some have done so for countless generations while others,
seemingly not so long evolved from their terrestrial ancestors, must return
in their early stages to the soil for a start. And why, it may be asked, do
these plants want to climb up in the tree tops anyway? The answer seems
fairly simple in that tropical forests are often so dense that little light
reaches the ground and to obtain enough for survival they must exist on the
“roof” or not exist at all. However, there is much that we do not know
about these complicated plant associations that we find today. We have
pointed out a few of the probable ways in which the epiphytic habit came
into being and it is of much interest as a remarkably successful social
adaptation in which the epiphytes, the invaders themselves, have wrought
but little harm to the host plants.
The common name of Evonymus atropurpurea.—Common names were
never distributed fairly among the plants. Some charming shrubs, such as
Fothergilla, remain forever unknown to the general public largely because
no good common name has ever become attached to them, while others, such
as Evonymus atropurpurea, have several good ones. The greatest distinction
of this latter shrub lies in its fruits, which are like those of its viney rela-
tive, the Bittersweet, except that they are blood-red instead of orange. Its
commonest common name in Missouri is “Burning Bush,” though the Indian
term “Wahoo” is often heard. Down in the Great Smokies the common
name there, though more imaginitive, is descriptive of the way the blood-red
berries hang down from the opening seed-pods. To be sure, it is a little
long for an every-day name, but it is worth remembering, ‘‘Hearts-bursting-
with love.”
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 161
COLCHICINE AND PLANT BREEDING
GUSTAV A. L. MEHLQUIST
Since the introduction of colchicine to the American public in 1937 by
Drs. Blakeslee and Avery many extravagant claims have been made for this
drug. Its use has made possible the production of plants greatly increased
in size and bearing giant flowers, the latter having received much of the
publicity. Increased seed fertility has also been claimed, although in most
instances the reverse has been true. Judging from correspondence received
at the Garden it might be well to examine these conflicting claims and
ascertain what can be expected from colchicine treatments and how these
effects come about.
In the first place, whatever colchicine does, it does through its effect on
chromosomal behavior. The chromosomes, which have received so much
public attention in recent years, are minute protein bodies on which are borne
the hereditary units known as genes. Because of this organization the be-
havior of the chromosomes in the formation of the sex cells is the determin-
ing factor in the distribution of the genes which are so important in the
continuity of life.
Nearly all plants and animals have a constant number of chromosomes
in each cell. In normal fertile individuals this number is even as they occur
in pairs, for although there are usually several different kinds of chromosomes
there are two of each. Having a pair of each type of chromosome is not
always necessary for the survival of the individual but it is of great im-
portance for its fertility. Like begets like is an old saying that explains the
relative likeness between parents and offspring. The mechanism whereby
this comes about is very interesting in itself, and, because it is through this
mechanism that colchicine produces its effect on plants and animals, let us
summarize the pertinent facts.
1. The genes (hereditary units) determine the similarity (and also the
differences) from generation to generation.
2. These genes are attached to the chromosomes.
3. The chromosomes are usually constant in number from generation
to generation, the exact number being dependent on the species in question
(man has 48, the vinegar fly 8, the common carnation, Dianthus caryophyl-
lus, 30, the cheddar pink, Dianthus caesius, 60, and the cottage pink,
Dianthus plumarius, 90).
4. In normal fertile individuals the chromosomes occur in pairs.
5. In the formation of sex cells the number of chromosomes is halved
so that each sex cell (egg or sperm) contains one half of the number char-
acteristic for the species.
162 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
6. In fertilization, resulting in a new individual, the full chromosome
number is restored by union of two sex cells.
In general, if the chromosome number of an individual or a species is
doubled the result is some degree of gigantism—a plant with larger and
thicker leaves, heavier stem, and larger flowers. It is because of this increase
in size, which may be brought about by colchicine, that its use has appealed
to so many “‘would-be” plant breeders. We live in an age where size is
greatly esteemed.
Chromosome doubling occurs spontaneously in nature and can be brought
about in culture by many different means but the surest is by the use of
colchicine. There are various methods of using this powerful drug but
wherever practicable treatment of seeds is the simplest and most economical.
Seeds of different species vary as to the strength of colchicine solution re-
quired, and unless specific information is available one usually divides the
seeds into many small lots and then tries solutions of varying strength on the
different groups. Another simple and effective method is to use only one
strength solution but to vary the length of treatment. With seeds that can
be germinated easily between moistened blotters or paper towels, chromosome
doubling can be more readily effected by applying the colchicine just as the
root is emerging through the seed coat. By this procedure the concentra-
tion of the colchicine or length of treatment should be greatly reduced.
Seeds of some plants germinate so poorly after an application of colchi-
cine that it is better to defer the treatment until the first true leaves of the
seedling appear. Plants that transplant readily, such as snapdragons, mari-
golds, and other annuals, can be lifted from the seed flats and stood on their
heads in the solution, the roots being wrapped with moist paper to prevent
drying. With plants not so readily transplanted it is safer to place a drop
of the solution, by means of a pipette, squarely on top of the seedling with-
out disturbing it otherwise. In order to keep the drop from falling off, a
small amount of absorbent cotton may be placed on the tip of the seedling
before treatment. In plants where doubling is difficult to bring about one
drop each day on three consecutive days may be tried. Usually this is as
much as even tough seedlings will stand without being killed.
Hybrids that do not come true from seed or plants whose seed is scarce
or very expensive should be reproduced vegetatively until several are avail-
able. Then the topmost leaves on vigorous shoots should be cut off so as to
almost expose the young tissue around the growing point, a small amount of
absorbent cotton or gauze placed on the tip, and the colchicine solution
applied by means of a pipette. One or two drops a day for one to three days
is usually sufficient to bring about results. Frequently the stem tips are
killed back a little distance but as a rule this does not nullify the treatment
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 163
as the young side shoots immediately below the killed tip may show the
desired effect. If the plants are treated outdoors the tips should be enclosed
in glass tubes or jars to prevent too rapid drying of the colchicine.
The latest stage in the life of the plant when a treatment can be expected
to be effective is during the period of sex-cell formation. This must be
timed to coincide with the unique series of two divisions during which the
chromosome number is reduced to one half. These divisions usually take
place when the buds are quite small, and it is difficult even for experienced
people to determine the exact stage.
Other vegetative parts of plants, such as tubers, corms, bulbs, and scales,
can also be treated in order to induce chromosome doubling. However,
special schedules are required, and those interested should look them up in
the various references listed.
It should be borne in mind that colchicine is extremely poisonous and
should be properly labelled and kept out of reach of children or other persons
not familiar with the dangers. The simplest method of preparation is to
dissolve the colchicine in a small amount of alcohol (your favorite brand
will do) and then add water until a 1 per cent solution is obtained. This
should be kept in a cool dark place and then diluted according to the sched-
ules shown below.
Seed treatment. —
Soak dry seeds in 249 of 1 per cent solution for 1 to 24 hours. Pour off
the solution and rinse the seeds in water. Plant as usual. The same strength
may be used on germinated seeds but the length of treatment should be
much less, 5 to 30 minutes usually being sufficient.
Seedling treatment.—
Use drops of 249 of 1 per cent solution as described above. When the
seedlings are removed from the soil and inverted in the solution use only 149
per cent for from 1 to 10 minutes. Do not expose the treated seedlings to
strong light for the first 2 or 3 days after treatment.
Stem Treatment.—
Try *40-%10 per cent solution in drops through cotton or gauze as
described above. If the whole plant can be inverted so that one or more
tips are in the solution the treatment usually need not exceed 10 to 30
minutes.
Bud treatment.—
Use *;0-*10 per cent solution through cotton or gauze or invert plant
for 10 to 30 minutes during the mid-morning hours (the reduction divisions
are most likely to take place then).
164 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Roots, tubers, bulbs, scales, and bulbils. —
Soak in 749-440 per cent solution for 1 to 48 hours and plant as usual.
Discussion.—
With seed treatments, and sometimes with stem treatments, it is often
desirable to use a wetting agent to insure good contact between the tissues
and the solution. A small amount of Vafsol, Santomerse, or similar material
will greatly increase this wetting power.
As already has been pointed out, the fertility of plants is dependent on
the chromosomes occurring in pairs. During sex-cell formation the members
of each pair (known as homologous chromosomes) go to separate daughter
cells during the first division, thus reducing the number in each cell to one-
half. In the second division all the chromosomes are divided lengthwise so
that the new daughter cells contain one-half of each chromosome but the
number remains the same. This second type of division is the prevailing
one throughout the plant except when sex cells are formed in the young
buds. Thus all the tissues and organs of the plant are built up from cells
that have arisen from division of existing ones, the first cell being the one
resulting from the union of an egg cell with a male gamete. As every
division except the reduction-division involves equal lengthwise division of
every chromosome and their orderly separation into daughter cells it follows
that all the cells except sex cells have the same chromosome number. Vege-
tative propagation of the plant through cuttings, divisions, scales, or bulbils
does not change the number, neither does reproduction from seed alter it
unless something has interferred with the orderly pairing and separation of
the homologous chromosomes in the reduction division. Now colchicine
does just that. In a normal cell the homologous chromosomes (whole
chromosomes in the reduction division and half chromosomes in all other
divisions) are pushed apart by some force. Colchicine upsets this force,—
all of the chromosomes remain in one cell, and in the following divisions the
doubled number is retained. As every cell that arises from this one changed
cell will normally have the increased number of chromosomes colchicine
treatment may give rise to branches or, when seeds are treated, to whole new
plants with the double number. The changed branches may be reproduced
vegetatively by cuttings, or the seeds from such branches may be harvested
separately to give individuals with the changed number prevailing through-
out. These plants are known as fetraploids (“tetra’ meaning four, refer-
ring to the four sets of each type of chromosome) in contrast to (normal)
plants with only two sets which are known as diploids.*
Tetraploid plants of this type are known as autotetraploids because the
* See: Anderson, Edgar. What is a tetraploid? in Mo. Bot. Gard, Bull. 34:43-48. 1946.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 165
chromosome number has been doubled within the plant or species. They
are usually considerably less fertile than the corresponding diploids, because
four of each chromosome type causes confusion during the reduction divi-
sion. Whereas two chromosomes of a kind can give rise to only one com-
bination, namely, one pair, four can enter into three different combinations,
namely: two pairs, a trio and one single, or a quartet involving all four.
This “upsets the genetic balance” so that sex cells with more or less than the
half number of chromosomes result, and they are usually less variable than
those with just one-half of the original number. In some plants this dif-
ference in viability is quite pronounced.
If two plants of different species are crossed, the resultant hybrid may
be sterile because the chromosomes brought in from the two parents are so
different that they cannot pair. Now, if the chromosome number of such a
hybrid can be doubled there will again be two chromosomes of each kind,
normal pairing will take place, and the result is often high fertility. A
hybrid such as this is known as an allofetraploid.
Autotetraploid plants generally have larger and thicker leaves, heavier
and taller stems, larger flowers of heavier texture, and pollen grains of about
twice the usual volume. Seed production is usually lower than in the
corresponding diploid plants but the seeds that are produced are generally
larger.
Allotetraploid plants may have these features but are often indistinguish-
able from the sterile hybrids from which they arose, except for increased
fertility. This type of hybrid, moreover, often breeds nearly true—except
for minor features. There is good evidence that many species in nature
with higher chromosome numbers are allotetraploids.
If a tetraploid species hybridizes with a diploid the resultant hybrids are
nearly always triploids (three sets of chromosomes). Such hybrids are
usually sterile but may become doubled spontaneously, or artificially through
colchicine, giving rise to fertile hybrids with six sets of chromosomes (allo-
hexaploids). Tetraploids and hexaploids are common among ornamentals.
Frequently artificial hybridization between a diploid and a tetraploid is
easier if the diploid is first doubled by means of colchicine.
Thus colchicine treatments are useful for three reasons:
1. Production of autotetraploids for their own value.
2. Production of autotetraploids for use in hybridizing with species of
plants that are already tetraploid.
3. Production of fertile allotetraploid or allohexaploid hybrids from
sterile diploid and triploid interspecific hybrids respectively.
166 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
To determine definitely whether or not chromosome doubling has occur-
red, expensive microscopes are required. However, an increase in the size
of the pollen grains is usually a dependable indication that doubling has
occurred, and that may be seen through an inexpensive microscope magnify-
ing not more than 75-100 times.
References.—
Blakeslee, A. F., and A. G. Avery. Methods of inducing doubling of chromosomes in plants
by treatment with colchicine. Journal of Heredity. vol. 28, pp. 393-411. 1937.
Dermen, Haig. Colchicine polyploidy and technique. The Botanical Review, vol. 6, pp-
599-635. 1940. 7
Emsweller, S. L., and Philip Brierley. Colchicine-induced tetraploidy in Lilium. Journal of
Heredity. vol. 31, pp. 223-230. 1940.
Mehlquist, Gustav A. L., et al. Colchicine-induced tetraploidy in Delphininm cardinale.
Journal of Heredity, vol. 34, pp. 187-192. 1943.
Missouri Gravel Bars. To appreciate the gravel bars of Missouri one
needs to have been brought up in the North where most of the gravel is
glacial and twenty kinds of rock may be found in every gravel pit. Gravel
bars there will be made up of many kinds and shapes of rocks, from soft
sandstones to hard granites. Over most of Missouri there is no such variety;
a bar will be made up almost entirely of chert, the brown shiny flint which
weathers out of certain of our limestones. After it has been worked over
by the river it is pretty much all the same size, shape, and color, and to a
northerner looks almost artificial in its uniformity. On our Ozark rivers,
such as the Current or the Meramec, there are relatively few plants which can
grow successfully on these wide, glaring expanses of dry gravel but these
few develop to perfection in the absence of competition. A bar of several
acres may have only two kinds of willow or may be made up entirely of
little groves of sycamores. There are several old and well-established gravel
bars on the Current River which are of this sort. The sycamores, mostly
all of the same age, divide the gravel bar off into a series of connected open
stretches where the sunshine lights up the brown cherty pebbles. The bar
may be half a mile long yet have almost nothing on it but the clean bright
stones and the graceful sycamores in scattered groups. In the fall when the
sycamore leaves turn a tawny yellow color which almost matches the chert,
these little natural park-like islands look incredibly artificial. Frequent
floods have kept the pebbles washed clean; the inhospitable environment has
prevented other plants from gaining a foothold; and the little sycamore
trees (which all started life together in some previous spring when condi-
tions were just right on this particular spot) have grown into living harmony
with the long stretches of water-swept gravel.—E. A.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 167
THE OLDEST AND RAREST LADY-SLIPPER IN THE GARDEN
COLLECTION—PAPHIOPEDILUM ROTHSCHILDIANUM
GEORGE H. PRING
This Lady-slipper is a native of Borneo, from where it was introduced
into cultivation by Sander & Sons, of England, in 1888. It was a distinct
ornamental novelty and was described by Reichenbach (Gard. Chron.
p. 457. 1888) as Cypripedium Rothschildianum in honor of Baron Ferdi-
nand de Rothschild. The flowers are produced, three to six on a stalk,
which is rather unusual for this genus. A peculiarity of the flower is its
form, the lip having a definitely pointed toe and extending straight out
from the center of the flower. Unlike other species of Paphiopedilum, in
which the pollen masses are covered by the circular shield-shaped staminode,
in this species the staminode is shaped like a crane’s or pelican’s neck and
the pollen is exposed.
Paphiopedilum Rothschildianum
168 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Our first specimen of this rare Lady-slipper was purchased from Cowan
& Sons, Liverpool, England, and was received at the Garden on May 28,
1904. It was propagated by division, so we now have two plants in the
collection. This species does not make annual growths, but after several
years it will produce a young growth which will take several years to reach
the flowering stage. Unlike the other Lady-slippers, it is shy in flowering,
being the slowest of any Paphiopedilum to come into bloom. By a coinci-
dence, this year both Garden specimens flowered on the same day, April 20,
and both produced three individual flowers on the stalk, one above the other.
The flowers were arranged as if wired by a florist to form a shoulder bouquet
(see illustration) and they lasted a month before drooping.
Description.—Sepals ovate, acute at the tips, yellowish-green with about
16 prominent purplish-brown stripes. Petals 4 inches long, %% inch wide
at the base, gradually tapering towards the tips, purplish-brown spotted
and striped with purple, frilled and purplish at the margin with an oc-
casional long purple hair. Lip purplish-brown, somewhat mottled, extend-
ing out from the center of the flower, shaped like a lady’s slipper with a
definitely pointed toe. Staminodia beak-shaped, covered with very fine
purplish hairs tipped with gray. Both stigma and pollen masses exposed,
stigma pale green, pollen mass purplish. Flower stalk stout, purple, arising
from robust glossy green leaves which are 1 foot long and 1 inch wide.
The last flower to bloom.—A delicate little orchid is the last of our
native wild flowers in this part of Missouri, but few indeed are the Mis-
sourians who have seen the plant. In spite of frosts and cold weather it
comes into flower in well-drained rocky places in late October and early
November. It is one of those orchids with many flowers in a tight little
spike which are known as Ladies’ Tresses. The authorities say that its name
is Spiranthes cernua, but this is certainly one case where they have not yet
had time to give a Missouri plant the study it deserves. Spiranthes cernua
of New England and New York State is a plant with a pure white flower
which blooms in midsummer along cool pasture brooks and such places. Our
Missouri plant has flowers of ivory-white; it grows only on rocky glades
and cliff edges, and it blossoms late in the fall. When the genus has been
more intensively studied this species will probably prove to be at least
varietially distinct from its better-known eastern relative.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 169
NOTES
Mr. Hal P. Brady, Plant Recorder at the Garden and a familiar figure at
the Main Gate for many years, died suddenly on June 27.
Dr. Edgar Anderson, Geneticist to the Garden, presided at the summer
meetings of the Botanical Society of America, held in Montreal and Gaspé
Peninsula of Canada, August 20-29.
Among the summer visitors to the City Garden and Arboretum were:
Mr. and Mrs. Edward T. Teas, of the Teas Nursery, Houston, Texas; Mr.
and Mrs. A. J. Proebstle, of Brazoria, Texas, who collaborated with the
Garden in raising the first white-flowered Nymphaea gigantea from seed;
Mr. T. G. Bacher, of Swiss Floral Co., Portland, Oregon; Mr. William B.
James, of the University of Delaware, Newark; and Mr. Robert J. Warne,
of Honolulu, H. I.
Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of Succulents at the Garden, attended the
convention of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America, held in Cin-
cinnati, June 27-29. After the meetings the following members of the
Society made a trip to St. Louis to view the Garden collection of desert
plants: Mr. Sherman E. Beahm, of Pasadena, Calif.; Mr. and Mrs. Laval
Goulet, of Amos, Quebec, Canada; Mr. William Taylor Marshall, Director
Desert Botanical Garden, Papago Park, Phoenix, Ariz.; Mr. J. E. Bock, of
Sharon, Pa.; Prof. Art. Blocher, of Amboy, IIl.; Mr. and Mrs. Don Lutz,
of Decatur, Ind.
Dr. Russell J. Seibert and Dr. Gerald B. Ownbey, former graduate stu-
dents at the Garden who received their doctor’s degrees at the Washington
University commencement in June, have accepted positions for the coming
year. Dr. Seibert has been appointed Botanist, Rubber Plant Field Station,
at Turrialba, Costa Rica, a project of the United States Department of
Agriculture, Division of Rubber Plant Investigations, in cooperation with
thirteen Latin American countries. Dr. Ownbey has received an appoint-
ment as Instructor in Botany at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
The second number of Volume XXXIV of the ANNALs OF THE MissouRI
BOTANICAL GARDEN was issued in June, with contents as follows: The
Effect of the Medium on Apparent Vitamin-synthesizing Deficiencies of
Microorganisms; A Direct Relationship between Pantothenate Concentra-
tion and the Time Required to Induce the Production of Pantothenate-
170 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
synthesizing Mutants in Yeasts, by Carl C. Lindegren and Caroline Raut;
Mendelian Inheritance of Genes Affecting Vitamin-synthesizing Ability in
Saccharomyces, Carl C. Lindegren and Gertrude Lindegren; American
Origin of the Cultivated Cucurbits, Thomas W. Whitaker; Fossil Polypores
from Idaho, Henry N. Andrews and Lee W. Lenz; John Henry Britts—
Physician and Fossil Hunter, Henry N. Andrews; The Idaho Tempskyas and
Associated Fossil Plants, Henry N. Andrews and Ellen M. Kern.
Visitors to the Garden library during the summer months include the
following: Dr. Joseph Becquaert, Curator of Insects, Museum of Compara-
tive Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.; Mr. W. I. Booth,
fiber plant specialist, of St. Petersburg, Fla.; Dr. William L. Brown,
Geneticist, Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn Co., Des Moines, la.; Miss Thelma Cox,
of McKee Jungle Gardens, Vero Beach, Fla.; Mr. Sala Dasanandra, of the
biology department, Chula University, Bangkok, Siam; Prof. P. S. Davies,
Head department of biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky.; Dr.
