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MiussOURI BOTANICAL 
GARDEN JBULLETIN 


VOLUME XXVIII 


WITH 19 PLATES AND 
SoOOoL BA LT- FIGURES 


1940 


ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 


PUBLISHED MONTHLY EXCEPT JULY AND AUGUST, 
BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES 


SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: 
ONE DOLLAR A YEAR SINGLE NUMBER FIFTEEN CENTS 


Mi6souUR! BOTANICAL 
GARDEN LIBRARY 


Mussouri BOTANICAL 
GARDEN BULLETIN 


Vol. XXVIII JANUARY, 1940 No. 1 


CONTENTS 
Page 
Fifty-first Annual Report of the Director . . . | 1 


Statistical Intoriadtion <7.) ey a ee ee BD 


Office of Publication: 1201-5 Bluff Street, Fulton, Mo. 

Editorial Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue, 
St. Louis, Mo. 

Published monthly except in July and August by the Board of Trustees 
of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 

Entered as second-class matter February 23, 1937, at the post-office at 
Fulton, Mo., under the Act of March 3, 1879, 


SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 


: } 3 BOARD OF TRUSTEES | 
| OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS WERE DESIGNATED IN MR. SHAW’S WILL 
tat AND THE BOARD SO CONSTITUTED, EXCLUSIVE OF THE 
mt EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS, IS SELF-PERPETUATING 


President 
Grorce C. HircHcock 


Vice-President 
Daniet K. Catrin 


Second Vice-President 
Tuomas S. Marrirr 


| L, Ray Carter Grorcs T. Moore 
| Gc Samuen C. Davis EvuGENE PErTus 
: in Dopey Frence | A. Wxssrt SHAPLEIGH 


Eruan A. H. SHEPLEY 


EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS 


iY Grorcr R. THRooP, WitiAM SCARLErt, 

x Chancellor of Washington Uni- Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri 
4 versity 

Rye i Bernard F, DicKMANN, J. B. Macenwanz, S. J., 

Bice , Mayor of the City of St. Louis President of The Academy of Sci- 
¢ ence of St. Louis 


3 Marx D. EaG eron 
“a President of the Board of Education of St. Louis 


P(r 


Secretary 
GERALD ULRICI 


Missourl Botanical 
Garden Bulletin 


Vol. XXVIII JANUARY, 1940 No. 1 


FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 
To rue Boarp or TRUSTEES: 


The Director of the Garden has the honor to submit his report 
for the year 1939. 

In anticipation of the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniver- 
sary of the Garden in October 1914, an elaborate scientific 
program was arranged a year in advance. One of the most dis- 
tinguished groups of European botanists ever to be assembled 
for such an occasion planned to be present and read papers. With 
a few exceptions all of these scientists were prevented by the war 
from attending. 

October 1939 was the date for the fiftieth anniversary celebra- 
tion of the founding of the Garden, and it would have again af- 
forded a fitting time to bring together outstanding botanists and 
horticulturists of the world. For financial reasons it seemed ad- 
visable to forego any such recognition of the occasion as was 
arranged for the twenty-fifth anniversary. Fortunately for the 
Garden, but most unfortunately for the world, another war inter- 
vened and any comprehensive program would have had to be 
abandoned. 

While no formal celebration was held in the fiftieth anniversary 
year, as was twenty-five years ago, 1939 will always be distin- 
guished for the tangible recognition by its many friends of the place 
the Garden holds in the community and the state. Early in the 
year the public was informed that the sole sources of income, the 
real estate and investments of the Henry Shaw estate, were no 
longer adequate for the proper support of the Missouri Botanical 


(1) 


2 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Garden. For the first time in its history an opportunity was af- 
forded the public to assist in its maintenance and development. The 
special need at the time was for the improvement of the 1,600-acre 
Arboretum, located thirty-five miles southwest of the city. Fifty 
thousand dollars was estimated as necessary to complete the roads, 
build bridges, a large reservoir for fire protection and numerous 
other items, before the public could be admitted. In addition a 
fund was desired for the immediate maintenance of the Arboretum, 
after the necessary improvements were completed. Contribution 
to this latter fund, to be known as the “Friends of the Garden” 
fund, it is hoped will become an annual affair, and $25,000 was set 
as the goal to be reached as soon as possible. Such satisfactory 
progress was made in securing the improvement fund, which 
amounted to $43,745 at the end of the year, that by June it was 
possible to begin making definite plans. Elsewhere in this report 
is summarized what has been accomplished during the last six 
months. It is earnestly hoped that the balance of the necessary 
$50,000 may be obtained shortly in order that the Arboretum may 
be open to visitors, at least at stated times, in the spring or early 
summer of 1940, 

The “Friends of the Garden” fund amounted to $6,871.73, as 
of December 31. This sum, made up chiefly of small gifts, repre- 
sents the widespread interest in the Garden throughout the state. 
A large proportion of the garden clubs of Missouri have made 
donations, and the St. Louis Garden Club held a pilgrimage to 
twenty-two of the gardens of its members, which resulted in the 
largest single subscription from any club. It is a pleasure to list 
the names of those who have contributed to the improvement or 


maintenance of the Garden in any way during 1939. 


Akin, ‘Thomas R. Better Gardens Club of Greater 

Anheuser-Busch Ine. St. Louis 

Anonymous subscriptions (three Bishop, Dr. George H. 
contributions ) Blackburn, Mrs. Jasper 

Baer, Mrs. Harold M. Blair, Dr. V. P. 

Baer, Julius A. Blanchard, Dr. Irene M. 

Bakewell, Edward I.. Blossom, Mrs. Marion C. 

Bantel, Gustav EF. Board of Education, Hmployees 

Bauer, Bill of, acting through a Committee 

Baumann, J. L. of Supervisors, Principals and 

Becker, Louise and Emilie ‘Teachers 


Bennett, ‘Thomas W. Boehm, F. J. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 3 


Bond, Charles P. 