Maurice Errera and Dr. J. P. Greenstein, of the National Cancer Institute,
Bethesda, Md.; Dr. David C. Fairburn, of the McKee Jungle Gardens, Vero
Beach, Fla.; Dr. H. M. Good, of the department of botany, University of
Toronto, Canada; Dr. Charles B. Heiser, Assistant Professor of Botany,
University of Indiana, Bloomington; Dr. W. F. McDonald, Professor of
History, Ohio State University, Columbus; Mrs. Iva Newman, of San Mateo,
Calif., member of the American Rose Society and Garden Editor Peninsula
Life; Mrs. A. J. Proebstle, of Brazoria, Texas, Assistant Editor, Orchid
Lore; Mr. and Mrs. F. P. Walther, iris enthusiasts, of Montclair, N. J.; Dr.
T. G. Yuncker, Visiting Professor of Botany, University of Illinois, Urbana;
Mr. E. J. Palmer, of Webb City, Mo., Collector and Research Assistant,
Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Jamaica Plain, Mass.; Mr. Walter
C. Scholl, orchid enthusiast, of Chicago, III.
THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
L. Ray Carter
Dudley French
Henry Hitchcock
Arthur H. Compton —. —.
Avs De aKia tina nies see Fa
Stratford 1) Mortot 234.2:
William Scarlett_..--_-
Elmore M. Putney___.......--
Gerald Ulrici
Georce: (lis MOORE acss Ee a ee
Hermann von Schrenk
Jesse M. Greenman —-.....--...- ;
GarrolliOW Od Oe ea a it steno c cea wee eS
Edgar Anderson ---- :
Robert E. Woodson, Jr.
Henry N. Andrews
Robert W. Schery _-
Gustav A. L. Mehlquist
INelIT = Horne taco et a 2 i
Gerald Ulrici
Georser Tle Pirin oat 5 ec se ta
Paul A. Kohl
adislaus: Cuta kes 120-2 x
7 ee of the Arboretum, Gray Summit
August P. Beilmann
G. R. Lowry 2
Gurney Wilson, F.L. S._
Paul H. Allen = ed tes
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
| Atel of OMe Peay clo] (09's eats =k cc Te aR meee eat ay 2
BET All age 1 sh) oh a ee ee eee ee
Bugene Pettus ee
_ President
. Ee President
Seca Vice-President
ihe S. Lehmann
George T. Moore
A. Wessel Shapleigh
Ethan A. H. Shepley
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
Chancellor, Washington University
Mayor of the City of St. Louis
President, St. Louis Academy of Science
Siam tensed Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri
President, Board of Education of St. Louis
Secretary
Director
Pathologist
ean aae ere Curator of Herbarium
Mycologist
pateratnisieacedee teat es ee Geneticist
a aSuece ines Assistant Curator of Herbarium
Paleobotanist
Research Associate
Research Horticulturist
Librarian and Editor
Business Manager
_ Superintendent
Floriculturist
In charge of Succulents
pasteles Orchid Grower
Representative in England, Hove, Sussex
Tropical Plant Collector
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN
The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr.
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date until his death in 1889 it
was maintained under his personal direction. Although popularly
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden
was chosen by Mr. Shaw and he definitely indicated that he wished
it called by that name. The Garden passed at his death into the
hands of a Board of Trustees, designated in Mr. Shaw’s will, and
the Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members,
is self-perpetuating. By a further provision of the will the immedi-
ate direction of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by
the Board. The Garden receives no support from city or state but
is maintained almost exclusively from the estate left by Henry
Shaw. Since 1939 many Garden Clubs and interested individuals
have contributed to a “Friends of the Garden Fund” which is used
in developing the new Arboretum, located at Gray Summit, Mo.
The Arboretum (1) serves as a source of plants, trees and shrubs
for the city Garden; (2) affords areas for gradually establishing
a pinetum, a wild-flower reservation ar-d various other features
on a scale not possible in the city; (3) provides greenhouses for
some 20,000 orchid plants.
The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species
of plants are grown, both out of doors and under glass. It is open
every day in the year except New Year’s Day and Christmas; week
days, 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.; Sundays, 10:00 a.m. until 7:00
p.m. The greenhouses are closed every day at 5:00 p.m.
The main entrance to the Garden is at Tower Grove and
Flora Place, on the Sarah bus line (No. 42). The Tower Grove bus
(No. 21), direct from downtown, passes within three blocks of the
main entrance.
MUISSOURI BOTANICAL
GARD
HN BULL
4 UN
CONTENTS
The Castor Bean An Orchid Oddity
Testing Some Local Firewoods
ne 0.044
Notes
October, 1947
The Swan Orchid (Cycnoches ventricosum)
Number 8
Cover: Castor Bean plant growing as an ornamental at the Garden.
Editorial Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue,
St. Louis 10, Missouri.
Published monthly except July and August by the Board of Trustees of the
Missouri Botanical Garden. Subscription price: $2.50 a year.
Office of publication: 306 E. Simmons Street, Galesburg, Illinois.
Entered as second-class matter January 26, 1942, at the post-office at Gales-
burg, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Please: Do not discard a copy of the Bulletin. If you have no further use for yours
pass it along to a friend or return it to the Garden. Return postage will
be guaranteed.
Missouri Botanical
Garden Bulletin
Vol. XXXV OCTOBER, 1947 No. 8
THE CASTOR BEAN—AN IMPORTANT CROP FOR THE FUTURE
A. P. BEILMANN
There was a time when castor oil had a limited value, which was mostly
to frighten children requiring disciplinary action. However, during the
recent war it became so important to the nation that its civilian use was
curtailed as early as October, 1942.
Great quantities of the oil and its derivatives are now used for industrial
as well as military purposes. It has always been one of the constituents of
hydraulic brake fluid, used in jeeps, trucks, tanks, on airplane turrets and
bomb-bay doors. The oil is soluble in alcohol; it will flow at low tempera-
tures; and it does not gum or leak through gaskets as do other oils. It is
also used in the recoil mechanism of all cannon and heavy rifles. It is part of
the lubricating oil of airplane engines, and, through a devious process,
powder bags and nylon parachutes have their beginning in an acid of castor
oil. It plays a part in the petroleum industry in the production of high
octane gas. It has practically superseded paint, varnish, and lacquer as a
protective coating for war equipment. Coatings made from a castor-oil
base are applied to everything from helmets to warships. This is not the
whole story—research has produced a powerful insecticide from the leaves,
and the gigantic varieties of the plant are a source of alpha cellulose.
Obviously, the crop was not grown in the United States on a large scale
before the recent war, or the farmer would have increased production during
the shortage, as he was able to do with most foodstuffs. The plant disap-
peared as a farm crop shortly after 1900 when plantings were increased in
Brazil and India. The recent shortage of the oil was due to the shipping
hazard and lack of shipping space from those countries. But at one time,
about 1860, castor beans were grown in Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, and
Kansas. Then the only pressing plant in the world was in St. Louis. When
(171)
172 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
this was moved East the castor-bean plant merely became an ornamental, no
longer a crop, in the Middle West.
In view of the fact that an effort to re-establish the crop is now being
made, it might be well to review its history. In Bulletin No. 25 of the
Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, June, 1897, there is a “fertilizer
analysis” of the plant. A year later a bulletin from the same Station pro-
posed returning the pods, stems, and leaves to the soil to maintain fertility.
In succeeding years a chemical analysis of the plant was made and a study of
yield in relation to planting time was carried on. In 1902, Professor W. R.
Shaw proposed seed selection as a means of improving the cil content. How-
ever, by 1907 the castor bean had all but disappeared from the literature.
In fact, the Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture for
1903 and 1904 gives no production figures and only a vague outline of the
industry, so we may assume that the crop was all but unknown by then. The
Bureau of Plant Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture
maintained a mild interest as shown by a giant variety of the bean which
they obtained and distributed as Ricinus communis B.P.1. No. 49366, from
Mexico—chiefly as a potential ornamental. Plants from these seeds are
described in the Missourt BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN, October, 1921,
Vol. 19. This variety grew to a height of thirteen feet, but was very slow
to produce seed. There was also a dwarf plant described, with the comment
that its origin was unknown since it appeared as a solitary plant in 1920.
One might ask why this crop is not grown to-day. If it was profitable
two generations ago why isn’t it worth while now with the new uses for
the oil? The answer lies in the cost of harvesting. As the plant grows up-
ward it develops axillary flower spikes. The first one to appear matures,
and a few weeks later another spike appears and matures in due time, and
so on throughout the season. In Missouri, frost usually kills the plant while
several spikes are immature and several others are ripe. Perhaps the great
difficulty in harvesting the seed is best indicated by Professor Shaw (Bull.
No. 54, Okla. Agr. Exp. Sta.) who, in 1902, wrote:
Were it not for the fact that the natural opening of the pods and discharge of
the seeds is made use of in shelling them, our first thought and endeavor would be
to secure plants on which the pods would not open at all, or better, would open only
after the action of frost. If in any way we could secure such plants, and at the
same time provide some threshing device which would separate the seeds from the
pods, the gathering of the crop would be cheapened and the seeds on large spikes
would be given time to ripen more uniformly. The difficulties in the way of this
solution are great, but the matter is worthy of some serious attention in connection
with any series of experiments or studies on the plant.
In other words, it is necessary to go into the field each time a series of
pods ripen and before the seeds shatter and fall to the ground. In a favor-
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
173
FRUITING CASTOR BEAN PLANT
174 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
able season some varieties will mature five spikes, which necessitates five
trips through the fields. The labor involved in hand harvesting is probably
the principal reason that the crop moved to other countries.
In 1920, a new castor bean called ‘Red Spire’? was obtained for use as
an ornamental at the Garden. This plant grows to a height of six feet, has
bronze-green leaves, red ribs, and brilliant crimson spikes. Of all the
varieties which have been tried as ornamentals this was the most satisfactory;
it had good color, interesting seed, and did not exceed six feet in height when
Field of Castor Beans growing at Garden Arboretum
grown from seed planted directly in the field. Seed selection was started
immediately, since relatively few seeds were needed when the plant was used
as an ornamental. These were taken from the pods which somehow held a
few seeds and did not shatter completely. After twenty-one years of selec-
tion, the castor bean we are now growing at the Arboretum as a field crop
for seed production exhibits great uniformity and holds the seed tightly in
the pods all through the winter if not harvested. In 1942, planting was
finished July 7. Six days later the cotyledons appeared above ground, and
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 175
on August 6, the first flower spike opened. A sharp frost in early September
killed the plants before seed was ripened. In 1943 planting was finished
May 6, but germination was delayed until May 24 due to a wet cold spring.
Growth was slow until June 11, when hot weather arrived, and within two
weeks the first flower spike opened. A favorable fall allowed sufficient seed
to ripen to plant 1% acres in 1944. In that year planting was finished on
May 15; the cotyledons appeared nine days later; the first flower spike ap-
peared on June 13, the second on July 11, and the third on July 26. Since
then planting has been done as early as possible in May, and the harvesting
delayed until after a killing frost.
It is quite obvious from what has been written that the castor bean will
not be successful in the Middle West unless it can be planted, cultivated, and
harvested by machine. All the experimental work at the Arboretum has
been directed toward adapting the crop to machine operation. All planting
has been done with an ordinary two-row corn planter, slightly modified to
handle the large soft seeds without crushing. The rows have been spaced
42 inches apart and the plants about 14 inches in the row. Cultivation at
first was with a small garden tractor, but now it is done with a tractor-
mounted row crop cultivator. Harvesting has been done with a combine
without special equipment, although some additional work is needed here.
The solution appears to be the use of a huller after the combine separates
the seed with enveloping hulls from the rest of the plant in the field.
This variety seems to be at least partly the fulfillment of Professor
Shaw’s hope. In any event, the strain should be valuable in a breeding
program, since a laboratory analysis of the extracted oil is quite favorable,
and a yield test at the University of Illinois shows an average of 1,422 pounds
of seed per acre.
The greens of late autumn.—Most of the green in our late autumn land-
scape comes from Europe. It is the European trees (the cultivated apple,
the Scotch and English Elms, and English oaks) which still hold their leaves
unwithered after our native ones have colored. Our native grasses are
almost as bright in the fall as our native trees but few people notice that
they too finish the season in brown and russet and purple. The green lawns
of November are green with European grasses, creeping bent, and red top,
and Kentucky blue grass (which is an introduced grass here in the eastern
United States in spite of its common name).
176 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
TESTING SOME LOCAL FIREWOODS
ROBERT W. SCHERY ann DENNISON H. MOREY, JR.
On September 1, 1946, misfortune in the form of a “tornado” striking
the Garden gave us opportunity to gather samples of many kinds of logs all
“felled” on that memorable date. Diverse were the personal evaluations
heard for these different types of (potential) fire logs, and uncertain was
the opinion of even fireplace enthusiasts concerning many common woods
not frequently marketed as firewood. Almost every one agreed that cherry,
for instance, was better firewood than box elder, but no one could tell how
much better or specifically why. Since no one had “‘statistics” for proving
his contention, we decided to test these available woods objectively—to let
measurement back up, or refute, opinion. The results of our tests and a
numerical evaluation of all species tested are here presented for what they
may be worth. Table 5 gives the total point score for all tested woods. But
before outlining the details of these tests, we shall review briefly some known
facts concerning wood as a fuel.
Wood substance, the cell walls of wood exclusive of its contained air,
gives essentially equal quantity of heat upon burning for all kinds of wood
(roughly 4 calories per gram of wood burned). That is to say, a pound of
bone-dry wood, be it birch or oak or any other kind, will release equal
quantities of heat, namely about 8600 B.t.u. Consequently, heavier logs,
those with less air space in the cells, will release upon burning a greater
quantity of heat; or, put another way, among logs of equal size, those with
more cell-wall substance will produce the greater amount of heat. Heavier
woods, then, are superior for quantity of heat.
Normally, firewood is never completely dry. When a fire log is first
thrown on the fire, heat is used to expel the moisture—i.e., to “dry” the
wood. This is the first phase in burning any log. The more moist the log the
more heat will be required to evaporate the moisture and the less heat will
then be released in burning. Very wet or “green” logs can be ignited only in
very hot fires. “Green” wood is thus less suitable for firewocd than is
“seasoned” or drier wood.
In the second phase of the burning of a log the gases or volatile materials
are expelled from the wood. These volatile materials consist of oils, resins,
alcohols, and other extracts that are found in greater or lesser quantities in
the cell walls of the wood cells. As the log heats they are vaporized into
the gaseous form and are emitted from the log. They burn in the air to
form the characteristic “flame” of a fire. Heat is required to distil or
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 177
volatilize these materials, and this volatilization will reduce the efficiency of
the fire unless it is hot enough to ignite all expelled gases which, in turn,
produce heat in burning. Sufficient air, as well as high ignition tempera-
ture, must be present for the volatile materials to burn. If they fail to burn
not only is their value as fuel lost, but also they may condense on the flue
as a tar or creosote, a subsequent fire or corrosion hazard. Thus logs with
lesser quantities of “resin”, and this easily volatalized and ignited, are usually
to be desired for firewood.
In the third and final phase in log burning the “coals” or embers burn.
All volatile material has been released and the fixed carbon of the wood cell
walls burns (glows) without flame as long as air is sufficient for combus-
tion. The “coals” emit great quantities of heat which in this phase usually
need not be diverted for evaporation of moisture nor volatilization of resins.
Logs forming dense, lasting “‘coals” are therefore desirable for firewood.
Well-seasoned logs are a relatively efficient source of heat. A cord of a
good, dry hardwood will produce more heat than a ton of coal (and less ash
will remain afterwards). Moreover, wood is normally clean and easily
handled, and when properly burned no objectionable smoke will result. But,
as we have seen, to be efficient, it must be dry. Wood dries mostly from
the end surface (i.e. cross section, cutting across the cells). Bark on a log
hinders drying, and large logs must be split to permit drying of inner wood.
For this reason, shorter logs of a kind easily split, that naturally contain or
absorb little moisture, are those to be desired for firewood.
In our tests, all the logs were “harvested” on the same date by the
“tornado.” These felled logs were left outdoors, completely exposed to the
elements from September 1 until December 15. Let us see what our simple
tests revealed about several Missouri-grown hardwoods.
Test 1. Density in woods.—
From various sources the densities of the sample woods were ascertained.
These densities are tabulated as Table 1. Density (or more precisely, specific
gravity) indicates weight per unit volume—the weight of each wood com-
pared to an equal volume of water. Those with a higher specific gravity,
being heavier, are a potential source of more heat in burning. Reference to
Table 1 shows us that of the nineteen wood types tested, judged solely on
potential quantity of heat to be produced in burning, apple, black locust,
Osage orange, and hawthorn are the best fire logs, while cottonwood, box
elder, and catalpa are the poorest. Others, such as birch and silver maple, are
intermediate.
178 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
TABLE IL—DENSITY (SPECIFIC GRAVITY) OF 19 KINDS OF WOOD TESTED
AS FIRELOGS
Botanical name Common name Pounds per | Density
cubic feet |
Acer Negundo Box Elder 26 0.41
Acer saccharinum Silver Maple 34 0.54
Ailanthus altissima Tree of Heaven 45 0.71
Betula nigra River Birch 35 0.55
Catal pa speciosa Catalpa 26 0.41
Crataegus sp. Hawthorn 48 0.76
Evonymus Bungeana Wahoo 42 0.66
Fraxinus sp. Ash 42 0.66
Gleditsia triacanthos Honey Locust 44 0.69
Maclura pomifera Osage Orange 48 0.76
Malus sp. Apple 51 0.80
Morus alba Mulberry 47 0.74
Platanus occidentalis Sycamore 36 0.57
Populus deltoides Cottonwood Poplar 24 0.38
Prunus sp. Cherry 36 0.57
Quercus palustris Pin Oak 45 0.71
Robinia Pseudacacia Black Locust 48 0.76
Sassafras variifolinm Sassafras 32 0.51
Ulmus americana American Elm 34 | 0.54
|
Test 2. Moisture in the logs.—
“Greenness” of the logs after 2'%-months exposure in the open was
ascertained by weighing the samples, then thoroughly drying them in a
constant-temperature oven! and reweighing. Comparison of the two weights
permits calculation of the percentage of moisture in the logs at the beginning
of the test. The results, tabulated in Table 2, show that the logs felled
September 1 had been cnly slightly “seasoned” (i.e. had only partially dried
out) by December 15. On that date they still contained 22-52 per cent
moisture, which in many cases is only slightly less than the usual moisture
content of comparable newly felled “green” wood. Definitely superior for
firewood, on the basis of moisture content in these samples, were hawthorn,
Osage orange and black locust, while definitely inferior were cottonwood,
wahoo, box elder and birch.
That samples were completely oven-dried is indicated by the fact there was no weight
loss in the dried samples between the December 19 and December 30 weighinzs. In fact,
during this period samples showed a slight weight increase because they had been removed
from the oven several hours prior to the December 30 weighing, and in these several hours
had had opportunity to absorb some moisture from the air.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 179
TABLE 2.—PERCENTAGE OF MOISTURE IN GREEN WOOD
Weight in grams
Dec. 15 Dec. 19 Dec. 30 Per cent
Botanical name Common name (before (after (after moisture
drying) 4 days 15 days Dec. 15
in drying | in drying
oven) oven)
Acer Negundo Box Elder 66.1 38.6 39.4 41.6
Acer saccharinum Silver Maple 62.5 38.15 39.0 38.9
Ailanthus altissima Tree of Heaven 106.7 T22 72.8 32.5
Betula nigra River Birch 256.0 152:2 155.5 40.5
Catalpa speciosa Catalpa 52.4 36.8 37.0 29.6
Crataegus sp. Hawthorn 70.5 53:3 54.5 22.6
Evonymus Bungeana Wahoo 74.7 42.7 43.2 42.9
Fraxinus sp. Ash 254.1 180.6 184.5 29.0
Gleditsia triacanthos Honey Locust 326.5 213.5 217.2 34.0
Maclura pomifera Osage Orange 121.5 93.6 94.6 24.3
Malus sp. Apple 201.6 125.4 126.8 37.9
Morus alba Mulberry 75.3 47.2 48.1 37.4
Platanus occidentalis Sycamore 61.0 44.2 45.0 27.6
Populus deltoides Cottonwood Poplar 133.1 64.0 64.8 52:1
Prunus sp. Cherry 130.6 92.2 93.5 29.4
Quercus palustris Pin Oak 178.7 115.3 117.5 3557
Robinia Pseudacacia Black Locust 126.6 96.0 95.6 24.6
Sassafras variifolium Sassafras 98.8 68.8 70.0 30.4
Ulmus americana American Elm 114.7 83.7 85.5 26.1
Test 3.
Ability of logs to ignite or kindle.—
Each of the samples, both in oven-dried state and as an ‘“‘unseasoned”’
control, were mechanically held a standard distance above a constant gas
flame for definite periods (timed with a stop-watch). The completely dry
samples were subjected to the flame for three consecutive 15-second periods
Results
If the sample continued burning throughout the interval the
with 15-second intervals between exposures. are tabulated in
Table 3A.
maximum full-time figure (15) is given. Observations after the final ex-
posure to flame were continued up to 1 minute, and if the sample held a
flame for this length of time (60 seconds) presumably it could continue
burning. The “score” in the column to the right records our impression of
the quality and quantity of flame produced, where 5 = highest, grading
down to 1 = lowest.
““Unseasoned” woods, the undried control samples! from the same logs
as tested in Table 3A, were given a similar test. Results are recorded in
Table 3B.
described in the previous paragraph, except that the exposure time was
Samples were exposed to the same flame in the same manner as
1) Kept outdoors: at near freezing temperature when tested.
TABLE 3.—ABILITY OF LOGS TO IGNITE OR KINDLE WHEN EXPOSED TO STANDARDIZED GAS FLAME
O8T
A—SEASONED WOOD B—UNSEASONED WOOD
. _ Exposures (15 sec.)* | ug op of ge aa aac ae
Botanical name Common name (1) (2) (3) | flame “Good” Hold Intensity Hold
| flame flame smoke flame
Acer Negundo Box Elder 15 15 15 | 3 40° sec 0 sec. 2 0 sec
Acer saccharinum Silver Maple 15 15 60 5 300=«°” Oo” 5 =
Ailanthus altissima Tree of Heaven 15 15 60 2 80.0” o- 3 0 ”
Betula nigra River Birch 12 15 60 4 15; * [. 10.”
Catal pa speciosa Catalpa 15 15 60 - a 5” 3 oO ”
Crataegus sp. Hawthorn 15 15 60 + 8” 1” 2. %
Evonymus Bungeana Wahoo 15 15 60 3.5 40” 0 ” 2 0 ”
Fraxinus sp. Ash 15 15 at) 3 40” 0 ” 1 ”
Gleditsia triacanthos Honey Locust 15 15 60 3 None 0” 1 Qo ”
Maclura pomifera Osage Orange 6 12 30 1 60” 0 ” 3 0, -s
Malus sp. Apple 2 15 60 3 90 ” 0” 3 0:
Morus alba Mulberry 12 15 60 2 65” 0 ” 2 Qo ”
Platanus occidentalis Sycamore 15 15 60 | 4.5 4500” 0 ” 1 0 ”
Populus deltoides Cottonwood Poplar 15 15 60 5 7 % 0” 2 0 ”
Prunus sp. Cherry 15 15 60 3.5 1 ie 3 0 ”
Quercus palustris Pin Oak 3 15 60 3 70” o ” 1 0 ”
Robinia Pseudacacia Black Locust 15 15 60 2 10 ” Qo ” 2 0 ”
Sassafras variifolinm Sassafras 15 15 60 | 3.5 60 ” o ” 3 o ”
Ulmus americana American Elm 15 15 60 | - 5” o ” 2 0”
|
*Figures in these columns indicate the number of seconds each sample held
its flame after the gas
flame was removed.
NILLATING NACUYVY TIVOINV.LOG TYNAOSSIW
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 181
altered. The first period of exposure to the gas flame was 90 seconds, which
was followed by a 120-second exposure after an interval of 15 seconds with
gas flame removed. The first column to the left indicates the number of
seconds elapsed during the first exposure period before a “good”? visible flame
appeared. Seldom was this flame maintained after withdrawal of the gas
flame. Observations on flame maintenance are recorded in the second
column from the left. In the second column from the right a “‘score’’ is
given for intensity of smoke for those samples which did not “catch fire”
after the second (2-minute) exposure to the gas flame. Scoring grades from
3 (= much smoke) down to 1 (= little smoke). The final column to the
right records the number of seconds, if any, that the sample held its flame
after final withdrawal of the gas flame. It will be noted that very few of
these “‘unseasoned” samples were at all self-sustaining in flame.
Results of this test emphasize how superior any dry or “seasoned” wood
is to any moist or “‘unseasoned” wood in ability to kindle or “catch fire.”
More than four times as much total exposure to gas flame was given the “un-
seasoned” woods as the “seasoned” woods, yet it will be noted that very few
“unseasoned” woods caught fire at all, while almost all ‘seasoned’ woods
caught fire in a few seconds of exposure. This result overshadows slight
differences in “kindlability” in equally seasoned samples, but among the
types tested Osage orange, birch, apple and oak were most difficult to ignite
(dry samples). Birch, catalpa and hawthorn seemed very slightly more
flammable “‘unseasoned.”
Test 4. Volatile materials and coaling qualities of woods.—
Dry samples of each of the woods were cut into blocks of 2.5 square
cm., then burned in an electric furnace. The time necessary for all volatile
material to be expelled (as indicated by duration of flame), and the total
time necessary for complete reduction to ash (length of time coals endured)
was ascertained. Results are given in Table 4, including an arbitrary ratio of
fixed to volatile fuel substance (duration of coals divided by duration of
flame). Cottonwood, mulberry and box elder seemed to have the least
amount of volatile material per unit to volume of wood (and lesser fixed
carbon substance as well): they, along with hawthorn and catalpa, would
seem to be poorer fire woods on the basis of continued flame and lasting
coals. On the other hand, Osage orange, honey locust, cherry, and black
locust are superior (once ignited) in producing lasting coals, although under
conditions of incomplete combustion of volatile materials they might cause
some “‘creosote trouble.”
182
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
TABLE 4.—VOLATILE MATERIALS AND COALING QUALITIES OF WOODS
Botanical name
Common name
Acer Negundo
Acer saccharinum
Ailanthus altissima
Betula nigra
Catal pa speciosa
Crataegus sp.
Evonymus Bungeane
Fraxinus sp.
Gleditsia triacanthos
Maclura pomifera
Malus sp.
Morus alba
Platanus occidentalis
Populus deltoides
Prunus sp.
Quercus palustris
Robinia Pseudacacia
Sassafras variifolinm
Ulmus americana
Box Elder
Silver Maple
Tree of Heaven
River Birch
Catalpa
Hawthorn
Wahoo
Ash
Honey Locust
Osage Orange
Apple
Mulberry
Sycamore
Cottonwood Poplar
Cherry
Pin Oak
Black Locust
Sassafras
American Elm
Duration of
flame*
47 seconds
59 Fs
* Figures in this column
indicate number
56 ,
50 ”
57 ”
49 7
50 »
59 sd
67 a
63 es
57 ie
43 as
49 a
44 =
56 ad
55 ”
65 -
52 .
61 ad
seconds flame
Duration of :
noakt Ratio§
9 minutes 11.5
11 » 11.0
13 = 13.9
12 7 15.4
8 ” 8.4
9 a 11.0
94%,” 11.4
13 13.2
21%” 19.3
23 ed 21.9
15 = 15.8
15 » 20.9
11 - 13.5
8 » 10.9
20 i“ 21.4
14 ee, 15.3
16 - 14.4
10 ” 11.5
14 ” 13.8
endured (volatile materials
produced) when sample was burned in an electric furnace—timed with stop-watch,
¥+ Figures in this column
(not reduced to complete ash).
§ This ratio is of interest only for relative values.
indicate to nearest '4 minute the time sample
remained a coal
Absolute values (and even to some extent
relative values) would be profoundly influenced by design of the furnace causing various
degrees of exclusion of air from the coals.
Now, to select the best all-round firewood from among the samples tested,
let us give credit to each for quantity in desirable characteristics.
In Table
5 a total score is given for each sample, which was derived by arbitrarily
allotting points as follows:
Density (indication of potential heat):
0.78-8.0 — 10 points
0.74-0.77 — 9 -
0.70-0.73 — 8 »
0.66—0.69 —- 7 »
0.62—0.65 — 6 ”
0.58—-0.61 — 5 *
0.54-0.57
0.50-0.53
0.46—-0.49
0.42—0.45
0.38—-0.41
points
9
4
3
2 9
1
0
Moisture content of samples (indication of available heat and flammability) :
22-25.9 per cent — 7 points
38-41.9 per cent — 3 points
459. 8 F 2a
CS a a
50-53.9 ” » — 0 ee
005% FF eg OM
$0-35.0 FO oe OH
34-379 °° age
Ability to kindle and quality of flame (as seen in Table 3):
Good _.......... eee 3 points
Moderately good ...... 2 ”
QL Sexe cecs cerunendcsseatseces 1 i
Poor o.oo. eee cece eee eeeeee 0 7
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 183
Durability of coals (middle column, Table 4):
18-23 — 2 points
13-17.9 — 1 a
8-12.9 — 0 ‘a
Ratio of fixed fuel to volatile substance (right column, Table 4):
20-22 — 3 points
16-19.9 — 2 sj
12-15.9 — 1 a
8-11.9 — 0 .
A perfect score (highest number points in all categories) would thus be
25, and complete failure 0. Examining Table 5, we note, then, that Osage
orange (with 21 points), black locust (20), and hawthorn (19) are the
better all-round fire logs among our samples, while cottonwood poplar (2),
followed by box elder (5), silver maple (9), catalpa (9), sassafras (10) and
birch (10) are the poorest. Cherry, mulberry, apple, ash, honey locust, tree
of heaven, and oak score as better-than-average firewood, while elm, sycamore
and wahoo score as only moderately satisfactory. This, of course, does not in-
dicate that these woods will always test best or poorest. Possibly even di-
ferent branches from the same tree might have given slightly different scores
TABLE 5.—TOTAL POINT SCORE FOR EACH OF THE WOODS
TESTED’ -AS’ FIRE: LOGS
Points
Botanical name Common name vera a | ee
| Density ie Kindl-| Coals | Ratio Se
Acer Negundo | Box Elder 0 3 2 0 0 5
Acer saccharinum Silver Maple 4 3 2 0 0 9
Ailanthus altissima Tree of Heaven 8 5 1 1 1 16
Betula nigra | Black Birch 4 2 3 0 1 10
Catal pa speciosa | Catalpa 0 6 3 0 0 9
Crataegus sp. | Hawthorn 9 7 3 0 0 19
Evonymus Bungeana | Wahoo 7 2 2 0 0 11
Fraxinus sp. | Ash | 7 6 2 1 1 17
Gleditsia triacanthos | Honey Locust | 7 4 1 2 2 16
Maclura pomifera* | Osage Orange 9 7 0 2 3 21
Malus sp. Apple 10 4 1 1 1 17
Morus alba Mulberry 9 4 1 1 3 18
Platanus occidentalis Sycamore 4 6 2 0 1 13
Populus deltoides Cottonwood Poplar 0 0 2 0 0 2
Prunus sp. Cherry 4 6 3 2 3 18
Quercus palustris Oak 8 4 1 1 1 15
Robinia Pseudacacia Black Locust 9 7 2 1 I 20
Sassafras vartifolinm Sassafras 3 5 2 0 0 10
Ulmus americana American Elm + 6 2 1 1 14
* Osage orange may be somewhat undesirable in spite of its high point score because of its
tendency to throw sparks. Caution should be taken to place an adequate firescreen in front
of the fireplace when the wood is burned.
184 MISSOURI BOT ANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
if, for instance, one may have been partially dead before felling. Likewise,
these tests were run only once, unconfirmed by subsequent checking. Un-
deniably, error often occurred in measuring; for example, samples used in
Test 4 could not always be cut to exactly 2.5 sq. cm. on our power saw.
Yet, in spite of the many defects and uncertainties, we hope that we have
backed up with figures an inherent but unanalyzed knowledge of fuel wood
that addicts of wood fire have come by naturally.
AN ORCHID ODDITY
R. J. SEIBERT!
One should never underestimate the powers of nature in the plant king-
dom. Already we are familiar with some of them in the orchid family,
namely, special adaptations such as epiphytic growth and the symbiotic?
relationship between certain fungi and orchid roots. I wonder, though, how
many know that some orchids can rather readily change their sex. As you
know, some plant species are characterized by having separate male and
female flower-producing plants, for instance, the holly. In other plants,
such as the cat-tail, both male and female flowers are produced on the same
plants. Still others, in fact most plants, produce perfect flowers containing
both the male and female parts. The orchid Catasetum saccatum Lindl. can
do all of these in the same plant.
During June, 1945, I was in the Madre de Dios Department of Peru,
searching the jungles for superior strains of the Hevea rubbertree for planta-
tion use. After a particularly exasperating day, I turned for a moment to
examine a palm tree, Scheelea sp., whose fruit indicated that it might be of
more than passing interest as a source of vegetable oil. During the examina-
tion of the palm trunk, a rather large epiphytic orchid plant with pseudo-
bulbs about 10 inches long and 1'% inches in diameter revealed itself. The
plant bore an erect spike of some four or five large cup-shaped waxy green
female flowers. The petals were normally very small, somewhat purplish in
color, and inconspicuous in the light of the somewhat oversized labellum,
some 2 inches long and over 1 inch in diameter. As a thing of beauty this
orchid plant left much to be desired, but as it was from a region botanically
unexplored it was collected more as a curiosity than for its value as a
shoulder-piece. By mule, on foot, and finally by air, the plant was taken
back over the Andes to Lima, where I potted it in fern roots in a home-
TAgent (Botanist), Rubber Plant Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils and
Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Research Administration, United States Department
of Agriculture.
“Symbiosis is the living together of unlike organisms, with benefit to one or the other, or
both.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 185
made bamboo pot. After a year in Lima it started to send out a spike, in
June, 1946, about the time I was ready to return to the States.
Packing and shipping the plant from Lima to the Missouri Botanical
Garden damaged the young spike. However, it recuperated after a year at the
Garden, and on June 20 of this year it burst forth into a beautiful cascade of
bloom. It was then identified as Catasetum saccatum Lindl. Neither
rough handling, climatic conditions, nor change of hemisphere will appar-
Female flower (left figure) and male flower (right) produced on the same plant of
Catasetum saccatum in different years.
ently keep the plant from blossoming in June. The amazing thing, however,
is that the same plant which sent out female flowers in Peru decided to pro-
duce male flowers in St. Louis. The male inflorescence and flowers are
entirely different and seemingly unrelated to those of the female. Here the
spike is pendent, with 20 very attractive flowers, deep rust-purple with light
spots. They are each about 2'% inches in diameter, with the attractive
petals the conspicuous feature rather than an ugly labellum. Another un-
usual thing that this plant did was to bloom again, two months later, and
that time the flowering spike carried 22 flowers.
Catasetum saccatum and other members of the genus have the power to
produce more or less readily either male or female flowers in different years.
186 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
The flowers of each sex are so utterly different in structure and beauty as
seemingly to come from entirely different species. Still another freak con-
dition is reported to occur in this genus; that is, on rare occasions the plant
will produce a perfect flower which takes on still a different aspect from
that of the other two types.
We know little concerning the reasons for such radical changes of ex-
pression in plants. Perhaps in this case it was due to being moved from
Peru to Missouri? As they say in Peru, “Quien sabe?”
THE SWAN ORCHID (CYCNOCHES VENTRICOSUM )
PAUL H. ALLEN
The genus Cycnoches numbers in its ranks some of the most remarkable
and perplexing of known orchids, producing staminate, pistilate, and her-
maphroditic flowers which sometimes bear only the slightest resemblance to
one another. The fact that plants were flowered in European green-
houses at about the time when Darwin, Lindley, and others were engaged in
studies on the species problem caused widespread consternation, for here
were plants which could produce at successive flowerings blooms of such
widely divergent structure as seemingly to demand separation into distinct
genera. Further careful. observation of plants under cultivation soon dis-
closed that the Swan Orchids could be separated into two well-marked
groups of species. In the first of these the dimorphism of the male and
female flowers was extreme, with pronounced differences in size, structure
and coloration, while in the second group the staminate and pistillate forms
differ only in the shape and nature of the column, the other floral segments
being essentially identical in size, texture, and coloration. The subject of
the illustration is the largest and most striking example of the former
group, ranging from Guatemala through the lowlands of Central America
to Colombia and Venezuela.'
The slender, cylindric pseudobulbs are sheathed during the growing
season by thin, green, plicate (folded into plaits) leaves which are deciduous,
the persistent basal portions drying silvery white. Average plants are 9-12
inches in height, but individuals whose roots have come in contact with
rotten wood exhibit the same phenomenon observed in other orchid genera
in that titanic specimens develop, often over 30 inches tall. Since the
potential number of inflorescences is determined by the number of available
lig gheieuals and plates determined by recognized authorities are to be trusted, the
plants known variously as C. ventricosum, C. Warscewiczit and C. chlorochilum are identi-
cal. The name ventricosum proposed in 1837 by Bateman would have priority of publication
over the other two.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Cycnoches ventricosum, bearing staminate (male) flower.
187
188 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
leaf axils, these monster plants are very free-flowering, and as many as nine
spikes are produced in succession from the topmost leaf axil downward.
These arching scapes consist of from 3 to 9 large and attractive flowers,
which average 5 inches in diameter, the staminate form being most com-
monly seen. The sepals and petals are pale green when they first open but
become greenish-yellow with age, the lip pure white, with a black-green
depression below the ventricose disk.
The common name of Swan Orchid has been suggested by the slender,
curved column. The flowers have a heavy and delightful fragrance during
the morning hours. When in bloom they are one of the most beautiful
objects to be met with in nature, combining delicacy of coloring with ex-
quisite form and fragrance. Initial experiments conducted over several
years to maintain the extra size of collected plants found on rotton wood
were not a success since direct potting with such material could not provide
permanent firmness. Recent trials, in which the plants were securely wired
to blocks of tree fern, in baskets which were then filled with pieces of
decaying wood, have been a complete success on the twelve moderate-sized
plants available for the test. Normal plants grow well in small pots, with
Osmunda fiber, and shifting every other year is recommended since
Cycnoches seldom retains more than one sound pseudobulb back of the
current season’s growth.
NOTES
Dr. Henry N. Andrews, Paleobotanist to the Garden and for the past
three years Assistant to the Director, has been appointed Dean of the Henry
Shaw School of Botany.
The third number of Volume 34 of the ANNALS OF THE MIssourRI
BoTANICAL GARDEN has been issued, containing the following papers: Mono-
graph of the North American Species of Corydalis, by Gerald B. Ownbey;
A Study of Hevea, with Its Economic Aspects, in the Republic of Peru, by
Russell J. Seibert.
Dr. Russell J. Seibert, Botanist, Division of Rubber Plant Investigations,
Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils and Agricultural Engineering, U. S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture, is spending some time at the Garden before taking up
his position at Turrialba, Costa Rica, where our government maintains a
rubber experiment station.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 189
In driving through the farm country along the Missouri River which
was so extensively flooded last spring, it was interesting to note how very
susceptible are certain trees and shrubs to flood damage. The cultivated
sour cherry was most easily damaged, with lilacs a close second. Around
several farmsteads which were under water for only a short time the cherry
trees were all killed outright but other trees and shrubs now look essentially
sound,
Recent visitors to the Garden include: Sr. Alfredo Amescua, of Mexico
City; Mr. Frank Barger, Landscape Gardener, Monrovia, Calif.; Dr. William
L. Brown, Geneticist, Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn Co., Johnston, Iowa; Mr. Eric
Halbinger, orchid fancier, of Mexico City; Mr. Gordon Haskell, from the
John Innes Horticultural Institution, Merton, England, now Graduate
Fellow in Genetics and Plant Breeding, of the Agricultural Research Council
of Great Britain; Mr. Raymond Hogshead, tropical plant grower, North
Miami, Fla.; Dr. George Thomas Johnson, Assistant Professor of Botany,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass.; Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Neutra, of Los Angeles, Calif.; Mr. B. C. Smith, assistant in the department
of floriculture, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y.; Dr. Louis O. Williams,
Botanist, United Fruit Co., Tegucigalpa, Honduras, C. A.
Dr. G. A. L. Mehlquist, Research Horticulturist to the Garden, has re-
turned from England where he spent three months on a John Simon
Guggenheim Fellowship grant, studying certain cytological and genetical
problems of orchid breeding. From the John Innes Horticultural Institu-
tion, Merton, where he made his headquarters, he made trips to most of the
commercial orchid nurserigs and many private estates. The Royal Horti-
cultural Society generously furnished him a _ Fellow’s pass for the
fortnightly exhibitions in London and the Trial Gardens at Wisley. Dr.
Mehlquist also spent some time in Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden, where
he visited botanical gardens and horticultural establishments.
Croton capitatus is a common weed of waste places and old fields, which,
like many other members of the spurge family, has three large seeds, close
together in one seed-pod, almost like a pawn-broker’s sign. In Missouri its
special virtues seem to have escaped attention but farther south in Texas
and Arkansas it is respected as an excellent game food. In some places it is
even becoming generally known as “Dove-seed” because the Mourning
Doves feed so commonly on it during the autumn and early winter.