Book and Flower Guild 

Borgman, H. A. 

Borgwald, Mathilde 

Bostwick, Dr. Arthur E. 

Bovard, Mrs. O. K. 

Boyd, Ingram F. 

Briner, F. E. 

Brokaw, Mrs. A. V. L. 

Brown, Helen J. 

Bruer, Ransome C., 32nd District 
Association 

Bucholtz, Dr. A. F. 

Burrough, Jean 

Caldwell, Otis W. 

Calfee, Joseph S. 

Cannon, Mrs. Bradford 

Cape Girardeau Garden Club 

Carpenter, Mrs. George O. 

Carpenter, George O. 

Carr, James A. 

Carter, Mr. and Mrs. L. Ray 

Catlin Estate 

Chandler, Albert 

Charles, Joseph W. 

Chivvis, Mrs. Leland 

Christ Church Cathedral (Organi- 
zations) Woman’s Club 

Clayton Garden Club No, 2 

Clopton, Dr. M. B. 

Corley, Mrs. Robert C. 

Couch, Dr. J. N. 

Cox, Willard R. 

Culver, Mrs. B. B. 

Curlee, S. H. 

Danforth, Adda B. 

Davis, Mrs. John 'T. 

Davis, Mrs. Samuel C. 

Davis, Samuel C. 

Dean, William B. 

Deane, Mrs. E. 'T. 

Delphinium Circle, Rosemary Gar- 
den Club 

Delvirs Club 

Desloge, F. V. 

Desloge, Joseph 

Eaton, Mrs. Francis G. 

Elliot, Georgie 

Elliot, Mrs. Henry 

Emig, Dr. W. H. 

Ensee Study Club 


Eves, Mrs. August 

Ewing, Mrs. Fayette C. 

Fall, C. B. 

Farmington Garden Club 

Ferguson Garden Club 

Fichtel, Edwin B. 

Fillmore, Frank G. 

Foote, Arthur H. 

Fordyce, Mrs. Samuel 

Founders’ Circle, Rosemary 
den Club 

French, Dudley 

Frerichs, Hildegarde 

Freund, Mrs. Michael W. 

Frey, J.J. 

Friedman, Mrs. A. 

Fuhlage, A. E. 

Fuhr, Clara 

Fuller, Dr. and Mrs, Harry J. 

Fulton Garden Club 

Gaertner, Mrs. Walter 

Garden Club of Hermann, Mo. 

Garden Club of St. Louis 

Gardenia Garden Club 

Gempp, Christine 

Gentry, Mr. and Mrs, Thomas F. 

Glatfelter, Misses Alice M. M. and 
Edith FE. 

Glendale Garden Club—Chapter 6 
of Assoc. Garden Clubs of Kirk- 
wood 

Godfrey, Brainard M. 

Good Earth Garden Club—Chap- 
ter 8—Kirkwood Garden Clubs 

Goodman, Dr. George J. 

Graf, Mrs. Herman 

Graham, Dr. and Mrs. Evarts A. 

Gray Summit Lodge A. F. & 
A. M. No. 1738 

Greater St. louis 
Gardeners, Inc. 

Green, S. M. 

Grover, James H. 

Gurney, James, Jr. 

Guth, Alice H. 

Guth, Joseph 'T. 

Hammar, F. V. 

Ilammar, Park G. 

Hanley, Lucy EF. 

Harrington, Goldie A. 

Ifawthorn Garden Club 


Gar- 


Association of 


4 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Hazenstab, Mrs. O. A. 

Heinrich, Herman 

Heising, Clara M. 

Heltzell, Misses Cora, Ida and Lil- 
lian M. 

Henry, Mrs. J. Norman 

Hintéern Esche, Norman 

Hirth, William 

Hitcheock, Dr. Charles [eo 

Hiteheock, Ethan A. 

Hitchcock, George C. 

Hitchcock, Mr. and Mrs. Henry 

Hoffmann, Arthur 

Hollmann, ‘Tillie A. 

Hornbein, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard 

Howard, Dr. Grace E. 

Huntington, Mrs. Howard R. 

Huse, Misses Gertrude and 
Mary B. 

Imboden, George KR. 

Imbs, Al and Robert 

Ittner, Mary S. 

Ives, Caroline 

Jennison, Dr. Harry M. 

Kennerly, Mr. and Mrs. Claude S. 

Kingsbury Place ‘Trustees 

Kitby, Daniel N. 

Kirkwood Garden Club, Chapter 2 

Koch, Dr. Otto W. 

Koerber, Harry G. 

Ladue Garden Club 

Lamy, C. Oscar 

Lang, Bert H. 

Lang, George, Jr. 

Langenberg, Mrs. Roy 'T. 

Latzer, Mrs. R. Ll. 

Iauman, Mrs. Arthur F. 

Lawnin, lL. D. 

Leadbelt Garden Club 

Lee, Archie L. 

Lenenberg, Marie 

Lewis, Gill M. 

Lewis, Mrs. Joseph W. 

Liggett, W. KE. 

Lindenwood College 

Literary Alumnae 

Lockwood, Miss A. P. 

Longstreet, Mrs. Alice P. 

Louisiana Garden Club 

Love, E. K., Jr. 

Lowenhaupt, Abraham 

Ludlow, Josephine B, 


Iuehrmann, George EF. W. 

McCaughey, James 

McCoy, Frank J. 

McHenry, H. S. 

Meckittrick, Mrs, lL. S. 

Maestre, Sidney 

Maffitt, ‘Tl. S. 

Mallinckrodt, Edward, Jr. 

Mangelsdorf, EKdward F., & 
Inc. 

Maplewood Garden Club Group 1 

Markham, W. H. & Co. 

Marten, C. A. 

Martin, William McC. 

Mason, Dr. Jean F. 

May, Morton J. 

Mexico Garden Club 

Mever, Mr. and Mrs. Louis 'T. 

Milius, Mr. and Mrs. William S. 