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN
The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr.
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date until his death in 1889 it
was maintained under his personal direction. Although popularly
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden
was chosen by Mr. Shaw and he definitely indicated that he wished
it called by that name. The Garden passed at his death into the
hands of a Board of Trustees, designated in Mr. Shaw’s will, and
the Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members,
is self-perpetuating. By a further provision of the will the immedi-
ate direction of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by
the Board. The Garden receives no support from city or state but
is maintained almost exclusively from the estate left by Henry
Shaw. Since 1939 many Garden Clubs and interested individuals
have contributed to a “Friends of the Garden Fund” which is used
in developing the new Arboretum, located at Gray Summit, Mo.
The Arboretum (1) serves as a source of plants, trees and shrubs
for the city Garden; (2) affords areas for gradually establishing
a pinetum, a wild-flower reservation and various other features
on a scale not possible in the city; (3) provides greenhouses for
some 20,000 orchid plants.
The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species
of plants are grown, both out of doors and under glass. It is open
every day in the year except New Year’s Day and Christmas; week
days, 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.; Sundays, 10:00 a.m. until 7:00
p.m. The greenhouses are closed every day at 5:00 p.m.
The main entrance to the Garden is at Tower Grove and
Flora Place, on the Sarah bus line (No. 42). The Tower Grove bus
(No. 21), direct from downtown, passes within three blocks of the
main entrance.
THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
Richard J. Lockwood
Daniel K. Catlin
Eugene Pettus
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
penne SP Ass 2. 25 Sh ee _.... President
reer, 8 ee ee re Vice-President
Second Vice-President
L. Ray Carter
Dudley French
Henry Hitchcock
Arthur H. Compton.
A. P. Kaufmann
John S. Lehmann
George T. Moore
A. Wessel Shapleigh
Ethan A. H. Shepley
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
Chancellor, Washington University
eee Mayor of the City of St. Louis
Stratford L. Morton.
William Scarlett
President, St. Louis Academy of Science
Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri
Elmore M. Putney.
Gerald Ulrici _............
President, Board of Education of St. Louis
Secretary
STAFF
Director
George T. Moore
Hermann von Schrenk
ademas Pathologist
Curator of Herbarium
Jesse M. Greenman
Carroll W. Dodge
setenates Mycologist
feral Geneticist
Edgar Anderson
Robert E. Woodson, Jr
Assistant Curator of Herbarium
Henry N. Andrews _.....
Robert W. Schery
_____.... Paleobotanist
Research Associate
Gustav A. L. Mehlquist
Nell C. Horner
Research Horticulturist
Librarian and Editor
Gerald Ulrici__........-...
Business Manager
George H. Pring
Superintendent
Paul A. Kohl
= Floriculturist
Ladislaus Cutak
In charge of Succulents
August P. Beilmann________-
G. R. Lowry-_--
scageuascroe Manager of the Arboretum, Gray Summit
_.....Orchid Grower
Gurney Wilson, F.L.S
Representative in England, Hove, Sussex
Paul H. Allen
Tropical Plant Collector
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and garden clubs—$1.00 a copy if 10 or more copies are sent to
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MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN.
Published monthly except July and August. Subscription price,
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Garden Water-lilies. Price 25 cents for set of 8.
MUIISSOURI BOTANICAL
GARDEN BULLETIN
CONTENTS
The Holly Columnea Allenii
A New Bamboo for St. Louis A Native Oxalis as a Garden Plant
Oncidium stipitatum Annual Course in Horticulture
for Amateurs
Notes
‘olume XXAXV be ovember, 1947 Number 9
Cover: Branch of American Holly (Ilex opaca)
Editorial Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue,
St. Louis 10, Missouri.
Published monthly except July and August by the Board of Trustees of the
Missouri Botanical Garden. Subscription price: $2.50 a year.
Office of publication: 306 E. Simmons Street, Galesburg, Hlinois.
Entered as second-class matter January 26, 1942, at the post-office at Gales-
burg, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Please: Do not discard a copy of the Bulletin. If you have no further use for yours
pass it along to a friend or return it to the Garden. Return postage will
be guaranteed.
Missouri Botanical
Garden Bulletin
Vol. XXXV NOVEMBER, 1947 No. 9
AMERICAN HOLLY
PAUL A. KOHL
Here in the Missouri Botanical Garden, and even more in Tower Grove
Park, are groups of American Holly, Ilex opaca, which were planted many
years ago. For more than fifty years these trees have survived all the varia-
tions in temperature from extreme cold to excessive heat, drought, storms,
and the smoke palls which occurred each year up until 1940. The value of
the American Holly as a broad-leaved evergreen for this part of the country
was recognized early in the history of the Garden and Park, and we find
the following interesting comment on Christmas holly in the annual report
of Tower Grove Park for the year ending December 31, 1900:
The experience of a third of a century in caring for the trees in the Park has
developed the fact that most of the conifers are destined to be ultimately lost, or at
most to eke out a precarious existence, in the trying climate of St. Louis. The
evergreen Christmas holly (Ilex opaca), in combination with other trees of per-
sistent foliage, will doubtless be used in replacing these inevitable losses. With its
green leaves and red berries, this holly forms a striking effect, and is calculated to
lend as great a charm to the winter landscape as most of the somber conifers are
capable of giving.
The native habitat of American Holly is along the eastern seaboard from
Massachusetts to Florida and inland as far as Texas. In Gray’s ‘Manual of
Botany” and Rehder’s ‘Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs,” Ilex opaca
is listed as native to southeastern Missouri, and Steyermark, in his “Spring
>
Flowers of Missouri,” states that it is almost extinct in this state and should
be protected from ruthless or thoughtless destruction. Since the natural
range of this evergreen holly extends into Missouri one wonders why it was
used here so little in landscape plantings until recent years. Was it because
of the slow growth in the juvenile stage, the inability to distinguish between
the staminate and pistillate trees until they were ten or more years old, or
was it possibly its association only as a source of Christmas greens? What-
ever the reason, it is quite evident that very few hollies were grown in St.
(191)
192 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Louis after the initial plantings in the Garden and Tower Grove Park, some
time between 1875 and 1900.
Formerly hollies were grown either from seed, collected in the woods, or
were grafted to obtain fruiting trees. Vegetative propagation by means of
Fig. 1. Spray of American Holly (Ilex opaca)
cuttings was difficult and not many were grown by that method until
1929, when Zimmerman and Hitchcock’s work! prepared the way towards
a more satisfactory method of propagation. In 1936, the process of rooting
holly was simplified still more through the use of growth-inducing sub-
stances which was also reported by the authors just mentioned”. Now any
evergreen holly, staminate or pistillate, selected or named variety, can be
rooted with little trouble.
propagation of Holly. Contribu
>» W., and A. E. Hitchcock. Vegetative
Vol. 2, No. 4. November, 1929.
'Zimmerman, |
tions from Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research.
1936
“In Contr. Boyce Thompson Inst. Vol. 8, No. 1.
I
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 193
Fig. 2. Group of hollies in the Missouri Botanical Garden
194 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Much interest in the American Holly is centered in Maryland and New
Jersey, and only a few months ago the Holly Society of America was for-
mally organized in Baltimore. In recent years holly experts in the East
have preserved and propagated varieties which they have selected for their
superior qualities. A few of these named varieties are “Arden,” ‘Clark,”
“Croonenberg,” “Delia Bradley,” “Hume No. 1,” “Hume No. 2,” “Merry
,
Christmas,” “Mrs. Santa,” “Pitman,” and “St. Mary,” and these may now
Fig. 4. Holly tree in front of Art Museum in Forest Park
be secured from a few eastern nurseries. In succeeding years it will be
possible to compare these varieties with the types which have been growing
here, but there is little doubt that if seedling trees flourished in this region
the named varieties will grow as well.
Hollies grow best in the open and those that are planted in heavy shade
or those that have gradually become covered by the branches of the faster-
growing deciduous trees will lose many of their leaves and be very spindly.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 1:95
Hollies retain their leaves throughout the year except for the few weeks in
April when the new growths appear.
The hole in which the holly is to be planted should be dug at least three
feet across and equally as deep. Three to four bushels of oak leaf mold or
peat moss should be mixed with the soil that is removed, and all of it re-
turned to the hole and firmed. Not one, but several, hollies should be
planted to insure a crop of berries. Some trees are staminate (or male), but
only the pistillate (female) trees will fruit if a staminate tree is in
Fig. 5. Specimen of American Holly in St. Louis County
the vicinity from which the insects can carry the pollen. The prospective
purchaser should have the assurance of the nurseryman that the trees he is
ordering are the berry-bearing kind, and if no hollies are growing in the
neighborhood, at least one or two staminate trees should also be planted. It
is not known what the distance between a staminate and pistillate tree must
be to insure pollination, but apparently it can be greater than one would
suppose. For example, here in the Garden we have a group of three old
hollies which fruit well each year, with the only staminate tree two-hundred
feet away.
196 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
The best time to plant hollies in the St. Louis area is in late March or
early April, or in September or October. However, planting may be done
any time between these two periods if the ball of earth around the roots is
firm and moist. Firm planting, with a depression left around the tree
for watering, and a constant mulch of leaves or peat moss to conserve
moisture are the important pcints to remember in setting out a_ holly.
It is sometimes suggested that a tree be defoliated when it is transplanted.
This is recommended if a holly is shipped without soil, as is required by some
states, or if the ball is accidentally broken; otherwise it is not necessary.
Removing holly leaves is tedious and must be done with small pruning
shears or scissors.
Fig. 6. Staminate (male) holly flowers Fig. 7. Pistillate (female) holly flowers
Holly flowers are cream-colored and about three-sixteenths of an inch
in diameter. They appear in April along the base of the new shoots, the
staminate flowers in clusters and the pistillate ones on individual stalks. The
berries are green during the summer, yellow-green in October, and bright
red the first of November. Holly berries are bitter and are ignored by the
birds until all other food is gone. In most years the berries remain on the
trees until spring, but cedar-waxwings and robins have been known to strip
the trees in a few days in late winter when their normal food was coated
with ice.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 197
Fig. 8. Transplanted holly seedlings
Fig. 9. Same seedlings six months later
198 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Almost every young holly needs some pruning until it assumes the de-
sired shape. Long branches should be cut and if the tree lacks a leader one
should be encouraged to grow by shortening the laterals. If a holly tree has
too many leaders, giving it the appearance of a shrub, most of them ought to
be removed at the base of the plant. It takes a holly about three years to
adjust itself to the new location, and after that one or several leaders will
grow about a foot each year until the tree reaches a height of fifteen to
twenty feet. From then on almost all of the vertical growth ceases, but
the tree becomes dense and broad.
Feeding a holly is beneficial, but it must not be overdone with the idea
of hastening its growth. An annual mulch of oak leaf mold is very good,
and this may be supplemented with cottonseed meal, very old manure, or
tankage.
Fig. 10. Holly cuttings, all from the same tree, after 60 days in the rooting medium:
te
1—untreated; 2—dipped in Rootone #10; 3—dipped in Hormodin #3; 4—24 hours in
Hormodin A solution.
PROPAGATING THE AMERICAN HOLLY
Holly berries may be gathered in the fall and placed in a jar of water
for one or two weeks to soften the pulp by fermentation. The seeds are
then easily separated from the pulp by rubbing them over a wire screen and
frequently flushing with water. They are then spread on paper and when
dry put in sacks or placed between layers of sand in a box for stratification
outdoors. The following spring the seeds may be sown in a prepared frame,
or in flats or pots. Pots and boxes should always be covered with screening
to keep out rodents. No seedlings will appear the first year, but by the
second spring most of the seeds will have germinated. Seedlings are trans-
planted to flats and a year later are planted into 2'2- or 3-inch pots or
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 199
Fig. Ll. Two- and three-eye leaf cuttings
200 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
directly into a frame. Hollies are easily grown from seed, but it takes time
and one must wait almost ten years before it is possible to select the berried
plants.
With growth-inducing substances in liquid and powder form it is now
possible to root hollies in about two months, whereas it requires about
twenty months to get a start from seed. Cuttings may be made from
October to January, and from our experience during a three-year period we
consider late November and early December about the best time. Cutting-
Fig. 13. Holly cuttings rooted after 70 days: upper row in_ peat moss-sand
medium; lower row, 1n sand.
wood that has been exposed to several degrees of frost is fully ripened and
new growth will develop soon after the plants are potted in January and
February. Cuttings are usually made from the tips of branches, three to
six inches long, each with three to four leaves. Sand is a fairly good rooting
medium, but better results are obtained from a mixture of two-thirds sand
and one-third peat moss. After dipping cuttings in one of the hormone
powders, insert them in the rooting medium, using a dibble. If they are
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 201
placed in a slanting position instead of being set upright in the medium, the
leaves are brought closer to the surface of the cutting bench and transpira-
tion is reduced. During the first few weeks the cuttings should be shaded
on bright days. At least four syringings each day will prevent the leaves
from dropping, an important point to remember, for a cutting without
leaves will not root. Figure 10 shows how well cuttings will root when they
are dipped in growth-inducing substances as compared with those left un-
treated. Liquid hormone preparations induce even more and longer roots
Fig. 14. Single leat and regular holly cuttings
than powders (fig. 10, No. 4), but since holly cuttings root so well in eight
weeks by the powder-dip method, very little is gained by using the solution.
It is a very simple operation to moisten the base of the cutting, dip it into
the powder and immediately insert it in the bench. For best results in root-
ing, the temperature of the cutting bench should always be maintained be-
tween 65 and 70 degrees.
It is possible to propagate many plants from a small amount of cutting-
wood by making single leaf cuttings with one or two buds on each stem.
The cuttings are quite short, as can be seen in fig. 14, but fig. 12 shows that
the length of growth from single leaf cuttings, five months after being
potted, compares favorably with those made from the tips of branches.
It pays to keep the lawn raked in November. Blue grass grows rapidly
then, and it is not happy under a mulch of rotting leaves.
202 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
SOME ADDITIONAL WORTH-WHILE HOLLIES
A. P. BEILMANN
Aside from the American Holly (Ilex opaca), which is grown in many
of our gardens, hollies are not widely used in this area. The genus contains
plants of all sizes, from shrubs to trees, deciduous and evergreen, and all
withstand shearing and shaping. Some of these are of questionable hardi-
ness, but even though they freeze to the ground in severe winters their
foliage is so good that they should find a place in our gardens.
The English Holly (Ilex Aquifolium) has a number of cultivated forms,
all having waxy leaves with very wavy margins and large spiny teeth. They
are not likely to attain a great size in our climate, but their foliage is so
striking that they should be grown even though they freeze occasionally.
Chinese Holly (Ilex cornuta) and its variety, Burfordii, are not likely
to outgrow their place in the garden since they are reported more tender
than the English Holly. However, we have grown them at the Arboretum
for three years in full exposure without their being even a bit damaged.
They look very promising, and the unusual rectangular leaves with three
spines at the tips, which is characteristic of the species, make the foliage of
considerable interest. The leaves of the variety Burfordii are tipped with
only one spine and are the finest, most glossy and waxy of any holly that we
can grow. It differs so much from the species that it might be considered
an entirely different plant. Certainly, its use as an ornamental would be
quite different. ;
The Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata) looks very much like Boxwood and
might easily be confused with that plant as well as substituted for it in the
garden. All the varieties of this species are small, much-branched shrubs.
They are perfectly hardy and entirely at home in the Middle West. They
flower in early spring at the same time as the American Holly and produce
a great number of tiny white flowers. The varieties latifolia and microphylla
have leaves that are very small, about twice as long as that of Boxwood,
lustrous green, and finely serrated. Both of them are almost without a bad
habit and would make excellent hedge plants.
As you drive through Missouri in the fall note the dense stands of short,
upright plants on gravel banks and roadsides where nothing else will grow.
These are the famous Japanese and Korean Lespedezas, two little annuals
which man inadvertently introduced into the Ozarks as if to pay the country
back for some of the damage he had done. They make an excellent ground
cover, they add nitrogen to the soil, and their nutritious little seeds are an
important food for quail.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 203
A NEW HARDY BAMBOO FOR ST. LOUIS
G. H. PRING
Five small plants of a bamboo (labelled Phyllostachys nevinii, but later
described as P. aureosulcata) were received at the Garden from the U. S.
Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Introduction, in April, 1932.
They were immediately planted at the south end of the lotus pool west of
the Aroid House. This location seemed to be ideal, as evidenced by the fact
that the five little plants have now grown into a massive clump of canes
seven to eight feet high and each cane of finger-width thickness. When first
planted the plants would freeze to the ground every winter but now with
good root formation the stronger canes are able to withstand zero tempera-
tures. At the first freeze the foliage turns brown, then falls off, leaving
Phyllostachys aureosulcata at the Garden
the canes bare until early spring. Few bamboos planted in this area have
ever produced the lush tropical effect of this species during the spring and
summer months.
This bamboo was introduced into this country from China in 1908 by
Mr. Frank N. Meyer, plant collector for the U. S$. Department of Agricul-
ture, Division of Plant Exploration and Introduction, and a former member
of the Garden staff. For some years it was carried under the name Phyllo-
stachys nevinii. Dr. F. A. McClure, bamboo specialist of the Department of
Agriculture, suspecting that it had been incorrectly identified, compared
204 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
the herbarium type specimen of P. nevinii deposited at the Kew Gardens,
England, with the introduced material. His conclusion was that the two
represented entirely distinct species, and this view was supported by the fact
that the new bamboo had not been discovered anywhere near the type locality
of P. nevinii during many years of diligent search. In 1945 Dr. McClure
described it as a new species!, Phyllostachys aurecosulcata, the specific name,
meaning “with golden furrows,” in allusion to the distinctive colored fur-
rows of young stems and their branches.
LIVING ON THE ORIGINAL BRANCH IN A GREENHOUSE
FOR TEN YEARS
ONCIDIUM STIPITATUM
G. H. PRING
Visitors frequently ask: ‘How long will an orchid last under cultiva-
tion?” In the September Garden BULLETIN the writer mentions Paphio-
pedilum Rotkschildianum in the collection since 1904.
Observations in the Tropics show that epiphytic orchids will soon perish
after the tree dies, the plants falling to the ground with the loosened bark.
Several large specimens of Cattleya Trianae, collected in Colombia in 1923,
were grown on Missouri logs with the help of attached peat. The plants
flowered annually for several years, and were exhibited in the Floral Display
House.
During 1937, while in Panama, I collected several large specimens of
Oncidium stipitatum with pendent stiletto-shaped leaves 18 inches long.
One small upright specimen was struggling for existence on a one-inch ex-
tended twig, a Tillandsia plant growing in with it. The twig with the
two attached plants was carefully packed and shipped to the Garden where
it was hung up in the South Pit House. For the past ten years the orchid
has grown and flowered annually with no attention but a daily sprinkling of
water. Attached to the original twig are seventeen small pseudobulbs, of
which six are alive on the growing end, three carrying leaves. The annual
growth has been in spiral formation, and at the base the little rosette
Tillandsia was still growing until last year, when it finally succumbed. For
the past ten years the orchid has not increased in size, its leaves averaging
only 5 or 6 inches in length. Since it is making its new growth it now
deserves some assistance so it will be planted in peat in a basket. There it
will have opportunity to grow pendent-fashion and to develop into a plant
like the others collected at the same time. Eventually it should have leaves
18 inches long and flower spikes carrying forty or fifty “Dancing Girl”
flowers.
~Vyour. Wash. Acad. Sci. 35:284.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Oncidium stipitatum living on the original twig in a greenhouse for ten years
206 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
linn.
Columnea Allenii
A NEW GREENHOUSE PLANT
(COLUMNEA ALLENII)
G. H. PRING
In June, 1940, Mr. Paul H. Allen, the Garden’s Tropical Representative,
found a plant in the hills of Panama which was later described as a new
species, Columnea Allenii, by C. V. Morton (in Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 29:42.
1942). In September, 1946, Mr. Allen sent to the Garden by air-mail five
small cuttings of the plant. As soon as they arrived they were taken to the
orchid houses at Gray Summit. There they were rooted in a mixture of
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 207
finely chopped peat, sphagnum moss, and sand, placed in a Wardian case
which is also used for rooting pitcher plants (Nepenthes). Already growing
in this greenhouse were three pubescent-leaved species of Columnea that
were proving somewhat difficult to culture, resenting change of tempera-
ture, particularly a lower water temperature than that of the house. The
new smooth-leaved species does not seem to be so temperamental, since within
a year the young rooted cuttings have developed into a specimen with
pendent showy flowers and leafy stems two feet long. It is by far the best-
growing Columnea that we have ever encountered and could be recom-
mended as a greenhouse plant.
Description.—The genus belongs to the family Gesneriaceae, to which
Gloxinia and Saintpaulia (African Violet) also belong. The flowers are a
brilliant scarlet. The corolla tube is about 1!% inches high, hairy, balloon-
shaped, flaring out at the top into four lobes. The middle upper lobe is cleft,
and the two side ones have an orange-yellow area on the inside (see illustra-
tion). The four stamens are bright yellow and bend forward at the top,
bringing the anthers in position for insect pollination. The stigma is bi-
forked and also bends forward. In the bud stage the sepals show five rows
of purplish-red spine-like ridges, and when the bud opens these ridges form
the deeply cleft margins of the calyx lobes. To the horticulturist this is a
mark of distinction in the species. The leafy stems are 1-2 feet long and
hairy. The leaves are either in pairs or clusters, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate,
glabrous, dark green above, lighter below, with hairy petioles.
A NATIVE OXALIS AS A FOLIAGE PLANT FOR MISSOURI
GARDENS
JULIAN A. STEYERMARK!
Most of us who have enjoyed the decorative value of various cultivated
species of Oxalis with their three-foliolate leaves and usually rose-red or
yellow flowers are probably unaware of the fine qualities of some of our
own Missouri species. Although the native Yellow Wood Sorrels are gen-
erally looked upon as weeds (especially O. stricta and O. corniculata) there
are some members of the genus which are non-weedy and have unusual
colorful foliage. As cultivated garden subjects they deserve recognition by
horticulturists in the Middle West. Such plants are Ovalis europaea and
one of its forms, O. europaea var. Bushii forma vestita.
Assistant Curator of the Herbarium, Chicago (Field) Museum of Natural History, and
author of ‘Spring Flora of Missouri.”
208 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Both Oxalis europaea and its form are found growing throughout the
Ozark region, generally in rocky open woodlands, on bluffs or wooded slopes,
or on level ground. They are conspicuous for their purplish-tinged or
copper-purple leaves, unlike other forms and varieties of the species which
have olive-green or grass-green foliage. Although they are generally found
as single individuals growing wild in the forest, it can easily be imagined
what a striking color effect might be produced by a mass display. The plants
are perennials and favor moist locations apparently in neutral or limey soil.
Seldom has the fall coloring extended over such a long period as in 1947.
Some trees were affected by the summer drought and colored prematurely.
The lack of frost and the warm weather of October kept others from
changing as early as they often do, and early November finds us with a
strange mixture of red-brown oaks and maples still in leaf.
ANNUAL COURSE IN HORTICULTURE FOR AMATEURS
A course in horticulture for amateurs, designed to acquaint the partici-
pants with principles and practices of gardening, with particular reference
to the culture of herbaceous plants, will be given from February 11 to May
5, 1948. The classes will be held in the experimental greenhouse on Wed-
nesdays from 9:00 to 12:00 a. m. The course will be in charge of Dr.
Mehlquist.
REGISTRATION: As it is necessary to limit the class to 25 persons, it is desir-
able that registration be made by letter, with check enclosed payable to
the Missouri Botanical Garden, as soon after January 1 as possible. Tickets
will be distributed at the experimental greenhouse on day of first lecture.
Fee: The registration fee is $15.00 per student, and tickets are not trans-
ferable.
SUBJECT MATTER OF THE COURSE
I. Fundamentals of plant growth.
The role played by light, temperature, water and air.
The soil and associated materials.
Mineral nutrition.
II. Practical points in successful gardening.
Choice of location and soil; preparation and improvement of soil.
The nature and use of fertilizers.
Practical plant propagation: seed sowing, cuttings, and division.
Potting and transplanting of seedlings and cuttings.
Planting and handling of bulbous plants for forcing during winter.
Selection and general care of house plants.
Identification and control of common garden pests and diseases.
Landscaping the home grounds; design, choice of suitable plants and their care.
Preparation and care of lawns.
Demonstration of various phases of garden work. .
(About % of the time will be devoted to theoretical discussions outlined in Section I; the
remainder of the time will be devoted to subjects of Section II.)
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 209
EARLY ACCOUNT OF CHEMICAL TREATMENT FOR TREES
While long regarded as impracticable, if not useless, the use of various
chemicals applied to the roots, or injected into trees as a remedy for certain
diseases is gradually being recognized as at least being worthy of further
experiment. Since a start is now being made towards an attempt to control
plant diseases by chemotherapy the following note which appeared in the
American Journal of Science and Arts for October, 1825, is of some his-
torical interest. Apparently there was no question in the mind of the writer
as to the efficacy of the treatment.
6. RECIPE FOR DRIVING INSECTS FROM TREES—communicated.—Bore
a hole into the trunk of the tree, as far as, or into, the heart, fill this hole with
sulphur, and place in it a well fitted plug. A tree of from four to eight inches in
diameter requires a hole large enough to admit the little finger, and in the same pro-
portion for other and larger or smaller trees. This will usually drive the insects
away in the course of forty-eight hours, but uniformly succeeds, perhaps sometimes
after a longer time. These facts were mentioned to me by the Rev. Dr. Woodhull.
He stated that a fine large shade tree in Albany, was so infested with worms and
caterpillars that passers by were obliged to make a circuit to avoid it; it became so
much of a nuisance that they were on the point of cutting it down, when the appli-
cation of this experiment in forty-eight hours entirely cleared it of the insects.
Col. Rutgers of New York has tried this experiment with (I think) uniform success;
and in several instances, fruit-trees which were almost lifeless were restored.
NOTES
Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, conducted the plant
clinic at the meeting of the St. Louis Horticultural Society, October 3.
The present enrollment of twenty graduate students in the Henry
Shaw School of Botany is the largest in its history. Among them is a
graduate of the University of Rangoon, Burma, and one from the Royal
Institute of Science, Bombay, India.
Dr. Carroll W. Dodge, Mycologist to the Garden, served as chairman of
the section on General Mycology at the Conference on Medical Mycology
organized by the New York Academy of Sciences on October 31 and
November 1. He presented the opening address on “Mycological Research
and the Progress of Medicine.”
Recent visitors to the Garden include: Mr. Rune M. L. Mehlquist,
Eskistuna, Sweden; Mr. Piero Grossi, of Florence, Italy; Mr. Walter Nijhoff,
of the firm of Martinus Nijhoff, Publishers and Bookdealers, of The Hague,
Netherlands, who is responsible for the Garden having an almost complete
set of the European botanical periodicals published during the war years;
210 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Mr. Raymond M. Alsina, Architect, of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Dr. Charles
B. Heiser, Assistant Professor of Botany, University of Indiana, Blooming-
ton; Dr. Antonio Marino A., Agronomist, Secretaria de Agricultura y
Fomento, Mexico.
The 1947 Chrysanthemum Show, which opened on November 9, prom-
ises to be one of the best in recent years. A year ago the bush varieties in
the nursery were severely damaged by the hail storm, and only a small
number of plants could be used. In most seasons, the tarnished plant bug
is the cause of many crippled flower buds, but this year the plants are well
set with buds. This is the result of spraying with DDT, and if the use
of the spray is as successful in succeeding years chrysanthemum growers will
have one less problem to solve in the production of quality stock.
On November 8 an informal round-table conference was held at the
Garden to consider a number of problems connected with the classification
and history of Indian Corn. An ear of corn is one of the most complicated
structures in the entire plant kingdom; recent work at the Garden and else-
where has made the problem even more difficult by demonstrating how
many kinds of maize there are and how fundamentally different is the
structure of the ear in some of these kinds. Those who came to the con-
ference have all been working on one phase or another of this general prob-
lem. In addition to Dr. Van Schaak, Dr. Anderson, and Mr. Jonathan Sauer,
at the Garden, the following took part: Dr. Henri Prat, University of
Montreal; Dr. Paul C. Mangelsdorf, Harvard University; Dr.,Hugh C.
Cutler, Chicago Museum of Natural History; Dr. Richard Laubengayer,
Wabash College; Dr. O. T. Bonnet, University of Illinois; Dr. Paul Weather-
wax, University of Indiana; Dr. William L. Brown, Pioneer Hi-Bred Corn
Company, Johnston, Iowa; Dr. L. J. Stadler, University of Missouri. It is
planned to publish some of the results of the conference in a special number
of the ANNALS.
The Chittimwood, Bumelia lanuginosa, a common but little-known tree
of the Ozark highlands, bears fruit very rarely in the St. Louis area. This
year its dark blue berries are a common sight at the Arboretum at Gray
Summit. While these little berries are not relished by human beings they
are most attractive to birds. A flock of Cedar Waxwings was seen feeding
in one of the trees at the Arboretum, cleaning out a good half of the crop
at one meal.
THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
Eugene Pettus
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Richard J. Lockwood —........-......
Daniel Ki oCatim .37 2k 2s
___.. President
Vice-President
Second Vice-President
L. Ray Carter
Dudley French
Henry Hitchcock
Agthur 1. Compton 02 25
A. P. Kaufmann
John S. Lehmann
George T. Moore
A. Wessel Shapleigh
Ethan A. H. Shepley
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
Chancellor, Washington University
Spcaaaeienet Mayor of the City of St. Louis
Stratford L. Morton___......_..
William Scarlett
_.. President, St. Louis Academy of Science
Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri
C. Oscar Johnson -_---....-----.---
eral a Mel ci pees et Na lg hh se ee
George T. Moore-_-
President, Board of Education of St. Louis
_.... Secretary
STAFF
Pam Director
Hermann von Schrenk
_......... Pathologist
Jesse M. Greenman
paren Curator of Herbarium
Carroll W. Dodge
ieee ern Mycologist
Edgar Anderson
Geneticist
Robert E. Woodson, Jr.
Assistant Curator of Herbarium
eR ee ee nea er Paleobotanist
Henry N. Andrews.
Robert W. Schery--.---..---
oe Research Associate
Research Horticulturist
Gustav A. L. Mehlquist
George B, Van Schuack.. 1 as
Nell C. Horner
_... Honorary Curator of Grasses
Librarian and Editor
Gerald Ulrici____
__....... Business Manager
George H. Pring
Superintendent
oe eee Floriculturist
Paul A. Kohl
Ladislaus Cutak__..
In charge of Succulents
August P. Beilmann
Gone Lowhye ees :
Gurney Wilson, F.L.S
Manager of the Arboretum, Gray Summit
bs) 2 ea eee ages ete cot ee es OL ed Orchid Grower
Representative in England, Hove, Sussex
Paul H. Allen
cere Tropical Plant Collector
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN
The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr.
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date until his death in 1889 it
was maintained under his personal direction. Although popularly
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden
was chosen by Mr. Shaw and he definitely indicated that he wished
it called by that name. The Garden passed at his death into the
hands of a Board of Trustees, designated in Mr. Shaw’s will, and
the Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members,
is self-perpetuating. By a further provision of the will the immedi-
ate direction of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by
the Board. The Garden receives no support from city or state but
is maintained almost exclusively from the estate left by Henry
Shaw. Since 1939 many Garden Clubs and interested individuals
have contributed to a “Friends of the Garden Fund” which is used
in developing the new Arboretum, located at Gray Summit, Mo.
The Arboretum (1) serves as a source of plants, trees and shrubs
for the city Garden; (2) affords areas for gradually establishing
a pinetum, a wild-flower reservation and various other features
on a scale not possible in the city; (3) provides greenhouses for
some 20,000 orchid plants.
The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species
of plants are grown, both out of doors and under glass. It is open
every day in the year except New Year’s Day and Christmas; week
days, 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.; Sundays, 10:00 a.m. until 7:00
p.m. The greenhouses are closed every day at 5:00 p.m.
The main entrance to the Garden is at Tower Grove and
Flora Place, on the Sarah bus line (No. 42). The Tower Grove bus
(No. 21), direct from downtown, passes within three blocks of the
main entrance.
ISSOURI BOTANICAL
GARDEN BULL
{IN
CONTENTS
Polyploidy in the Genus Paphiopedilum Counting Chromosomes in Orchids
and Its Practical Implications
The Lost Neomoorea Notes
Index to Volume XXXV
Tolume XXXV December, 1947
Number 10
Cover: Paphiopedilum insigne var. HarerieLp Hatt, a natural triploid,
39 chromosomes.
Editorial Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue,
St. Louis 10, Missouri.
Published monthly except July and August by the Board of Trustees of the
Missouri Botanical Garden. Subscription price: $2.50 a year.
Office of publication: 306 E. Simmons Street, Galesburg, Illinois.
Entered as second-class matter January 26, 1942, at the post-office at Gales-
burg, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Please: Do not discard a copy of the Bulletin. If you have no further use for yours
pass it along to a friend or return it to the Garden. Return postage will
be guaranteed.
Missour1 Botanical
Garden Bulletin
Vol. XXXV DECEMBER, 1947 No. 10
POLYPLOIDY IN THE GENUS PAPHIOPEDILUM PFITZ.
(CYPRIPEDIUM HORT.), AND ITS PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
GUSTAV A. L. MEHLQUIST
Since the production of the first Paphiopedilum hybrid (P. Harrisianum
= P. barbatum X P. villosum) in 1869 probably more crosses have been
made or attempted in this genus than with any other orchid, yet the actual
number of plants raised from seed is undoubtedly much smaller in this genus
than in Cattleya and related genera. One reason for this difference is prob-
ably the fact that crosses among species and hybrids of Paphiopedilum are
usually much more difficult to make than in the Cattleya group, and very
likely as a consequence of this, seed production per cross is usually rather
low. Furthermore, the seeds of Paphiopedilum often germinate much more
irregularly than others; sometimes they keep germinating for a period of
months or even years. As it is difficult to maintain favorable conditions for
germination of orchid seeds for a long time many seeds that could germinate
probably never do so.
These difficulties may be due to the fact that the species of Paphio-
pedilum differ more genetically than those in Cattleya in which all the large-
flowered species have at one time or another been regarded as forms of one
species, or that Paphiopedilum may possess some seed dormancy mechanism,
as yet poorly understood, so that only rarely by accident or otherwise are the
proper conditions provided for the germination of the seeds. However,
neither of these assumptions provides an explanation why, by and large,
crossability, seed production, and seed germinability decrease as horticultur-
ally more desirable forms are used as parents. In other words, the choicer
the plant selected for parenthood, the less likelihood, apparently, of raising
an appreciable number of seedlings and, often also, the choicer the parent
the greater the variability of the seedlings. A comparison of the vegetative
characteristics of our large-flowered hybrids with the species that have given
rise to them offers a cefinite clue.
(211)
212 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Compared to the ancestral species, many of the most outstanding present-
day hybrids are distinguished by having larger and thicker leaves and larger
and rounder flowers of heavy texture. In other plant families which have
been studied cytologically such differences have been found to be due to an
increase in chromosome numbers. In other words, they have been poly-
ploids.!
During the past summer I spent three months in England for the pur-
pose of gathering data for a projected study of genetical and cytological
aspects of orchid breeding. After a preliminary survey it was apparent that
most could be accomplished in the short time available by concentrating on
one or two genera. As Cymbidium and Paphiopedilum responded best to
available cytological precedures, most of the time was spent on them. This
article will record the data obtained to date relative to polyploidy in Paphio-
pedilum, while the genus Cymbidium will be dealt with later. Although the
information available is admittedly incomplete it has been deemed advisable
to summarize it at this time partly because it presents some light on the
problems confronting orchid growers and partly because it might enable
other investigators to select certain phases of the problem for further studies.
At least two commercial growers in this country are already supporting
cytological research in this genus in order to get the answer to some of the
problems encountered, and others, both in England and in this country, have
indicated their intention to do so.
All the chromosome counts were made on root-tip smears. Several
killing and fixing fluids were tried but the best results were eventually ob-
tained by using a modification of Carnoy’s fluid: 6 parts 100 per cent
ethyl alcohol, 3 parts chloroform and one part glacial acetic acid saturated
with carmine. The tips were quartered and left in the fixing fluid from
1 to 72 hours and then smeared and stained in lacmcid (as explained in the
following paper). Most of the determinations were made in England on
material kindly furnished by the growers mentioned below. Some of the
counts have been made on material from the Missouri Botanical Garden.
The chromosome numbers of the species that are of interest in this discussion
are given in table I, and those of the hybrids investigated in table H. In
addition, root tips were collected from nearly 100 advanced hybrids of the
'Haploid
= one set of chromosomes.
Diploid = two sets of chromosomes (normal condition for most plants).
Triploid = three sets of chromosomes.
Tetraploid = four sets of chromosomes.
Pentaploid = five sets of chromosomes.
Hexaploid = six sets of chromosomes.
Octoploid = eight sets of chromosomes.
Polyploid == many sets of chromosomes (usually applied to triploids and higher conditions).
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 213
Fig. 1: a, Paphiopedilum insigne, 26 chromosomes, enlarged about 1500 times; b, P.
insigne var. Sanderae, 26 chromosomes, enlarged about 800 times; c, P. i. var. HAREFIELD
Hatt, anaphase showing 78 chromosomes, 39 going to each pole, enlarged about 800 times;
d, & P. GottatH, 39 chromosomes, enlarged about 500 times.
insigne group, that is, hybrids having in their ancestry mainly P. Boxallii,
insigne, Spicertanum, and villosum. Owing to the fact that many of these
tips were not in good condition and many were taken before good staining
schedules had been worked out, trustworthy counts were obtained only for
62 plants. Of these, there were 23 with 26 chromosomes, 3 with 27, 8 with
39, 2 with 40, 2 with 41, 17 with 52, 3 with 53, and 4 with 54.
214 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
on
Fig. 2: a, Paphiopedilum Boxallii, 26 chromosomes; b, X P. Leeanum var. aureum, 28
chromosomes; c, & P. Harrisianum var. nigrum, 32 chromosomes; d, & P. TEaRLATH, 52
chromosomes.—All enlarged about 500 times.
As may be seen from table I and figs. 1 and 2, a diploid number of 26 is the
rule for the insigne group of species, the only exception being the HAREFIELD
HALL variety of insigne (pictured on cover page) which has 39 chromosomes.
The basic set of chromosomes then for this group is 13 and imsigne var.
HAREFIELD HALL is a triploid. Since polyploids often have a number which
deviates slightly from an exact multiple of the basic set, the plants with 40
and 41 chromosomes can still be considered triploids and those with from
52 to 54 chromosomes as tetraploids. The relative proportions of 26
diploids, 12 triploids, 24 tetraploids must not be regarded as representative
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 215
of the groups from which they were chosen, since root tips were taken only
from plants selected to include all visibly different foliage types, there being
no flowers on the plants at that time. In general, the plants that eventually
proved to be triploid or tetraploid had somewhat larger and thicker leaves
than the diploids, and later, when a few of the plants could be seen in bloom,
it was evident that the same relationship held for the flowers; that is, the
flowers on the triploids and tetraploids were generally larger and of a heavier
texture than those on the diploids. This difference is particularly striking in
P. insigne var. HAREFIELD HALL which, when well grown, is much larger
both in flower and foliage than all other forms of P. insigne that I have seen.
In discussing this point with some of the growers from whose plants root
tips were taken, I was told that some years back there had been several forms
as large as the HAREFIELD HALL variety. However, the only forms of P.
insigne that were similar to HAREFIELD HALL, namely P. imsigne var.
giganteum, P. i, BARON SCHRODER, and P. ij, FRANCIS WELLESLEY, were all
eventually declared identical with the HAREFIELD HALL variety (Orchid
Rev. vol. 19, pp. 9-10. 1911). All registrations or references to these
names in pedigrees must therefore be considered synonymous with HAREFIELD
HALL.
Since the HAREFIELD HALL variety of P. insigne was at one time widely
used as a parent and must be regarded as at least one likely source so far as
polyploidy in the imsigne group is concerned, its history is of interest. This
form was first exhibited at a meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on
December 15, 1896, by Mr. E. Ashworth of Harefield Hall, Wilmslow, Ches.,
and by Major Mason, the Firs, Warwick, under the name of Cypripedium
insigne giganteum (Gard. Chron., p. 766. 1896; Orchid Rev. vol. 5, pp.
30-131. 1897). A flower of it sent to Orchid Review was accompanied by
this description: ‘An enormous form of this useful old species presumably
out of recent importations. The dorsal sepal is over 234 inches in diameter
and the petals measure 534 inches from tip to tip, all the other parts being
of corresponding development. In general character it somewhat resembles
C. i. Chantinii.” (Orchid Rev. vol. 19, pp. 9-10. 1911). On December
13, 1898, when it was again exhibited by Mr. Ashworth, this time under the
name of C. 7. HAREFIELD HALL, it received a First Class Certificate. During
the next few years it was shown several times by different people, the name
HAREFIELD HALL gradually gaining preference over C. 7. giganteum. Finally
on Dec. 3, 1908, the Manchester Orchid Society formally declared that two
other forms of this species, BARON SCHRODER and FRANCIS WELLESLEY, were
identical with HAREFIELD HALL and should in the future be exhibited under
this name (Orchid Rev. vol. 17, p. 23. 1909).
216 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Fig. 3. x P. Pavtova (XX P. Anita X insigne var. PAVLOVA), 26 chromosomes.