Missouri Pottery & Supply Co. 

Mitchell, Owen H., 

Montgomery, J. 'T. 

Moore, C. Wickham 

Moore, Dr. Morris 

Morrill, Mrs. Charles TH, 

Morrison, H. C. 

Morton, Strattord lee 

Multen, Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. 

Nagel, Charles 

Nagel, Lillian 

Nelson, Mrs. Earl F. 

Nettie’s Flower Garden 

New Era Club of St. Louis 

Nies, John E. 

Niesen, Adela J. 

Nims, E. D. 

Normandy Group, Rosemary Gar- 
den Club 

O'Reilly, Mrs. Joseph M. 

Oran Garden Club 

Orr, Isaac H. 

Osage Hills Garden Club 

Patton, Dr. John F. 

Perkins, Mrs. A. L. 

Perkins, Mrs. A. 'T. 

Peters, Alvina 

Peters, Arthur 

Pettus, Eugene 

Pettus, Mrs. James T. 

Pickel, Alice 

Pine Tree Circle, Rosemary Gar- 
den Club 


Bro. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 5 


Plass, Ada E. 

Pockels, Sidney 

Post, Dr. and Mrs. M. Hayward 

Primm, A. T., Jr. 

Radke, Mrs. E. P. 

Rassieur, Judge Leo S. 

Rassieur, Theodore 

Renard, Mrs. W. 

Rhoads, Mrs. J. A. 

Rice, Charles M. 

Rickman, Mrs. E. J. 

River Hills Garden Club 

Roantree, Mrs. James E. 

Roberts,’ Mrs. John C., Jr. 

Roethig, Fred J. 

Rowe, Vernon H. 

Rowena Clark Garden Club—Chap- 
ter 1—Kirkwood Garden Clubs 

Ruemeli, Mrs. Emilie 

Ruffer, Ida 

Rumbold, Dr. Caroline 

St. Louis Hills Garden Club 

St. Louis Horticultural Society 

Salter, Matilda F. 

Saxton, Mrs. E. C. 

Sayman, Mrs. L. B. 

Scarlett, Right Rev. William 

Schaberg, Mrs. Frank W. 

Schneider Electric Co. 

Schwarz, Hermann 

Seele, W. C. 

Semple, Mrs. F. H. 

Senn, G. William and Elizabeth 

Shapleigh, A. Wessel 

Shapleigh, Margaret 

Shepley, Ethan A. H. 

Shepley, Mrs. John F. 

Shoenberg, Sydney M. 

Sibley, Charles K. 

Siemer, Clara E. 

Small, Mrs. Herbert P. 

Smith, Mrs. George 

Smith, Mr. and Mrs. George A. 

Smith, Tom K. 

Smith, Walter W. 

Soutiea, W. G. 

Stark, Governor and Mrs. Lloyd E. 

Stifel, A. G. 

Stix, Charles H. 

Stout, Harriet M. 

Strauch, John B. 


Studhalter, Dr. and Mrs. Rich- 
ard A. 
Sutherland, George W. 
Swift, John S. 
Switzler, Mrs. R. H. 
“Talisman Circle,’ Rosemary Gar- 
den Club 
Teehan, Kate 
Terry, Dr. Robert J. 
Thompson, Frank C. 
Thompson, Mrs. Genevieve L. 
Tracy, Mrs. Virginia T. 
Tuttle, Mrs. George M. 
Valentine, Edward P. 
Valier, Charles FE. 
Vogler, Bertha 
von Windegger, Mr. and Mrs. F. R. 
Wallace, Harry B. 
Walsh, Mrs. Julia M. 
Walter, Kate 
Warrenton Garden Club 
Watkins, Horton 
Watts, F. O. 
Webster Groves Garden Club (Mis- 
cellaneous from the Club) 
Webster Groves Garden Club: 
Group 2 
Group 6 
Group 7 
Group 8 
Group 9 
Group 11 
Group 13 
Webster Groves High School 
Weil, Maurice K. 
Welschan, Ben 
Wible, Roy E., Co. 
Williams, Charles P. 
Wilson, Mrs. May B. 
Winther, Cornelius 
Wisteria Garden Club 
Witek, Mrs. Joseph 
Wohl, David P. 
Wolff, Mrs. Edward H. 
Wolff, Mrs. Sigmund 
Woodson, Dr. Robert E., Jr. 
Wright District Garden Club 
Wuerpel, Mrs. Edmund H. 
Yeckel, Louis F. 
Zahner, Mrs. W. T. 
Zumbalen, Joseph H. 


6 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


While the Garden has not been eligible for Federal aid of any 
kind, a project of the W.P.A. outside the Garden has resulted in 
one of the greatest improvements that has been made in years, so 
far as the safety and comfort of visitors are concerned. At the time 
the stone wall was built by Henry Shaw, along the east frontage 
of the Garden, the street had not been improved. The grade of 
Tower Grove Avenue as finally made was as much as four feet 
below the sidewalk in some places. This left an embankment 
impossible to climb in bad weather and most difficult at all times. 
Drivers of automobiles were frequently compelled to get out into 
the street and walk for some distance exposed to the hazard of 
passing machines. Probably more complaints from visitors were 
received because of the serious difficulty of parking along Tower 
Grove Avenue than from any other single cause. The obvious 
remedy was to move the sidewalk to the curb, leaving any neces- 
sary embankment between the sidewalk and the stone wall. This 
necessitated the removal of the old trees, chiefly maples, which had 
not only outlived their usefulness but as developed were positively 
dangerous to passers-by because of the decayed condition of their 
large limbs and trunks. Furthermore, trucks frequently broke off 
branches extending into the street, and the roots had raised the 
concrete slabs of the sidewalk causing many irregularities which 
were additional sources of accidents. 

The removal of these trees, skillfully accomplished by the City 
Forester, demonstrated that, in addition to the many benefits ob- 
tained, they were not even greatly missed. The trees planted 
just inside the Garden overhang the stone wall and offset any 
effect of bareness. Present plans provide for a more careful selec- 
tion of trees for this location, and with the addition of selected 
specimens to be used outside the wall, the appearance of the en- 
tire frontage along Tower Grove Avenue will within a short 
time be more attractive than was possible before. That the old 
practice of planting trees between the sidewalk and the curb has 
become obsolete is indicated by the following quotation from 
Horticulture (Feb. 19, 1939), under the title, “New Life for 
Street Trees.” 

“The planting of shade trees along the roads is a custom which dates 
back to the early settlers. At that time, and for many years afterward, 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 7 


trees were considered a necessary source of shade for pedestrians and 
horse-drawn vehicles. Then came the automobile, bringing many chang- 
ing conditions, some of which have affected our trees, often to their 
disadvantage. 

“The extensive use of the automobile and the ever-extending water, 
sewer and gas mains have been contributing causes for much of the 
damage to street trees. Overhead electric wires, as well as hard-surfaced 
roads and sidewalks, have also done their share to weaken the physical 
structures of the trees and make them more susceptible to insect and 
disease infestation. 

“A recent bulletin of the Massachusetts Forest and Park Association 
points out that the space between the sidewalk and the traveled way 
on most streets is not a suitable place to plant shade trees. It is called 
too narrow for the proper preparation of the soil without provision for 
the adequate seepage of moisture. Obviously, too, it hinders the proper 
development of the roots. In addition, trees which are planted in this 
area are subject to injury and mutilation by automobiles, animals and 
children. Moreover, roots are cut off whenever water, gas or sewer mains 
are laid or repaired, and the curbstones restrict their growth. 

“To correct some of these obvious faults, it is now recommended that 
shade trees be planted inside the sidewalk and on private property if 
necessary. In some states, the statutes have been so drawn up that a 
property owner may sign a certain form which allows the local tree 
warden to plant a municipally owned tree on his property providing 
that it is not more than 20 feet from the property line. There is no ex- 
pense of transplanting or maintenance levied on the property owner 
and he may, at any time, order the removal of the tree. 

“If the trees stand inside the sidewalk, there is much less danger of their 
being injured by automobiles; their roots will not be restricted so much 
by curbstones nor damaged by trenches for water mains; and the open 
lawn surrounding them will allow more moisture to reach their roots.” 


THE ARBORETUM 

Through the generosity of the many public-spirited citizens, 
both in St. Louis and elsewhere, interested in the development of 
the Arboretum, a substantial beginning has been made towards 
opening this new tract to visitors. Under favorable conditions this 
should be some time during the coming year. The work has been 
under the supervision of Mr. A. P. Beilmann, Arboriculturist to 
the Garden. 

A reservoir, 106 feet long and 76 feet wide and 10 feet deep, 
with a capacity of 300,000 gallons, was completed during the 
summer. All four sides slope, giving the bottom a dimension of 
30 by 60 feet. It is planned to keep the reservoir filled during 
the winter, and the sloping sides should prevent injury by 
freezing. The purpose of the reservoir is twofold: to supply water 


8 MISSOURT BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


for irrigation, and in connection with a pipe line to furnish water 
for fire fighting. 

To supply the reservoir with water a six-inch cast-iron water 
main was laid to a point near the Meramec River, a distance of 
nearly 3,000 feet. Four standard fire hydrants have been placed 
on this water-main to serve as outlets for irrigation, as well as for 
fire protection. Water is being taken from a shallow well near the 
river. This is a drilled well reaching to bedrock twenty-seven feet 
below the ground surface and cased with a ten-inch pipe to the top 
of the gravel strata which is fifteen feet deep. Inserted in this 
casing and extending through the gravel bed is an eight-inch 
screen of our own design, within which is the four-inch pipe lead- 
ing to the pump. Since the well may be submerged during floods, 
provision has been made to seal the opening and remove the 
pump. 

Two pumps are used to force the water to the reservoir 240 
feet higher and 3,000 feet away. The first is a four-inch cen- 
trifugal pump mounted atop the well casing on a concrete base. 
This supplies a second pump 200 feet away and 15 feet higher, 
also mounted on a concrete base. Both pumps are powered by 
gasoline engines delivering a total of 36 horsepower, and their 
delivery is synchronized through the use of pressure and vacuum 
gauges. The capacity of the pumping system, at the low stage 
of the river this fall, was approximately 7,500 gallons per hour. 

The pipe line follows “Ledge Ridge Trail,” one of the four 
fire roads which have been completed. To the east is “Cliff 
Ridge Trail” and 1,200 feet to the west is “West Valley Trail”; 
these are all connected by an additional trail. This system serves 
as service roads and pedestrian walks, although their chief func- 
tion is to facilitate the movement of fire-fighting equipment in the 
woods. The gravel surface, seven feet in width, should make 
these trails effective fire barriers. A length of nearly two and a 
half miles tends to subdivide this area and assist in localizing 
a fire. 

River-run gravel was chosen as the least costly as well as the 
most natural and pleasant surfacing for the 10,150 feet of newly 
graded roads. The gravel was obtained from a bar near the river 
at the east edge of the property. Approximately 5.000 cubic yards 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 9 


have been hauled, including some stock piled for future use. 
Nearly all grading of the roads was done by Garden equipment 
and crews. The main roads are thirty-six feet wide from the ditch 
on one side to that on the other, permitting a gravel surface for 
trafic of eighteen feet. Drainage of the roadsides is accomplished 
by sixteen culverts; those of vitrified tile range in size from 
twelve inches to thirty inches for the largest, while the four con- 
crete box culverts are longer and larger. It is quite possible that 
additional culverts will be required during a very wet spring. It 
would be very difficult to estimate the amount of soil moved dur- 
ing the road-making operations. The roads have been made with- 
out disturbance of the near-by hills and slopes, thus preserving 
the desired landscape effect. To make them look natural, far more 
grading was done than is usually necessary or practical in road- 
building. 