The origin of HAREFIELD HALL does not appear to be known but it is
thought to have come into culture with an importation of the so-called
C. 7. montanum. It is stated to have been cultivated by Mr. Ashworth at
Harefield Hall since early in 1894 (Orchid Rev. vol. 19, p. 10. 1911). In
Sanders’ Orchid Guide (1927 ed.) its original habitat is given as Assam,
which is also the one recorded for the two yellow forms Sanderae and
Sanderianum, whereas North India is given for most of the other forms.
The HAREFIELD HALL form of insigne was widely used as a parent for
many years and if the records of the Royal Horticultural Society Orchid
Section (either through Orchid Rev. or the Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc.) are
consulted, it is seen that many of its seedlings were given awards by the
society. It is described as being quite dominant in its influence on the
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 217
progeny, especially as regards size. On the other hand, the seedlings from
self-pollination of HAREFIELD HALL apparently failed to come up to expec-
tations, for those raised by Mr. H. G. Alexander “reverted to quite ordinary
forms” (Orchid Rev. vol. 16, p. 324. 1908). The apparent dominance of
HAREFIELD HALL when used in crosses and its poor performance when self-
pollinated probably were due to the triploid condition. Meiosis (behavior
of the chromosomes in sex cell formation) has not yet been studied in this
form, but the appearance of the plant suggests that it is an autotriploid*.
While triploids generally tend to be sterile, especially when self-pollinated,
some will produce a fair number of seedlings most of which are usually
diploids or near-diploids. It is quite likely that the seedlings obtained by
Mr. Alexander were diploids or nearly so and therefore lacked the size of the
parent. On the other hand, when triploids are pollinated by a diploid pro-
ducing good pollen more seedlings are ordinarily obtained, the majority
usually being diploids, with some triploids and occasionally some tetraploids
due to non-reduction in the triploid parent. As the good seedlings obtained
by using HAREFIELD HALL as a parent were generally described as being “‘of
large size,’ according to the standards of that day, it is quite likely that
some of them were triploids or possibly tetraploids.
Robert E. Duncan, in an account of chromosome numbers in Paphio-
pedilum (Orchid Digest vol. 11, pp. 199-207. 1947), mentions P.
GOLIATH as being triploid (39 chromosomes). A plant of this hybrid in
the Missouri Botanical Garden collection is also triploid. It is given in
Sanders’ List of Orchid Hybrids as having as one parent P. insigne HAREFIELD
HALL, the other being P. TROILUS, AMY MOoRE. He also designates
x P. DRACO var. ATHOLL F.C.C.R.H.S. (xX P. HERA XX P. insigne) as tetra-
ploid with 53 chromosomes. I have not been able to find any record of this
particular hybrid, so I do not know what form of P. insigne was involved.
However, the hybrid praco was produced in the HAREFIELD HALL era and at
least one of its forms, DRACO WESTONBIRT variety, is recorded as having had
P. insigne var. giganteum as one parent (Orchid Rev. vol. 20, p. 26. 1912)
which, for reasons already given, is to be regarded as synonymous with HARE-
FIELD HALL. It is quite likely, then, that HAREFIELD HALL was used as a
parent in the variety of praco that Duncan reports as tetraploid. At any
rate, polyploidy in present-day hybrids must, at least partly, have been
derived from the HAREFIELD HALL variety of P. insigne.
Another hybrid that has been much used in more recent breeding is
P, CARDINAL MERCIER (X P. Lathamianum XX unknown), reported by Dun-
?In autopolyploids the increase in chromosome numbers has been brought about by direct
multiplication of the basic set within the species; thus all the sets are identical. In allo-
polyploids, on the other hand, the sets of chromosomes are not identical but have come from
different species or widely different forms of the same species.
218 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Fig. 4. Xx P. Leeanum var. aureum (P. insigne * P. Spicerianum), 28 chromosomes.
can to be tripleid with 39 chromosomes. It has been used as one parent in the
cross of P. TROJAN, at least one seedling of which in this study was found
to be tetraploid (see chart IL). The chromosome number of the other parent,
* P. GERDA, is not yet known.
Of course, non-reduction in gamete formation may occur at any time
and thus lead to polyploidy at different points in a breeding program. Such
non-reduction, as judged by data from other plants, appears to be rather
more successful in producing polyploidy when hybridization is effected
between plants of which one or both are relatively sterile interspecific
hybrids.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 219
(iii
Fig. 5. X& P. (EvstnoreE & CarDINAL Mercier), 39 chromosomes.
220 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Two examples of non-reduction are apparent in table II. P. Harrisianum
(P. villosum 26 X P. barbatum 38) would be expected to have 32 chromo-
somes and Eleanor Francino reports that to be the case (Nuova Gior. Bot.
Ital., vol. 49, pp. 189-238. 1934). However, the one plant of this cross
from which root tips were obtained in England (Kew Gardens) proved to
have 51 chromosomes. When the five different forms of this hybrid here at
the Missouri Botanical Garden were investigated, two were found to have
32 chromosomes, two had 45 chromosomes and one had 51 chromosomes
(table I1). The two forms with 32 chromosomes (albescens and nigrum)
must be regarded as “normal” for this cross as they have received the normal
reduced complement from each parent (19 from P. barbatum and 13 from
P. villosum). On the other hand, the two forms with 45 chromosomes
(superbum and “yellow type’) must have received a double complement of
26 chromosomes from villosum, but only a single of 19 from barbatum,
while the number of the form marginale can only be explained by assuming
that it had received a double complement of 38 from barbatum and a single
of 13 from villosum. As would be expected, the difference in chromosome
numbers is reflected in the appearance of the plants. The forms superbum
and “yellow type” are more villosum-like in general appearance than those
having a majority of barbatum chromosomes.
The other case of non-reduction is P. Rosettii (P. insigne Sanderianum
< P. Maudiae). Although the chromosome number has not been determined
for the Sanderianum variety of insigne, it is very unlikely that it is poly-
ploid for it is the weakest of all the yellow forms of P. insigne and therefore
has practically disappeared from culture. The chromosome numbers for five
different forms of P. Maudiae have been determined and found to be 34,
as would be expected for hybrids between a 32- and a 36-numbered species.
One would expect P. Rosettii to have around 30 chromosomes, but the two
forms of the hybrid investigated proved to have 46 or 47, indicating that
pollen grains from Maadiae with 33 or 34 chromosomes had functioned.
P. Manudiae is partially sterile, producing but little seed per cross, and P.
Rosettii is even more sterile, having given rise to very few seedlings since its
introduction around 1905.
Another source of increased chromosome number particularly in the
insigne group is the primary hybrid Leeanum, which was extensively grown
and used as a parent at the same time as was imsigne HAREFIELD HALL, The
six forms of this hybrid investigated in this study have 28 chromosomes,
which is what one would expect from a hybrid between a species with 30
chromosomes (P. Spicerianum) and one with 26 chromosomes (P. insigne).
It has not been possible to investigate P. Spicerianum, but according to
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
No
No
Vv
Fig. 6. X& P. Lavamore (X& P, BALACLAVA &X CHARDMOORE), 40 chromosomes.
Francino (Nuova Gior. Bot. Ital., vol. 38, pp. 154-212. 1931) it has 30
chromosomes. These two extra chromosomes in Leeanum (as compared to
the rest of the insigne group of species) introduced again and again through
eae
hybridization (see chart for P. Tearlath) might result in a slight increase
in the chromosome number so that diploidy in the insigne group might reach
30, triploidy 45, and tetraploidy up to 60. The numbers found in this study
reached only 27, 42, and 54, but Duncan reports up to 29, 42, and 56. In
other plant families in which polyploidy has been studied extensively it has
been found that when many seedlings are raised from tetraploid parents
having the same number of chromosomes, occasional seedlings may have 1 or
2 chromosomes more or less than the parents. Therefore it is not at all un-
likely that more exhaustive studies on the chromosome numbers in the
insigne group will reveal a still greater scattering of the numbers extending
222 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
below 39 and 52, as well as above. On the other hand, it would be sur-
prising to find plants with less than 26, as loss of chromosomes at the diploid
level usually does not permit the plant to survive.
One of the distinguishing features of P. Spicerianum is its very broad,
almost orbicular dorsal sepal. Through the frequent use of the hybrid
Leeanum (fig. 4) in hybridization this feature has been transmitted to many
of our large-flowered hybrids (fig. 6).
The difficulty in learning exactly when or how the polyploidy originated
in this genus is evident from the complex ancestry of most of our good
present-day hybrids. This point is graphically illustrated by charts I and II,
which give the pedigrees of two notably fine hybrids (TEARLATH and
TROJAN), both of which are tetraploids. A chromosome plate of TEARLATH
is shown in fig. 2d. It should also be borne in mind that unless one has
access to the actual forms used in breeding, cytological investigations may
not show when polyploidy first occurred, for with the present system of
orchid nomenclature all seedlings of a given cross bear the same name even
though they may differ in almost every conceivable respect. Only those
forms that have been given variety names and are reproduced vegetatively
can be considered as distinct entities whether they are grown in One country
or another. P. insigne HAREFIELD HALL, X P. Leeanum Clinkaberryanum,
and & P. CARDINAL MERCIER A.M.” variety are such entities unless they
have been mislabelled.
The full extent of polyploidy in the genus Paphiopedilum cannot be de-
termined from the work done so far. From the plants seen at exhibitions
and pictured in dealers’ catalogues one might be led to believe that the
polyploid group, represented by the large, heavy-textured massive flowers,
is the only one that really has any value. Although such forms may, with
our present set of judging standards, be the ones most likely to win the
awards, they have yet to prove themselves as cut-flower plants. Not only
are the prices on such plants at the moment prohibitive from a grower’s
standpoint, but most of the very large forms do not produce anywhere near
the number of flowers per square foot that the smaller ones do even when al-
lowance is made for the difference in price of the flowers. Of course, the price
of the plants will come down, but probably not for some time, because, due
to the fact that the large-flowered hybrids do not make the many-growthed
tufted plants that P. insigne and many of its early hybrids did, vegetative
reproduction is slow and seed production is usually also much lower.
3A.M. means Award of Merit, referring to award given by the Royal Horticultural
Society unless otherwise stated.
Ne
No
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Fig. 7. & P. (Cametot & Mr. Wu), 42 chromosomes.
The value of cytological and genetical studies therefore lies partly in the
help they may offer relative to the choice of parents. It should be pointed
out here that nine plants were chosen for this study because the growers said
they were good seeders and fairly good parents generally. Five of these plants
had 26 chromosomes and four had 52. There was no triploid nor any devia-
tion from an even multiple of the basic set. Of course, the number of
plants investigated is too small to be significant in itself, but from what is
known of polyploidy in other plants it is fairly certain that good seeders are
not likely to be found except in the groups where chromosome numbers are
224 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
even multiples of the basic numbers. To be sure, triploids have produced
many fine things as is evident from the performance of imsigne HAREFIELD
HALL and CARDINAL MERCIER, but to my knowledge neither of these
parents has ever produced many seedlings from any one cross.
Even though the amateur breeding orchids as a hobby obtains only a few
seedlings from a cross, there is little source for complaint as long as he ob-
tains at least some good hybrids. To the commercial breeder, on the other
hand, particularly if he specializes in cut-flower types, the number of
seedlings per cross becomes a matter of economic importance. Although
there may be no absolute correlation between number of seedlings and
quality, where plants produce seedlings of equal quality, the one producing
the most per cross will certainly be the best one to work with from a com-
mercial point of view. Of course, simply trying a number of choice plants
as parents will eventually tell which ones are best with a degree of precision
that cannot be approached by any other method, but it is also an expensive
method. If the chromosome numbers were determined at the outset, some
plants which from their appearance and ancestry might look promising as
parents might be eliminated os being unlikely to produce sufficient seedlings.
That is, while diploids and odd-numbered plants may produce occasional fine
seedlings they probably never would produce any quantity of them. On the
other hand, triploids and other odd-numbered individuals may be among the
best flower-producers both in cuantity and quality. In fact, triploids which
average somewhat smaller ond less massive than the tetraploids, but are
faster-growers, might be the very ones that should be aimed at for cut-
flower production.
The production of triploids at will is not always so easy as it sounds.
There are not enough orchid data to predict just what is likely to happen, but
from experience with other pl nts one should expect triploids to prevail when
a tetraploid is crossed with 2 -iploid. In some instances it appears to make
little difference which way the cross is made, but in others the results differ
depending on which plant is used as the seed plant. In general, the greatest
number of seedlings and tle ‘ighest percentage of triploids are produced
when the tetraploid is used as t e seed bearer.
Another field of orchid cu ture in which cytology will be of benefit is
that of seed germination. A good deal of work is now being carried on in
that field, but some of the ta obtained would be of more value, both
theoretical and practical, if « chromosomal constitution of the plants from
which the seed were take: »> ¢ definitely known. That is, polyploid plants
in other families frequently ~ oduce seed which looks good, but does not
germinate except under v-rv -vorable conditions. Since Paphiopedilum is
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 225
one of the genera of orchids that gives the most trouble in seed germination,
experiments designed to find the most favorable conditions should, at least
in the initial stages, be based on seeds from plants known to be of simple
chromosome constitution.
I wish to thank Gen. C. V. L. Lycett, secretary, and Mr. A. Simmonds,
deputy secretary, of the Royal Horticultural Society, for their kind interest
and help in connection with this study. It was a genuine pleasure to be
accorded the privileges of a fellow of the Society during my stay in England.
I am also indebted to Dr. C. D. Darlington, Director of the John Innes
Horticultural Institution, Merton Park, England, for generously providing
me with laboratory facilities for this study. I am also indebted to Mr. F. F.
La Cour of the same institution for help in developing suitable methods for
chromosome determinations in orchids and for taking some of the photo-
micrographs.
Many growers and firms generously provided material and information
relative to this study. Some of them are: H. G. Alexander Ltd., Westonbirt,
Tetbury, Glos.; Armstrong & Brown, Tunbridge Wells, Kent; Georg Bill-
strém, Goéteborgs Tradgardsférening, Gothenburg, Sweden; Charlesworth
& Co. Ltd., Haywards Heath, Sussex; E. C. Cooper, Bricket Wood, Watford,
Herts.; D. A. Cowan, Surbiton near London; R. Farmer, Orchid Dept., Dell
Park, Englefield Green; Orchid Dept., Kew Gardens, London; A. J. Keeling
& Son, Bradford, Yorks.; Mansell & Hatcher, Rawdon, Leeds, Yorks.; Mc-
Bean’s Orchids Ltd., Cooksbridge, Sussex; F. C. Puddle, Tal-y-Cafn, North
Wales; Sanders Ltd., St. Albans, Herts.; W. Sterling, Whatcroft Hall,
Northwich, Chesh.; Stuart Low Co., Crowborough, Sussex; Gurney Wilson,
Hove, Sussex; all in England except where otherwise noted.
My colleague, George Pring, has been very helpful with information
relative to plants in the Missouri Botanical Garden collection and another
of my colleagues, Ladislaus Cutak, has kindly taken some of the photographs.
This study was in part financed by a grant from the John Simon Guggen-
heim Foundation and in part by a grant from the Friends of the Garden
fund.
226 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
TABLE I
Chromosome
number
P. barbatum (Lindl.) Pfrtz. 20000 eee eee ceeceeetneeeeeeeceees 38
P. Bonallii (Reich. f.) Pfiez. ooo eee cee cece eect cee eee eeeeeeeeeeeeeees 26
P. bellatulum (Reich. f.) Pfitz. 26
P. callosum (Reich. f.) Pfitz. ..... 32
P. callosum var. Sanderae Tort. <....c..cccsicscsdsdeccccccsecescesoesuensvecucsecesateeesecencesessssssnacessceeste 32
P. callosum selected form -...2....2.......0 eee cence cece eeeeeeenn eee eeeececeeeeseeneeeeeeteeeeeteeseeeeeeeess 32
P. vGurtssis (Reich, £.): Pitz... ..sc.teccstsncs.2:ttecnstgcessheteatsagstarl soa, dess eas teetgoenstidedieth daghetatette> 36
P. Curtisii var. Sanderae Hort. 200000000000.0.000 02000 eee 36
P.. ‘Delenatit Guill ccccctscice- ccc cccece eececsicsavecalcvsscieaindcaeesdseusdites vane oactecveca cadet indes}eassusavesstecizes 26
P. Fairieanum (Lindl.) Pez. 2220.00.00 cece 26
P. insigne (Wall.) Pfitz. (six different unnamed selections) 0.000000. 26
P. insigne var. HAREPIELD HALL Hort. -2222202222.-2 one 39
P. imsigne var. LAURA KIMBALL Hort. 22200022222 ... 26
P. insigne var. ROYALTY (LAURA KIMBALL & Sanderae) 26
P. insigne var. Sanderae -.0......00000...000000 eevee eee oe a 26
P. insigne var. Sythethense Hort. 26
P.vsnsigne var. Id onbrid cense: Hott. coisis2ecc5 sczdecdg ceca cdascetensackessacececdeci ca nactancteeleciesaeysctiioes 26
P. Lawrenceanum (Reich. £2.) Pfitz. 22 n noe eee even vee wees 36
P. niveum (Reich. f.) Pitz. 2... cccceeeecseeecccceseeceecesscsecccccececsecsseecececeeeessesecceeeess _ 26
P. villosum (Lindley) Pfitz. 200.000.00eceeceee ones soz sdeeneacsusesecenesssesses 626
TABLE II
Chromosome
number
* P. Actaeus BIANCA (insigne Sanderae X Lecanum PROSPERO) 26
« P. Actaeus BIANCA (insigne Sanderae XK Leeanum PRosPERO) 27
« P. Actaeus sy. ALBAN (insigne HAREFIEFLD HALL & Leeanum Clinkaberryanum) 28
x P. Actaeus st. ALBAN (same parentage as preceding) —........0-.00000.0000eeee eee 39
* P. ALMA GAEVERT (Lawrenceanum XX Maudiae) o.00.....cc000cccccc cove cece cece 36
< P. Harrisianum albescens (barbatum X villoswmy) oocccccc000cc00ccc ecco ccc cece eevee cece cece 32
< P. Harrisianum nigrum (barbatum X villosumy occ ccccccoccccc ccc cece eevee cece 32
x P. Harrisianum “Yellow type” (barbatum X villosum) .02.00..000..0000-c0e cc cece eevee 45
« P. Harrisianum superbum (barbatum X villosum) oo... 0.0000 o coco oe eevee _ 45
< P. Harrisianum marginale (barbatum XX villosumey 000.0000 ooo 51
« P. Holdenit (Maudiae X callosum) .2.0...20.0 ooo eevee vee ev vee ee eevee eevee 34
«x P. Leeanum aureum (insigne * Spicereamum) 00 28
< P. Leeanum Clinkaberryanum (insigne var. HAREFIELD HALL XX Spicerianum).... 28
« P. Leeanum Engelbartii (insigne X Spicerianum) 00 28
« P. Leeanum erectum (insigne XK Spicerianumr) 2000000000 cccccccecceecc cece ceeeee vere e cece eeeees 28
x P. Leeanum giganteum (insigne X Spicerianumy) 000i occc eee eee 28
« P. Leeanum PROsPERO (insigne Sanderae X SPiCeTiGaNUM ) ooo 28
* P. Maudiae (callosum var. Sanderae * Lawrenceanum var. Hyeanum) 34
< P. Maudiae vELL variety (callosum var. Sanderae * Lawrenceanum
VAT: A VCAMUIN YY. cs5secc2snccentcn-nccsenseaaan asad een ped aand tet vaced on apsavasigdeevedess ives seates-tsbecest 34
< P. Maudiae magnificum (callosum var. Sanderae X Lawrenceanum
Wat FL VCOMUNE). :cacccctcsccecaetecicsct ecooss Bosh nse an tewe eve th ons esse ances ecesexs Bez cneeeeksessvacvees 34
« P. Maudiae westoNBirT variety (callosum var. Sanderae * Lawrenceanum
VWAbs FA VOGUE), o.2.535-c33 ster tesssconhysdccasitanntss ipadndeleasvedevesens 34
* P. Maudiae coloratum (callosum X Lawrenceanum) 34
* P. Rosettit var. GOLIATH (insigne Sanderianum X Maudiae) .0....0000.00000000000..... 46-47
* P. Rosettii var. splendidissimum (insigne Sanderianum % Maudiae).................. 46-47
Tearlath )
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Balaclava
Nancie
Gamble
(Gwen
Hannen
Warrior
.