Work was begun in December on two bridges across Brush 
Creek. It is hoped that they will be completed in the early spring 
of 1940. These bridges, constructed of steel and concrete, have a 
clear span of forty feet, and are alike in design. Bridge No. 1 will 
have a four-foot dam placed between the breast walls, designed to 
impound water for irrigation and fire protection at this point. 
Bridge No. 2, because of the conditions encountered during exca- 
vation, will be constructed without the dam at the bridge site. It 
is proposed to place a dam two hundred feet downstream, forming 
the same type of pool at this location. Brush Creek, on account of 
its steep gradient, is nearly dry for most of the summer, but for 
the same reason often carries “flash” floods during rainstorms. 
Therefore the new bridges are about forty per cent longer than 
the old bridge, and the creek at the bridge site will be widened to 
provide a greater cross-section in case of floods. 

While much of the construction work is under contract, such 
items as trail clearing, cutting and clearing right-of-ways, culvert 
installation, sodding of reservoir slopes, etc., is being done by the 
Garden crew. The water, both for mixing and curing concrete, 
was hauled in our tank truck; de-watering the bridge excava- 
tions was accomplished with our own pumps. Our own com- 
pressor, air drills and tools were used in the rock excavating for 
both Bridge No. 1 and the reservoir. This arrangement has 


10 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


lessened the cost of the work, since it was reflected in the contract 
prices. 

Apart from the fundamental construction work referred to 
above, various items of repair and upkeep were necessary. The 
head house of the orchid range and the engineer’s house were each 
re-roofed. The old barn, near the farm house, was wrecked and 
the lumber from it stored; the old roads were regularly graded 
and kept in repair; several miles of old wire fencing were removed, 
and numerous minor items of repair attended to. 

In addition to the maintenance of the nursery, cold-frames, 
seed-beds, orchards, other plantations, etc., an area of approxi- 
mately eighteen acres was cultivated, limed and seeded to blue 
grass. The old nursery was sown to cow-peas in the spring, later 
plowed under and sown to rye. One thousand trees and shrubs, 
including 335 magnolias and 100 conifers, were removed from 
the nursery to permanent locations and approximately 1,200 trees 
and shrubs, including 200 peonies, were transferred from the old 
to the new nursery. 

Orchids.—During the year 10,598 plants were repotted, and 
orchid flowers, either cut or displayed on the plants, numbered 
39,000. Of the Cattleya group, including both hybrids and 
species, 9,214 flowers were shown. The Cypripediums produced 
1,701 flowers, Cymbidiums 1,375 flowers, Dendrobium Phalae- 
nopsis 708 spikes (2,852 flowers), Dendrobium nobile hybrids 757 
plants (7,570 flowers), Oncidiums 458 spikes (11,450 flowers), 
botanical species 486 spikes (4,860 flowers ). 

The orchids grown in the Plant Curiosity House (at the city 
Garden) have given an added display of flowers, as well as an 
opportunity of showing how the plants grow naturally. The 
Cattleya group produced 314 flowers, Phalaenopsis (moth orchid) 
140 flowers, Oncidium varicosum 125 flowers, Cypripedium 47 
flowers, totaling 626 flowers for the vear. 

Sunshine Record.—This record, as in the past, continues to 
show the advantage to plants of living outside the city. During 
the nine years in which these comparative readings have been 
published, the number of hours of sunshine at the Arboretum, par- 
ticularly during the winter months, has always been in excess of 
that at the Garden in St. Louis: 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 11 


Month City Garden Arboretum 
SUE ey iaseenc veges 5 mean ven eh toss plat as 87 122 
ICD EUAD Vicars ecm ter ee renier ee ere en, « uaie tise 104 125 
NAT Che see ee ener Ae ere ae eee 171 194 
aX 2 ol Wea e Poe aerate eee gs nee rear Re ee ea ee ee 174 186 
My averse rn eae neers eer ieriatc reese sea sie caress 270 274 
ULI rae ere ner eter To reat er le Sik te ec ddce td far 240 244 
ULL Yi eepeyter petit reek aren vet reese eran OM ees as ac eet Be 283 298 
PAULUS Geet ree eer ea ee TU SVD Neon sb oe ence 260 273 
WIE P LEM DSL arrears eee he Riis Srey. a: divanssurtnancon bem 291 278 
CD CTODE Ure carrer eet ee Ee cs Sceherenccaorens 233 246 
IN'OVEMDER eacerye Vein Rte Pe ee oe dsc dices 99 126 
TYCCOTMDETS ea rc tee are wind: tase beatae 98 132 
2,310 2,498 
2,310 
Excess of sunshine hours at Arboretum...... 188 


ADDITIONAL CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIRS 


While the work at the Arboretum has constituted the main con- 
struction item, various minor improvements and replacements in 
the city Garden have received attention. 

As was the case last year, the heating plant, now twenty-five 
vears old, has needed unusual attention. All three boilers were re- 
tubed, requiring 370 tubes, 18 feet long. New brick walls and 
new tiling were supplied where necessary. Some 1,500 feet of 
heating pipe were rearranged, and 250 feet of water pipe supplied 
in the experimental greenhouse. The entire heating and water 
systems were overhauled, including replacing valves, repairing 
steam traps, new gaskets, etc., all necessary to keep this most im- 
portant branch of the service department in perfect condition. 

In order to provide room for the greatly enlarged amateur 
garden classes, one wing of the experimental greenhouse was en- 
tirely remodeled. New and enlarged concrete growing benches 
were built to furnish working space for one hundred or more stu- 
dents. The basement has been refinished to serve as a lecture room. 
A portion of the south wing was converted into an orchid-seedling 
house and the steam sterilizer removed from the laboratory to a 
more convenient location in the head-house. A new gas line was 
run from the administration building to supply this sterilizer. 