Anselm
Pyramus
CHART I
{ insigne
Leeanum | Spicerianum
Christopher
Actaeus { Leeanum
| insigne
{ i. Sanderae
{ Actaeus {
Langleyense | Leeanum
Florence |
Spencer <
| Memoria
| Jerning- { Spicerianum
| hamiae Winnianum
f Leeanum { insigne
giganteum_ / Spicerianum
( Alcibiades +
| | Mons. § Boxallii
| de Curte —_] insigne
{ insigne
] Spicerianum
Lord (
{ Wolmer :
Leeanum
Boxalli
4%
( Leeanum
Hera
{ insigne
nitens t villosum
i ( Hera { Boxallii
| Euryades | Leeanum
| Pyramus |
)
| { Calypso
| Mrs. Wm. |
| Mostyn 4
| Leeanum
Hers ( Boxallii
; ~ { insigne
Euryades eae
ns Piguet ] Spicerianum
|
J
. { Boxallii
| Calypso :
| Mrs. Wm. { villosum
nie { insigne
Leeanum a oe
) Spicerianum
ZL
{ insigne
| Spicerianum
{ insigne
| Spicerianum
{ Druryi
l villosum
{ insigne
) Spicerianum
J insigne
( Spicerianum
{ Boxallii
t villosum
j insigne
| Spicerianum
228 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
CHART II
: ? . .
Cardinal . Spicerianum
Mercier |
Latham- —
ianum :
villosum
>
( Bronzino -
?
<
Trojan - Garibaldi insigne
{ nitens 2
Earl of |
Tankerville- villosum
exul
| bellatulum
Beckmannii -
Boxallii
( Beryl <
Gerda
| Calypso
Mrs. Wm. |
L Mostyn
Leeanum
Satyr 4
| Boxallii
{ Hera insigne
| Leeanum
Swallow | Spicerianum
| Boxallii
Mons.
de Curte | a
Swallowtail Spicerianum
J
| Fairieanum
{ Boxallii
| villosum
{ insigne
| Spicerianum
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 229
SOME SMEAR TECHNICS FOR COUNTING CHROMOSOMES
IN ORCHIDS
GUSTAV A. L. MEHLQUIST
In recent years the ranks of orchid enthusiasts have been considerably
swelled by a number of professional people, doctors, chemists, pharmacists,
etc., who, in the course of preparation for their careers, have learned to ap-
preciate the need for a more thorough knowledge of the principles under-
lying the growth and reproduction of plants. Many of these people, together
with some of the more far-sighted commercial growers, have turned their
attention to a study of the mechanism of inheritance in orchids.
An important preliminary step in the study of inheritance in plants is a
knowledge of the number and behavior of the chromosomes which are now
known to act as carriers of the hereditary units commonly termed genes.
The manner in which these genes are transmitted from generation to genera-
tion depends upon the behavior of the chromosomes.
It is partly in response to inquiries and partly because of our desire to
further the interest in studies relative to inheritance in plants that these
methods for fixing and staining chromosomes are published at this time. The
methods are not new; they are merely adaptions and modifications of methods
that have been developed for the study of other plants.
Three stains that have been used widely in recent years are carmine,
orcein and lacmoid. Of these carmine is the oldest having been used as a
stain for chromatin in 1880 by the German botanist Schneider. It was
given a great impetus in 1926 by the American cytologist Belling, who
found that the addition of a small amount of iron greatly increased the
affinity of the chromosomes to this stain. Orcein and lacmoid are of more
recent introduction. Both stains were first used by Mr. F. F. La Cour of
the John Innes Horticultural Institution in England. During my stay there
this summer Mr. La Cour was most helpful in suggesting modifications of
existing technics to cope with the problems in orchids.
All three stains should be kept in tightly stoppered bottles in a cool
place. From these stock solutions small amounts are drawn and diluted as
needed. The stains are made up as follows:
Carmine.—Dissolve 12 gram carmine in 50 cc. hot glacial acetic acid,
allow to cool and filter into a bottle just large enough to accommodate the
solution.
Lacmoid and Orcein.—Dissolve 1 gram of the dry stain in 50 cc. hot
glacial acetic acid. Allow to cool and filter as above.
The material used for chromosome studies should be killed and fixed
230 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
before staining is attempted. Various mixtures were tried but the best
results were obtained with the following fluid:
6 parts of ethyl alcohol (100 per cent is best but 95 per cent will do).
3 parts of chloroform.
1 part of carmine solution as described above.
This mixture will keep for some time at low temperatures but is most
effective if used immediately after preparation.
Young flower buds can be used for chromosome counts, but as most of
the commonly grown orchids produce relatively few flowers, young roots are
more often used. Active root tips about '% inch long are cut from the
plants with a knife. The front quarter-inch of the tips is then quartered
by means of a razor blade and the pieces dropped directly into a vial or small
bottle containing fixing fluid prepared as directed above. The amount of
fluid should be not less than ten times the volume of the root pieces. The
vial should be tightly corked and, in the case of Cymbidium, Paphiopedilum
(Cypripedium), and other semi-terrestrial and terrestrial orchids, should be
allowed to stand in a cool place for 24-48 hours before staining is attempted.
On the other hand, roots of Cattleya, Phalaenopsis and other epiphytes
should, if possible, be stained after being in the fixing fluid for only one-
half to two hours. With some epiphytes equally good results have been
obtained when pure glacial acetic acid was used instead of the carmine
solution. When the root tips have been in the fixing fluid the required
length of time they are ready to be stained. A simple method is as follows:
1. On a small (114-2 inch) watch-glass put 4 drops of diluted stain
(1 part stain from stock bottle and 1 part distilled water) and 1
drop of 10 per cent hydrochloric acid. If many tips are to be stained
at one time, use 8 drops of stain and 2 drops of acid. The purpose
of the hydrochloric acid is to soften the tissues so that they may be
smeared more readily.
2. With a pair of tweezers remove the quartered tips from the fixing
fluid and place them in the stain on the watch-glass so that the tip
end of the sections point toward the center of the glass.
3. Heat the watch-glass gently over an alcohol or gas flame until the
stain begins to smoke (do not allow to boil).
4. Leave the tips in the heated stain for 20 minutes to one hour. If the
stain evaporates add a drop or two more of stain, but no more hydro-
chloric acid. The tips must not be allowed to dry. (Roots of other
plants than orchids may be sufficiently stained in 5 or 10 minutes.)
5. At the end of 20 minutes remove one tip from the watch-glass and
place it on a clean slide. With a scalpel or knife remove the front
1-1'4 mm. (about 1/16 inch) from the tip; the rest is discarded.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 231
Add a small drop of stain and with the flat end of the handle of a dis-
secting needle thoroughly squash the tip. (A needle with a wooden
handle can be used, but one of bone or plastic is more easily kept
clean.)
6. Cover the mashed tips with a clean cover slip (#0 or #1) 16-18
mm. square. Press down on the cover slip rather hard through sev-
eral layers of blotting paper or paper towels, but avoid sideways
movement. If so much of the stain is pressed out that large air
bubbles appear, place a small drop of stain next to the cover slip. If
the slide and cover slip are clean the fresh stain will seep under the
slip without distorting the material.
7. Warm the slide gently two or three times over a flame (do not allow
it to boil) and examine it under the microscope. The heat will serve
to precipitate the stain on the chromosomes but usually clears the
surrounding cytoplasm. The orcein stain must be handled with care
for if it is heated too much the chromosomes often lose the stain
altogether. Carmine and lacmoid, on the other hand, stand consider-
able heating. It should be borne in mind that materials stained in
carmine may deepen in color during the next 24-48 hours so that a
slide which at first appears too light may be just right the next day
or two.
8. If after a preliminary examination under the microscope the slide 1s
found satisfactory it should be sealed by placing a sealing fluid around
the edges of the cover slip. A suitable sealing fluid is made as follows:
Mix 10 grams gelatin, 10 cc. Sorbital, 50 ce. glacial acetic acid, 60
ce. distilled water. Add sufficient orcein or lacmoid to give the
mixture a color similar to that of the stain used on the slide. Equal
parts of paraffin and gum mastic can also be used for sealing but that
mixture is somewhat more difficult to apply. If properly sealed the
slides will keep in good condition in a cool place from 10-20 days,
but they should be “‘studied” as soon as possible.
The choice of stain depends on the material under investigation. Paphio-
pedilum roots stain well with any of the stains mentioned. However, as it
becomes progressively more difficult to stain with orcein the longer the
material remains in the killing and fixing fluid, orcein should be used only
when the tips can be stained and smeared within one to two hours after re-
moval from the plant. With the epiphytic genera such as Cattleya,
Phalaenopsis and others, the orcein stain has so far proved best. On the
other hand, with Cymbidium and many of the terrestrial genera best results
have been obtained by the use of lacmoid after leaving the material for 24-72
hours in the fixing fluid containing carmine.
232 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Fig. 8. Paphiopedilum insigne, enlarged about 800 times: lower center,
prophase; upper left, metaphase showing 26 chromosomes; center, ana-
phase, 26 chromosomes going to each pole; lower left, telophase. The
other nuclei are in resting stage.
Chromosome counts of Paphiopedilum which has rather large chromo-
somes (see figs. 1, 2 and 8) can be made on good slides under the high dry
objective and 15>< eyepieces giving a total magnification of 600 times, but
for critical counts an oil-immersion objective and 15 eyepieces, giving a
magnification of about 12-1400 times, is necessary. For all the other genera
studied so far an oil-immersion objective is necessary before any counts can
be made. Cymbidium chromosomes are best counted in the late prophase
stage as only then are they sufficiently spread apart; at metaphase they are
so closely bunched together as to make accurate counting very difficult. In
all other genera studied the metaphase stage has proved the best for counts
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 23'3
although in Paphiopedilum an occasional anaphase is sometimes clear enough
to show all the chromosomes (fig. 1c).
For a discussion of those cytological features with which any one con-
templating chromosome counts should be familiar, “Fundamentals of
Cytology,” by Lester W. Sharp, McGraw-Hill Book Co., is recommended.
Smear technics with particular reference to acetocarmine have been recently
reviewed in Stain Technology, vol. 22, pp. 17-31, by Luther Smith of
Washington State College.
THE LOST NEOMOOREA
PAUL ALLEN
When the writer took over the Missouri Botanical Garden Tropical
Station, in Balboa, Canal Zone, in 1936, a few orchid photographs were
found in the Station residence, among which was a fine flowering repre-
sentation of Neomoorea irrorata, a robust orchid presumably confined
to South America. A little exploration about the Station grounds uncovered
a single live plant of this rarity, and two others were subsequently seen in
the collections of Mr. A. M. Bouche and Mr. Henry Butcher, both enthusi-
astic Canal Zone orchid collectors. They reported the plants as being of
rare occurrence near the mouth of the Rio Trinidad on Gatun Lake, where,
they thought, Mr. Powell or Mr. Hunter had obtained the specimen in the
Station collection. Although the plants were tried in every possible situation,
they refused to flower and were eventually lost.
When Dr. Louis O. Williams began his work on the Panamanian orchids
for the “Flora of Panama’ now in progress, I sent him the Neo-
moorea photograph, together with such information as I had, asking
him if any herbarium specimen was on file at the Garden, or at the Botanical
Museum at Harvard. I was supposing of course that if Mr. Powell or Mr.
Hunter had photographed such an unusual find that a permanent specimen
had doubtless been made at the same time as a voucher for the occurrence of
the genus in North America. Although Dr. Williams was willing to accept
the photograph as evidence, no specimen was found, and there remained the
tantalizing question as to whether authentic herbarium material existed from
Panama of this rare South American genus. Fortunately, specimens deposited
in a great herbarium such as that of the Missouri Botanical Garden “may
sometimes become misplaced, but are never lost.” Recently on going
through the orchid specimens on file preparatory to the final work on the
last portion of the manuscript of the “Orchids of Panama,” I noticed a
folder marked Neomoorea, but labeled from South America. You may
imagine my delight on opening the folder to find two beautiful herbarium
specimens of Neomoorea irrorata, collected by Mr. A. A. Hunter and very
234 MISSOURI BOT ANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Neomoorea irrorata
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 235
evidently made from the plant originally photographed. Some one had
written “cultivated” on the herbarium sheet, which was true enough in that
the plants had evidently been flowered at the Tropical Station in Balboa, but
from locally collected material and not “cultivated” from South American
sources as someone had evidently thought.
In any event, this excellent specimen, so long hidden in the orchid files,
will constitute the only authentic record of this rare handsome orchid for
Panama and North America, and proves once again the value of a permanent
place such as is afforded by a great herbarium for the preservation of plant
records.
Dr. Edgar Anderson, Geneticist to the Garden, attended the meeting of
the Hybrid Seed Corn Division of the American Seed Trade Association, held
at Chicago, December 2.
Mr. Felix Agramont, of the Escuela Nacional de Agricultura, Mexico,
who has been studying corn in Iowa since last July under Dr. Anderson’s
general direction, arrived at the Garden in late November to take graduate
work in the Henry Shaw School of Botany for six months. Mr. Agramont
is in the United States on a fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation.
The fourth number of volume XXXIV of the ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI
BoTANIcAL GARDEN was recently issued, containing two papers: Some
Dynamics of Leaf Variation in Asclepias tuberosa, by Robert E. Woodson,
Jr.; and Field Studies of Guatemalan Maize, by Edgar Anderson.
Mr. Paul H. Allen, Tropical Collector to the Garden, has recently ac-
cepted a position with the United Fruit Co., at La Lima, Honduras. Before
taking up his new position he spent some time in the Garden library and
herbarium working over the orchids of Panama in preparation for his contri-
bution to Woodson’s and Schery’s “Flora of Panama.”
The Tropical Water-lilies (Nymphaeas) remained in bloom at the Garden
until they were dug from the pools on November 13. This is about two
weeks later than in 1946, and the latest flowering date on record for this
group of plants at the Garden. The giant water-lilies (Victorias) did not
fare so well, their leaves and flowers having been affected by the cool nights
in October.
Recent visitors to the Garden include Mrs. J. Norman Henry, well
known in horticultural circles for her travels and plant introductions from
the British Northwest and the southeastern United States; Mr. Orrin
Henbest, graduate student, University of Illinois; Dr. L. C. Newell, Agrono-
mist, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station, Lincoln; Dr. L. J. Gier, of
William Jewell College, Liberty, Mo.; Dr. Carl O. Sauer, Head Department
of Geography, University of California, Berkeley.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
GENERAL INDEX
Figures in stalics refer to page numbers of illustrations
A
Aftermath of the September storm, 142
Allen, Paul A., 20; Chocolate, 134; Darien,
120; The lost Neomoorea, 233; The Swan
Orchid (Cycnoches ventricosum), 186;
Henry N. Andrews and: Epiphytes —
plants of the tree tops, 151
Allium hyacinthoides, 148; stellatum, 116
Alliums, Ozark, 116
Amateurs, annual course in horticulture for,
208
Ambrosia, 87
Amsonia, Natural gardens of, 145
Anderson, Edgar, 17;Better forsythias for St.
Louis, 125; The flower with two smells,
148; Missouri gravel bars, 166; Narcissus
gracilis, 149; Natural gardens of Am-
sonia, 145; Plants for a St. Louis garden,
113; Redbud, cow pastures and beer bar-
rels, 133; The trumpet creeper in Mis-
sourl, 141
Andrews, Henry N., 18; Plants of your coal
bin, 138; Wisteria and dogwood, 137; and
Paul H. Allen: Epiphytes—plants of the
tree tops, 151
Andromeda japonica, April cover
Annual bequests, 34
Annual course in horticulture for amateurs,
208
Annual reports: of the Director, 1; of the
Arboretum, 9; of the Herbarium, 26; of
Library and Publications, 29; of Research
and Instruction, 17
Annularia, 139
Arboretum, report of, for 1946, 9; field of
castor beans growing at, 174; Box Garden
at, 3
Aristolochia grandiflora, native boy holding
flower of, 125
Aroids as epiphytes, 158
Aster novae-angliae, 116; turbinellus, 116
Aster, Golden, 92; New England, 116
Autumn, late: greens of, 175; fall coloring
in 1947, 208
Azalea, Imperial, 126
B
Bachelor’s Buttons, 115
Bamboo, A new hardy, for St. Louis, 203,
203
Banana-Coffee House, 15
Bananas in Darien, 121, 727
Beilmann, A. P.: The castor bean—an im-
portant crop for the future, 171; Some
additional worth-while hollies, 202
Belamcanda chinensis, 115
Bequests: annual flower sermon, 34; Gar-
deners’ Banquet Fund, 34; Ellen A. Rick-
er’s, 1
Bergerocactus Emoryi, 95, 07
Biznaga, 98
Blackberry lily, 115
Bladderworts as epiphytes, 159
Boxwood Garden at Arboretum, 3, 9; dedi-
cation of, 4
Breeding, plant: Colchicine and, 161; or-
chids, 4, 211; Paphiopedilums, 211
Bromeliads, 153, and other epiphytes in hills
north of El Valle de Anton, Panama, 155
Buckeye, Red, 81
Buckthorn, Woolly, for hedges, 127
Bull Bay, 38, 91
Bumelia lanuginosa, 128, 210, var. oblongi-
folia, 127, hedge of, 128, seedlings, 120;
lycioides, 127; oblongifolia, 128
Button-bush, 117
GC
Cacti: growing in Desert Houses, 15; in
southern California, 93
Cactus: Barrel, 98; Beavertail, 98, JO;
Biznagita, 97; Cholla, 97; Hedgehog, 98;
Nipple, 98; A novel, for the hanging bas-
ket, 147; Pincushion, 96; Teddy Bear, 100
Cactus Show, 13
Calamites, foliage of, 138
California, Along the highways and byways
in southern, 93
Calliopsis, 115
Cam psis radicans, 141
Cancer-root, 124
Carboniferous plants, 138
Carmine stain for chromosomes, 229
Castor-bean, An important crop for the
future, 171; as an ornamental at the
Garden, Oct. cover, 174; as a farm crop,
171; economic uses of, 171; field of, at
Arboretum, 174; fruiting plant, 173; har-
vesting of, at Arboretum, 175; “Red
Spire,” 174
Catalpa trees destroyed by September storm,
)
Catasetum saccatum: collected in Peru, 184;
female and male flower on same plant in
different years, 185
Cattle at the Arboretum, 10
Cattleya Skinneri var. autumnalis growing
on Enterolobium cyclocarpum, 153
Cephalanthus occidentalis, 117
Chemical treatment for trees, Early account
of, 209
Chickweed, effect of 2-4-D on, 131
Chilopsis linearis, 99
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Chittimwood, 127, 210
Choco Indian house, Upper Darien Province,
toe
Chocolate, 134; tree, flowers and young fruit,
134; fruit, 135, 136
Chollas, 96
Chromosomes: in Paphiopedilum, 212, 273,
214, 226; effect of colchicine on behavior
of, 161; smear technics for counting, 229
Chrysanthemum Show, 14, 210
Chrysanthemums, 14, 116
Cissus cissyoides var. Jacquini, 15
Chrysopsis camporum, 92
Clark, Robert B.: Broad-leaved evergreens
for St. Louis and vicinity, 88; The mag-
nolias, 37; A selection of shrubs for St.
Louis and vicinity, 45; Woolly Buckthorn
for hedges, 127
Clubmosses, fossil, 140
Coal bin, Plants of your, 138
Colchicine and plant breeding, 161; methods
of treatment, 163
Columnea starting the long climb to epi-
phytic status, 159
Columnea Allenii, 206, 206
Coneflower, yellow, 141
Corn Conference at the Garden, 210
Conservatories in 1946, 14; damage to, by
September stérm, 6
Construction projects during 1946, 9
Crocus Tomasianus, 82
Croton capitatus, 189
Cucumber Tree, 37
Cunila origanoides, 52
Curtain vine, 15
Cutak, Ladislaus, 16; Along the highways
and byways in southern California, 93
Cycnoches chlorochilum, 186; ventricosum,
186, 186; Warscewiczii, 186
Cypripedium, see Paphiopedilum
Cytological work on orchids, 211
D
Daffodil, Tenby, 92
Dahlia Show, 13
Daisy, Elder, 115
Damage at Garden from September storm, 5,
5, 6, 7, 8, 142, 142, 143, 144
Dandelion—the perfect weed, 83; eradica-
tion of, by 2-4-D, 87, 131; plant show-
ing stages in development of seed heads,
85
Darien, 120; plants collected in, 120; views
in, 121, 124
Degrees awarded by Shaw School of Botany
in 1946, 21
De Lestang, Albert, and the white Nymphaea
gigantea, 53
Desert Houses in 1946, 14
Deserts, California, plants of, 93; Colorado,
98; Mohave, 93
Dianthera americana, 92
237
Dianthus species, chromosome numbers of
161
Director, Annual report of the, 1
Diseases: of lettuce, 110; of roses, 68, 69
70
Dittany, American, 52
Dedge, Dr. Carroll W., 17
Dogwood, Wisteria and, 137
Dudleya, 94; lagunensis, 102; lanceolata, 99;
pulverulenta, 98, 102
’
,
B,
Echinocereus Engelmannii, 98, 102
Edging plants, broad-leaved evergreens as, 89
Elderberry, 48
Elephantopus carolinianus, 149
Elephant’s-foot, 148
Enterlobium cyclocarpum, Cattleya Skinneri
var. autumnalis on, 153
Epiphytes—plants of the tree-tops, 151, 752,
755, 157, 159; growing on oak trees in
Honduras, Sept. cover.