The north house of this range was supplied with new mullions 
and reglazed. Because of the necessity of supplying new mullions 


12 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


for the south house, advantage was taken of an opportunity to 
try an experiment with a new product designed as a substitute for 
glass. Plants grown in this house will be checked with those 
under glass to see if there is any advantage from the supposed 
passage of ultra-violet rays. 

The usual amount of painting and of general upkeep of the build- 
ings and grounds has been attended to. Mention should be made 
of salvaging some 1,800 feet of six-inch cast-iron water pipe, dug 
from an abandoned water main in the North American tract. This 
supplied more than half the pipe needed for the line installed at 
the Arboretum to carry water from the well at the river to the new 


reservoir. 
EXPERIMENTAL GREENHOUSES 


The improvements and changes in this range, referred to above, 
should make it possible to carry on the experimental work, as well 
as the amateur classes, more satisfactorily than in the past. Some 
of the activities now conducted in this range under the direction 
of Dr. D. C. Fairburn, Horticulturist to the Garden, are: 

1. Orchid Seedlings.—The culture of hybrid orchid seedlings is 
again of importance in maintaining the orchid collection at the 
Arboretum. Plants are being raised by the symbiotic and 
asymbiotic method, using various culture media. 

2. Plant Propagation.—Numerous cuttings of woody and 
herbaceous plants were rooted, using both root-promoting chemi- 
‘cals and vitamin B. The rooting of rhododendrons by leaf-bud 
cuttings is also being investigated. Some 300 kinds of seed, in- 
cluding new or unusual annuals and perennials, were sown. Par- 
ticular attention is being paid to raising from seed various species 
of Magnolia, including M. grandiflora, M. glauca, M. Soulange- 
ana, and M. stellata. 

3. Plant Breeding.—In addition to the breeding of water-lilies, 
carried on by Mr. G. H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, 
work is being done by Dr. Fairburn toward developing an im- 
proved geranium for St. Louis. Several hundred seedlings have 
been selected from crosses made previously. These seedlings made 
a satisfactory showing in the nursery, many of them having thirty 
or more heads of flowers and abundant all-round vigor. Crosses 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 13 


between commercial varieties of Penstemon and native species 
give promise. 

4. Plant Nutrition.—Extensive tests to determine the compara- 
tive growth of plants in various media, sterilized and unsterilized, 
have been made in order to check recent investigations made along 
this line elsewhere. 

5. Advanced Course in Gardening.—Class members raised over 
5,000 seedlings of various annuals and perennials, and rooted 
about 5,000 cuttings of more than 50 kinds of plants. Tulips, hya- 
cinths, lilies-of-the-valley, gladiolus, and other bulbous plants 
were also raised. 


MAIN CONSERVATORIES AND EXOTIC RANGES 


The large xerophytic collection at the Garden attracts many 
visitors to the two Desert Houses. Only within the last decade 
have the cacti and other succulents assumed such an important 
position in the garden world; vet these strange plants of desert, 
mountain, canyon, and mesa have been more or less in vogue for 
nearly three centuries. Visiting cactus enthusiasts pronounce the 
Garden collection of succulents to be outstanding. 

All the various methods of plant propagation have been carried 
on, as in former years, and many new species were added by 
germinating seed. More attention has been given to grafting, for 
this form of propagation aids in “accelerating” the growth of 
slow-growing species. The oldest graft on exhibit, Monvillea 
Cavendishii, which was made in 1923, has now reached the roof. 
It has become a most prolific bloomer, producing flowers from 
early April to late September. 

The annual trek to the southwestern deserts by Ladislaus Cutak, 
in charge of Succulents at the Garden, has netted several outstand- 
ing specimens for the collection, while valuable data and photo- 
graphs were secured on the Mexican cacti. A full report of this 
trip appeared in the September BuLietin. 

Initial-carving culprits have transferred their vandalistic acts 
to the palms, and two of the fan-leaved palmettos have been 
seriously scarred. Almost all the ground area in the Palm House 
is now covered by the creeping pepper plants. Saguerus (Arenga ) 
mindorensis, one of the sugar palms received from the United 


14 MISSOURI BO'TANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


States Department of Agriculture in 1916, bloomed for the first 
time in December. Several small clumps of Marica, a tropical 
plant related to the iris, were planted under the palms and thrive 
exceedingly well. The blooms are very showy but last only a day. 
Maricas make excellent house plants. 

The beds in the Fern-Cycad House were replanted with 
Nephrolepis ferns, which make a fine ground cover. The Ceriman, 
or Monstera deliciosa, an ornamental vine, evokes more comment 
perhaps than any other plant in the house. It is a vigorous, strag- 
gling climber with immense, broad, long-petioled, perforated and 
scalloped leaves that attain a length of two feet or more. Its un- 
usual long cone-like fruits are very delicious, but it takes about 
ten months for the fruit to ripen, and usually some visitor snips 
it before it has a chance to mature. 

The banana plants unfurled their purple buds beneath the 
clusters of green fruit, and there was an exceptionally good crop 
during the past year. The coffee trees likewise brightened the 
scene with their cherry-like berries. These two most useful plants 
always hold a special attraction for the visitors, particularly 
school children. 

In the Citrus House several outstanding lianas held the spot- 
light during their flowering season. The most floriferous were 
Petrea volubilis, the Queen’s Wreath, with very attractive racemes 
of mauve and blue flowers, and Anemopaegma Chamberlaynii, 
producing a wealth of striking pendulous clusters of yellowish 
blossoms. 

Two of the alcoves in the Aroid House were entirely renovated 
and the old plant material replaced with ornamental foliage 
plants. Several of the shrubby, free-flowering Clerodendron fal- 
lax were added to the tropical plantings, enhancing the luxuriant 
verdure with flame-spattered clusters of brilliant flowers. 


FLORAL DISPLAYS 


Much of the outdoor gardening, as well as the special shows 
in the Floral Display House, are managed and arranged by Mr. 
Paul A. Kohl, Floriculturist to the Garden. Abundant rains and 
cool weather during the first part of the summer afforded all 
plants an ideal growing season. Although a protracted dry spell 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 15 


started in late August, it came too late to injure seriously any 
trees or shrubs. However, shallow-rooted plants and particularly 
evergreens had to be watered until late in the fall. With this 
good weather all of the plants in the various gardens responded 
with a fine display of flowers, and we had the feeling that for 
once the weather approximated that of England which we like to 
think has the ideal climate for most plants. 

Indoor Displays.—The indoor floral displays were continued 
in the same manner as in previous years. The orchid show was 
ready February 4 and again the shadow-boxes were used. The 
next important display was the 2,500-foot azalea garden in the 
center of the Arena for the Greater St. Louis Flower and Garden 
Show, held from March 18 to 26. At the Garden the cineraria 
show opened March 26. The hydrangeas were displayed April 30, 
and on the same Sunday 230 flowering plants were sent to Christ 
Chureh Cathedral for the annual flower sermon. The St. Louis 
Horticultural Society held its spring show on May 20 and 21, and 
on May 26 the pelargoniums and caladiums were displayed. After 
the summer intermission the St. Louis Horticultural Society held 
its dahlia show on September 30 and October 1, and on October 
12 the Veiled Prophet Queen’s bouquet was exhibited for a day. 
The chrysanthemum show lasted from November 5 to December 
3, and on December 10 the poinsettias were exhibited in combina- 
tion with chrysanthemums, stevias and begonias. 

For insect control 1,000 gallons of spray material are used in the 
floral display department each vear. In August the small hand- 
operated sprayer was replaced by an electrically operated pump 


which has greatly increased the efficiency of the spraying program. 
TRANSFER OF TROPICAL STATION 


The tropical station, maintained at Balboa, C. Z., for the past 
twelve years, was transferred to the Canal Zone Government in 
March, 1939. It was a matter of regret that for financial reasons 
this became necessary, since the Station has from the first formed 
a most useful adjunct to the activities of the St. Louis Garden. 
Fortunately, Mr. Paul Allen, the former manager of the Station, 
decided to remain on the Zone and has since been appointed 
Horticulturist at the Summit Garden. This makes it possible for 


16 MISSOURT BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Mr. Allen to continue to represent the Garden in the tropics. He 
will be able, not only to maintain the old station as an attraction 
for Canal Zone visitors, but will likewise give the Garden the 
benefit of his wide experience in collecting plants for the proposed 
“Flora of Panama,” a project in which considerable progress has 


already been made. 
SUPERVISED INSTRUCTION FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN 


The work with school children, under the supervision of Miss 
Clara M. Heising, Special Nature Study Teacher, assigned to the 
Garden by the Board of Education, has continued as in former 
years. More than 8,000 pupils of elementary and high schools 
have had lessons on plants, including flowers, trees and fruits, also 
birds, insects and other creatures. Frequently the weather was 
also. discussed, especially when some interesting or unusual 
phenomena were visible. 

Whenever possible, the lesson was correlated with the work 
in social studies, affording the pupils a clearer knowledge of the 
flora of certain regions and therefore a better understanding of 
the home life and problems of the inhabitants of those particular 
areas. Nature lessons in the Garden frequently provided subjects 
for art and craft lessons, and motivation for language and Eng- 
lish, particularly composition, letter-writing and public speaking. 
Lists of guiding questions to stimulate interest in, and observation 
of, living things in their home and school environment were given 
to teachers accompanying the classes. 

High-school classes came for lessons in physiography, conserva- 
tion, pollination, and inter-relation between plants and insects. 
As an experiment, several kindergarten classes came for field trips. 

To classes of elementary schools were given lessons on plants, 
stressing: 1—their growth and development; 2—their response 
to proper care under the watchful eve of experts here; 3—their 
adaptation to particular types of environment and climate; 4— 
how certain plants are provided with the means of gathering an 
extra supply of moisture from the air; 5—the unique insect traps 
of the Venus flytrap and pitcher plants; 6—how plants overcome 
certain difficulties that arise; 7—competition among plants to ob- 
tain the maximum amount of light; 8—the beauties of the growth 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 17 


of buds, leaves and flowers ; 9—how to beautify even a small yard 
by planning the garden carefully; 10—Nature’s way of reproduc- 
ing plants; 11—Man’s methods of propagation of plants; 12— 
seed dispersal; 13—Nature’s way of protecting plants over win- 
ter; 14—-Man’s methods of protecting plants when necessary; 
15—leaves, particularly the gorgeous autumn leaves here; 16— 
galls; 17—how to become acquainted with our native plants; 
18—how to recognize our state flower, the hawthorn; 19—the art 
of arranging flowers and plants to produce pleasing effects as 
exemplified throughout the Garden both outdoors and in green- 
houses; 20—the proper way to smell a flower; 21—how to ob- 
serve and enjoy flowers without plucking them; 22—the loss of a 
plant’s “little children” when somebody picks a flower; 23—con- 
servation of wild flowers ; 24—how Nature tries to heal or repair 
plant injuries; 25—results of thoughtless mutilation of plants; 
26—the growth of a tree; 27—how a tree accommodates itself 
to its neighbors; 28 


co-operation among plants; 29—how to 
read a twig’s story. 

Whenever birds were observed or heard, a brief lesson was im- 
mediately given to create and stimulate interest in birds. The 
inter-relation of plant, insect and bird life was stressed, and in 
that connection insect study was pursued whenever: 1—injurious 
insects or their depredations were observed; 2—beneficial insects 
or their eggs were seen; 3——ants were observed—their co-opera- 
tion for the welfare of the colony; 4—bees were seen visiting 
flowers and paying for their meal; 5—honeydew was observed; 
6—bagworms and other cocoons were discovered; 7—grasshop- 
pers were seen; 8—leaf-rollers were observed in their “airs,” 
and also when sparrows were seen twitching them out of their 
neat little “rolls” and devouring them. 