Eupatorium coelestinum, 115
Evergreens: broad-leaved, for St. Louis and
vicinity, 88; for edging plants, 89; for
ground covers, 88; shrubs, 89; trees, 91
hvonymus atropurpurea, common names of,
160
F
Fabulous 2-4-D, 130
False spiraea, Ural, 47
Fellowships at Garden in 1946, 21
Ferns, fossil, 139
Ferocactus acanthodes, 98, 993
97
Fertilizers for roses, 71
Firelogs, moisture in, 178; ability to ignite
or kindle, 179
Firewoods, testing some local, 176
Floral displays during 1946, 13
Flowering dates, of spring 1947 compared
with 1946, 118
Flower sermon, annual, 34
Forsythia intermedia var. primulina,
viridissima var. Koreana, 125
Forsythias, Better, for St. Louis, 125
Fossil plants of coal mines, 138, 138, 140
Fouquieria splendens, 100, 102
Friends-of-the-Garden Fund in
viridescens,
23;
1946, 2
G
Gardens, outdoor, during 1946, 11
Geraniums, scented, 117
Germination of orchid seeds, 224
Gillenia stipulata, 58
Ginger, wild, as a ground cover, 117
Ginkgo trees damaged by September storm, 5
Gloxinias—past and present, 40
Gloxinia caulescens, 40; crassifolia, 40, 43,
238
44; erecta, 40, 44; Fyfiana, 42; “Mina,”
43; punctata, 40; speciosa, 40, 4I, var.
albiflora, 40, var. macrophylla, 40, var.
rubra, 40
Graduate students during 1946, 21
Gravel bars in Missouri, 166
Greenhouse plant, A new, 206
Greens of late autumn, 175
Ground covers: broad-leaved evergreens as,
88; for a St. Louis garden, 117
Growth-inducing substances, 192, 108
H
Hanging basket, A novel cactus for the, 147,
147
Heating system at Garden, new, 4
Hedges, Woolly Buckthorn for, 127, 128
Hemerocallis “Calypso,” 114; fulva, 114;
“Hyperion,” 114
Henry Shaw School of Botany, expansion of,
2
Herbarium, report of, for 1946, 26
Hitchcock, Judge George C., A tribute to,
81
Hollies: group of, in Missouri Botanical
Garden, 193; Some additional worth-while,
202
Holly: American, 91, 191, branch of, Nov.
cover, spray of, 192, in Tower Grove Park,
7193, in St. Louis Co., 105; fertilizing,
198; flowers, 196, 190; planting, 196;
propagation, 192, 198, from cuttings, 7938,
190, 200, 201, with growth-inducing sub-
stances, 192, 108, from seed, 1983; seed-
lings, 797; tree in front of Art Museum
in Forest Park, 194; varieties recommend-
ed, 194
Hollyhock, 115
Holm, Richard, and Dennison Morey: Dande-
lion—the perfect weed, 83
Honduras, Tillandsias and
growing on oak
Sept. cover
Hormone preparations for rooting cuttings,
201
Horsechestnut tree in bloom, May cover
Horsetail rushes, fossil, 139
Horticultural Society Show, 13
Horticulture: in, 2;
course in, for amateurs, 21, 208
Houstonia minima, 104; patens, 104
Hybrids: of Paphiopedilum, 211, pedigrees
of, 227, 228; production of, by use of
colchicine, 162
Hydroponics, orchid growing by, 16
other epiphytes
trees in highlands of,
new courses annual
Ice plant, 98
Ilex Aquifolinm, 202; “Arden,”
194;
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
“Clark,” 194; cornuta, 202, var. Burfordii,
202; crenata, 202, var. latifolia, 202, var.
microphylla, 202; ‘“Croonenberg,” 194;
“Delia Bradley,” 202; “Hume No. 1,” 194;
“Hume No. 2,” 194; “Merry Christmas,”
194; “Mrs. Santa,” 194; opaca, 191, 102,
202, Nov. cover; “Pitman,” 194; “St.
Mary,” 194
Illinois coal mines, fossil plants of, 138
Inheritance in orchids, 229
Insects: attacking roses, 65, 68; dusting and
spraying for, 69, 70; recipe for driving,
from trees, 209
Ipecac, American, 58
Iris Garden, 12
Iris germanica, 114; Kochii, “Midnight” and
“Black Prince,’ 114; pallida “Albert Vic-
tor,” 114; pumila var. atrocaerulea, 114
Irises: dwarf, 114; transplanting, 125
Ivy, hardy, as a ground cover, 117
J
Joshua Tree, 93, O04
K
Kohl, Paul A., 14; American Holly, 191;
Growing roses, 61
Le
Lacmoid for
229
Lactuca sativa, 107; serriola, 107
Lady-slipper, The oldest and rarest in the
Garden collection, 167, 167
Larkspur, annual, 115
Larrea tridentata var. glutinosa, 102
Last flower to bloom, 168
Lectures given by members of staff in 1946,
24
Lemon Balm in Missouri, 60
Lepidodendrons, 140
Lespedezas, Japanese and Korean, 202
Lettuce—the salad plant, 107; Black-head
Simpson cooked as spinach, 104; breeding
staining orchid chromosomes,
disease-resistant varieties, 110; breeding
plot, 777; “Brittle Ice,’ 112; Butter-head,
110; Celtuce, 110; “Cos,” 110; Crisp-
head, 109, 111; diseases of, 110; field of,
young plants after thinning, 709; ‘“‘Great
Lakes,” 112, 172; harvesting, 108; ‘“‘Im-
perial 44,” “456,” 112; Loose-leaf, 110;
Romaine, 110; varieties, 107, 109
Library and Publications, report of, for
1946, 29
Lily, Blackberry, 115
Lindegren, Dr. Carl C., 19
Linnean House Garden in spring, June cover;
damaged by September storm, &
Live-forever, showy, 115
Lycopodites, 140
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
M
Magnolia acuminata, 37; denudata, 37;
grandiflora, 38, var. lanceolata, 91; lili-
flora, 37; Soulangeana, 37, 39, vars. alba,
Alexandrina, Brozzonii, Candolleana, Len-
nei, speciosa, spectabilis, 37; stellata, 37,
38; tripetala, 38; virginiana, 38
Magnolia: Bull Bay, 38, 91; Lenneé, 37;
Saucer, 37, 39; Star, 37, 38; Sweet Bay,
38; Umbrella, 38
Magnolias, 37, 91
Mammnillaria dioica, 96; phellosperma, 98
Mausoleum in winter, Jan. cover
Mehlquist, G. A. L., 20; Colchicine and
plant breeding, 161; Polyploidy in the
genus Paphiopedilum, 211; Some smear
technics for counting chromosomes in
orchids, 229
Melissa officinalis, 60
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, 98
Midwest Dahlia Show, 13
Missouri Botanical Garden, groups of holly
planted in, 191, 193
Missouri: A native Oxalis as a foliage plant
for gardens, 207; gravel bars, 166
Mist flower, blue, 115
Mock-orange, 117
Morey, Dennison: Gloxinias—past and pres-
ent, 40; Richard Holm and: Dandelion—
the perfect weed, 83; Robert W. Schery
and: Testing some local firewoods, 176
N
Names of wild flowers, 87
Narcissus ‘February Gold,” 92, 113; gracilis,
149; obvallaris, 92; “Sir Watkin,” 114;
uniflora, 124
Neomoorea, The lost, 233
Neomoorea irrorata, 233, 234
Nicotiana glauca, 95
Nymphaea: The introduction of the white
Nymphaea gigantea, 53, forma alba, 53,
56; helvola, 57; “Joanne Pring,” 57; tetra-
gona X mexicana, 57
O
Ocotillas, 101, 702
Oncidium stipitatum, living on the original
branch in a greenhouse for 10 years, 204,
205
Opuntia acanthocarpa, 102; basilaris, 98, 101;
Bigelovii, 98, 00; echinocarpa, 983; serpen-
tina, 97
Orcein for staining orchid chromosomes, 229
Orchid: Catasetum saccatum, 184; Cattleya
Skinneri var. autumnalis, 153; Chinela,
105; Dancing Girl, 204; Ladies’ Tresses,
168; Lady-slipper, oldest in Garden, 167;
239
Neomoorea irrorata 233, 234; An oddity,
184; Oncidium stipitatum, 204, 204;
Paphiopedilum hybrids, 211, Rothschildi-
anum, 167, 107; show, 13; Swan, 186,
187; Vanda tricolor, Sept. cover
Orchids: breeding work on, 4, 211; chromo-
somes in, 212, 213, 214; epiphytic, 155,
158; hybrids, 211; life of, under cultiva-
tion, 204; polyploidy in, 211; research
work on, 16, 211; seed germination of,
214; smear technics for counting chromo-
somes in, 229
Orobanche uniflora, 124
Oxalis, A native, as a foliage plant for Mis-
sourl gardens, 207
Oxalis europaea, 207, var.
vestita, 207
Bushii forma
P
Palm, Sentinel, 93, 05
Panama: Darien, 120; typical forest vege-
tation of the crest of Cerro Punta, El
Valle de Anton, 754; dense profusion of
bromeliads and other epiphytes in_ hills
of, 155
Paphiopedilum Pfitz. (Cypripedium Hort.),
Polyploidy in, and its practical implica-
tions, 211
Paphiopedilum hybrids, 211, 210, 223; in-
signe, 213, var. “Harefield Hall,” Dec.
cover; “‘Lavamore,” 2217; Leeanum var.
aureum, 218; “Pavlova,” 216; Rothschild-
ianum, 167, 107
Parasites, plant, 151
Parsley, prairie or glade, 81
Partridge Berry, 124
Pelargoniums, scented, A special use for, 117
Periwinkle as a ground cover, 117
Philodendron starting the long
epiphytic status, 159
Phyllostachys aureosulcata at the Garden,
203, 203; nevini, 203
Pieris japonica, April cover
Plantain, effect of 2-4-D on, 131
Plants of your coal bin, 138
Poinsettia Show, 44
Polyploidy in the genus Paphiopedilum Pfitz.
(Cypripedium Hort.), and its practical
implications, 211
Polytaenia Nuttallii, 81
Pring, George H.: The introduction of the
white Nymphaea gigantea, 53; Living on
the original branch in a greenhouse for
ten years—Oncidium stipitatum, 204; A
new greenhouse plant—Columnea Allenii,
206; A new hardy bamboo for St. Louis,
203; A new hardy pygmy water-lily, 57;
The oldest and rarest Lady-slipper in the
Garden collection—Paphiopedilum Roths-
childianum, 167, 167
climb to
240
Proebstle, A. J., white giant Nymphaea
grown by, 55
Propagation of holly, 192; of orchids, 211
Pruning roses, 77
Pseudorbipsalis macrantha, 147; grown in a
hanging basket, 747
Publications: of members of staff in
22; of Garden, 30
1946,
Q
Quaker Ladies, 104
R
Ragweeds, 87
Ratibida pinnata, 141
Redbud: cow pastures,
133; white, 126
Research and instruction during 1946, 17
Rhododendron Schlippenbachii, 126
Ricker bequest, 1
Rose: “Alida Lovett,” 74; “American Pillar,”
74; “Dr. W. Van Fleet,” 72; “Frau Karl
Druschki,” 79; “Faience,” 70; ‘“Harrison’s
Yellow,” 70; “Hermosa,” 64; “Mrs. Ar-
thur Curtiss James,” 74; “Peace,” 64;
“Snowbank,” 79
Rose garden: March cover; view in, before
and after storm of September, 7
Roses, Growing, 61; China, 64, 78; climb-
ing, 62, 72, 74, 80, on Linnean House,
72; diseases, O08, 69; fertilizing, 71; Flori-
bunda, 78, 79; Hybrid Perpetual, 62, 78;
hybrid tea, 61, 64, 78; in March, 66; in
garden of Mrs. Taylor, 63; miniature, 62;
mulching, 71; planting, 65, 67; Polyantha,
62, 78, 70; propagating, 73, 70; pruning,
6006, 73, 74, 77; Rugosa, 80; shrub, 62,
80; soil for, 63; species, 80; spraying, 69;
trailing, 80; varieties for St. Louis, 77:
watering, 65; winter production for, 76,
77
beer and,
barrels,
S
St. Louis: Better forsythias for, 125; A new
hardy bamboo for, 203; garden plants
for, 113; and vicinity: Broad-leaved ever-
greens for, 88; A selection of shrubs for,
45; Flower and Garden Show, 105
St. Louis Cactus Society Show, 13
St. Louis Horticultural Society Spring Show,
13
Sambucus canadensis, 48
Saprophytes, plant, 152
Schery, Robert W., 20: The fabulous 2-4-D,
130; Spring 1947 vs. Spring 1946, 118;
Toward making “Spinach” more enjoy-
able, 104; and Dennison H. Morey: Test-
ing some local firewoods, 176
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN
Sedum spectabile, 115; spathulifolinm, 94
Seibert, Russell J.: An orchid oddity, 184
Semi-evergreen shrubs for St. Louis and
vicinity, 91
September storm: Aftermath of the, 142;
Azaleas damaged, 143; branches of sumac
and Prunus killed by, 742; catalpa trees
uprooted by, 6; chrysanthemums ruined
by, 14; roses damaged by, 7, 11; Star
Magnolia damaged by, 143; twigs dam-
aged on north side by, 144; view in Lin-
nean Garden after, &; water-lilies damaged
by, 13
Sex, change of, in
saccatum, 184
Shade, list of trees for sun and, 49
Shaw relic presented to Garden, 126
Shrubs: broad-leaved evergreen, for St. Louis
and vicinity, 89; for a St. Louis garden,
116; for St. Louis and vicinity, A. selec-
tion of, 45
Smear technics for counting chromosomes in
orchids, Some, 229
Snowball for a St. Louis garden, 116
Snow Trillium, 103
Sorbaria sorbifolia, 47
Spanish Moss, 152
“Spinach,” ‘Towards
able, 104
Spiranthes cernua, 168
Spiraea Vanhouttei, 45
Spraying for insects and diseases, 69, 70
Spring 1947 vs. Spring 1946, 118
Staining solutions for orchid cultures, 229;
methods of using, 230
Steyermark, Julian: A native Oxalis as a
foliage plant for Missouri gardens, 207
Sticktight, the worst, in Missouri, 58
Storm of September 1, 1946, 3, 5: After-
math of the, 142; damage, 5, 6, 743, to
chrysanthemums, 14, 45; in Linnean Gar-
den, 8; to roses, 7; to water-lilies, 13;
logs killed by, used in test for firewood,
176
Stylophyllum edule, 98
Succulents in Desert Houses, 14; growing in
southern California, 93
Swan Orchid, 186, 186
Sweet Bay, 38
Syringa for a St. Louis garden, 117
flowers of Cuatasetum
making, more enjoy-
Bh
‘Taxus, 9
lephrosia virginiana, $7
Testing some local firewoods, 176
Tetraploids, 164, 215
Theobroma Cacao, 135
Tillandsias, in the highlands of Siguatepeque,
Honduras, growing on oak Sept.
cover, growing on pines, I57
trees,
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 241
Tobacco, tree, 95
Torilis, 58
Tower Grove Park, groups
Holly planted in, 191, 193
Trees: broad-leaved evergreen, for St. Louis
and vicinity, 91; early account of chemi-
cal treatment for, 209
Tribute to Judge George C. Hitchcock, 81
Trickett, Robert $., and the white Nymphaca
gigantea, 53
Trillium nivale, 103
Triosteum perfoliatum, 92
Trumpet creeper in Missouri, 141
Two-4-D, The fabulous, 130
of American
U
Utricularias, epiphytic, 159
V
Vanda tricolor growing on trunk of a Chinese
Fan Palm, Feb. cover
Vinca minor, 117
Visitors during 1946, 11, 32
W
Washingtonia filifera, 93, 95
Warer-lilies, tropical, 12; damage to, by
September storm, 13
Water-lily: A new hardy pygmy, 57; in-
troduction of white Nymphaea gigantea,
53
Water willow, 92
Weather during 1946, 12, 118
Weed: Dandelion—the perfect
extermination by 2-4-D, 130
Weigela floribunda, 46
Whitaker, Thomas W.:
plant, 107
Wild flower, last to bloom in Missouri, 165
Willow: desert, 99; water, 92
Wistaria macrostachya, 60
Wisteria: and dogwood, 137; in Missouri, 60
Wood sorrels, 207
weed, 83;
salad
Lettuce—the
Wood tested as firelogs, 176; density in,
177; percentage of moisture in, 178;
volatile materials and coaling qualities,
181; total point score, 183
Woodson, Dr. Robert E., 18
Woolly Buckthorn for hedges, 127
X
Xerophytic epiphytes, 156
iG
Yucca brevifolia, 93, 04; Whipplei, 93, 06
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN
The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr.
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date until his death in 1889 it
was maintained under his personal direction. Although popularly
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden
was chosen by Mr. Shaw and he definitely indicated that he wished
it called by that name. The Garden passed at his death into the
hands of a Board of Trustees, designated in Mr. Shaw’s will, and
the Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members,
is self-perpetuating. By a further provision of the will the immedi-
ate direction of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by
the Board. The Garden receives no support from city or state but
is maintained almost exclusively from the estate left by Henry
Shaw. Since 1939 many Garden Clubs and interested individuals
have contributed to a “Friends of the Garden Fund” which is used
in developing the new Arboretum, located at Gray Summit, Mo.
The Arboretum (1) serves as a source of plants, trees and shrubs
for the city Garden; (2) affords areas for gradually establishing
a pinetum, a wild-flower reservation and various other features
on a scale not possible in the city; (3) provides greenhouses for
some 20,000 orchid plants.
The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species
of plants are grown, both out of doors and under glass. It is open
every day in the year except New Year’s Day and Christmas; week
days, 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.; Sundays, 10:00 a.m. until 7:00
p.m. The greenhouses are closed every day at 5:00 p.m.
The main entrance to the Garden is at Tower Grove and
Flora Place, on the Sarah bus line (No. 42). The Tower Grove bus
(No. 21), direct from downtown, passes within three blocks of the
main entrance.
THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
Richard J. Lockwood
Daniel K. Catlin
Eugene Pettus.
Ee Ray. Carter
Dudley French
Henry Hitchcock
Arthur H. Compton —--..--..---
A. P. Kaufmann
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
___... President
ares Vice-President
Second Vice-President
John S. Lehmann
George T. Moore
A. Wessel Shapleigh
Ethan A. H. Shepley
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
_...... Chancellor, Washington University
ae 9. eee ee Mayor of the City of St. Louis
Stratford L. Morton
William Scarlett.
President, St. Louis Academy of Science
_..Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri
C. Oscar Johnson
Gerald Ulrici
__...President, Board of Education of St. Louis
__--..-.... Secretary
STAFF
Director
George T. Moore
Hermann von Schrenk___.
Jesse M. Greenman__.._._-
Carroll W. Dodge
Se ae Pathologist
Curator of Herbarium
_.........Mycologist
___....Geneticist
Edgar Anderson
Robert E. Woodson, Jr.
Assistant Curator of Herbarium
Pienry Nw Andtewss
Robert W. Schery...
Gustav A. L. Mehlquist_
George B. Van Schaack.....---..---.---.----------
Nell C. Horner
Paleobotanist
Research Associate
Research Horticulturist
_.....Honorary Curator of Grasses
Librarian and Editor
Gerald Ulrici
Business Manager
George H. Pring
Superintendent
Paul A. Kohl
___..Floriculturist
Ladislaus Cutak___.
In charge of Succulents
August P. Beilmann
G. R. Lowry
Gurney Wilson, F.L.S.
Paneer Manager of the Arboretum, Gray Summit
Orchid Grower
Representative in England, Hove, Sussex
Paul H. Allen_
Tropical Plant Collector
PUBLICATIONS FOR SALE AT THE
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
BULLETIN REPRINTS.
Good Lawn Management, Home Grown Gardenias. Price 15
cents each,
Bromeliads, Gravel Culture for Orchids, Growing Plants from
Seed and Cuttings, Growing Roses, Vegetable Gardening in St.
Louis. Price 25 cents each.
SPRING FLORA OF MISSOURI.
By Julian A. Steyermark. Price $1.50; a special price to schools
and garden clubs—$1.00 a copy if 10 or more copies are sent to
one address. Add 10 cents per copy to remittance to cover
postage.
ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN.
Published in February, May, September, and November. Sub-
scription price, $10 per year.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN.
Published monthly except July and August. Subscription price,
$2.50 per year.
A TOUR OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN.
A guide for Garden visitors. Price 25 cents.
HENRY SHAW.
A Biography. Price 25 cents.
POST-CARDS
Garden Views. Price 25 cents for set of 8.
Garden Water-lilies. Price 25 cents for set of 8.