The following are some of the objectives in mind when plan- 
ning lessons: 1—that a beautiful garden is not only a joy to the 
person who plans and work in it, but it is an inspiration to one’s 
neighbors and all who see it; 2—an appreciation of color harmony 
and beauty as exemplified by the beautiful floral displays and 
also by the arrangement, growth and development of plants out- 
doors; 3—recognition of many of our common flowering plants; 
4—realization that a plant is actually a living, growing thing; 


18 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


5—a knowledge of conditions necessary to the growth of certain 
crops. (Project work with materials from the economic garden 
not only helped pupils to learn the use of reference books at school 
and home, but gave them a better understanding of industries 
essential to their daily comforts, and a growing interest in the 
life and work of the farmer, the miller, and the manufacturer. 
Much interest centered in the soy bean.) ; 6 


a realization of how 
dependent we are upon others ; 7—a growing interest in life about 
one; 8 


an interest in the changing seasons; 9—an appreciation 
of the beauty as well as the usefulness of a tree; 10—realization 
that a tree is a living, growing thing and needs protection; 11— 
development of keen observation, keen sense of hearing, as well 
as the ability to report accurately what one observes; 12—realiza- 
tion that only through the splendid co-operation of all workmen 
here can the beautiful displays and lovely vistas enjoyed by the 
class be made possible. 

Individual pupils, as well as teachers and classes, have written 
letters of appreciation, telling how much their visit to the Gar- 
den has meant. Last spring and this fall many children attended 
early morning “Bird Walks” and “Nature Walks.” After school 
hours, there were also frequent nature walks with adults, particu- 
larly girl scout leaders who came for work in “Creative Nature 
Study.” 


RESEARCH AND INSTRUCTION 


Dr. J. M. Greenman, Curator of the Herbarium and Professor 
in the Henry Shaw School of Botany of Washington University, 
has devoted most of his time and energy during the year to cura- 
torial duties of the herbarium. In addition to these exacting 
duties, he has continued to direct the research work of the gradu- 
ate students in taxonomy; he has also given advanced courses in 
comparative morphology and taxonomy of ferns and flowering 
plants, as listed in the catalogues of Washington University. 

Dr. Greenman, in the limited time available, has also continued 
research on various groups of flowering plants, and on mono- 
graphic and floristic projects of several years’ standing. 

Dr. C. W. Dodge, Mycologist to the Garden and Professor in 
the Henry Shaw School of Botany of Washington University, 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 19 


spent the early part of the year in routine determination of many 
small series of lichens, mostly from tropical regions. Mr. Timothy 
Murphy has assisted in the preparation of microscopic slides, and 
Mr. Donald F. Flint and Mrs. E. C. Berry have aided in clerical 
work and in the insertion of specimens in the lichen and fungus 
herbaria. A large series of specimens of Panamanian and Costa 
Rican polypores collected by Dr. Dodge have been identified by 
Dr. J. A. Stevenson, of the Mycological Collections of the U. S. 
Department of Agriculture, and are being inserted in the herbar- 
ium. Miss Margaret Fulford, of the University of Cincinnati, has 
identified a large series of hepaticae from British Honduras. 

During the summer, a large series of antarctic and subantarctic 
lichens have been received from Sir Douglas Mawson, Rector of 
the University of Adelaide. These consist of collections of the 
northern party of the British Antarctic Expedition under Shackle- 
ton 1907-09, from the west coast of Ross Sea in South Victoria 
Land; collections of the Australian Antarctic Expedition 1911-14, 
under Mawson from Adélie, King George V and Kaiser Wilhelm II 
Lands, and Macquarie Island; and collections of the British Aus- 
tralian New Zealand Antarctic Research Expeditions in the 
Discovery 1929-31, from Enderby, MacRobertson (Lars Christen- 
sen) and King George V Lands, as well as the subantarctic islands: 
Possession Island of the Crozet group, Kerguelen, Heard Island 
and Macquarie Island. The autumn has been spent in sorting and 
in a preliminary determination of this material. 

Under a grant from the International Cancer Research Foun- 
dation, a study of the action of methyl cholanthrene and other 
carcinogens on Saccharomyces ellipsoideus has been continued. 
Dr. G. T. Johnson has served as research assistant on this project 
since September 15. 

The usual courses of instruction and research have been given. 
Plant pathology has been given during the autumn. Dr. G. T. 
Johnson has offered general bacteriology in University College. 
Dr. Johnson completed his studies on the morphology and_rela- 
tionships of the Pyrenocarp lichens, especially the Trypethelia- 
ceae. Mr. E. C, Berry is completing his monograph of the species 
of Parmelia of the western hemisphere north of Mexico. Miss 
Elizabeth Heuser, besides assisting in the course in general bac- 


20 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


teriology, has continued her study of the morphology and cytol- 
ogy of Gymnoascus sudans Vailionis. Miss Jean E. Martin has 
undertaken a study of the effectiveness of the impregnation of 
leather with fungicides, at the request of a local shoe manufactur- 
ing company. 

Dr. Edgar Anderson, Geneticist to the Garden and Engelmann 
Professor in the Henry Shaw School of Botany of Washington 
University, has continued to center his research upon the species 
problem, though with a definite shift of emphasis. Utilizing the 
insight into species differences which has been gained in previous 
studies, he is attempting by regular genetical techniques to analyze 
the total differences between the germ-plasms of related species. 
Such morphological differences are ultimately the outward reflec- 
tion of an inherent difference in the germ-plasm, a difference com- 
pounded from various changes in structure and in chemical com- 
position. When, therefore, the morphological differences between 
related species can be determined accurately enough, it should be 
possible to interpret the results of species crosses in terms of the 
protein chemistry of the related germ-plasms. While this goal 
has not yet been reached, or can scarcely be said to be in sight, 
a very definite advance has been made during the past year, and 
the work which is under way at the present time (largely with 
two species of Nicotiana) is even more encouraging. 

A rough indication of the effectiveness of this general program 
of research is given by the extent to which work at other institu- 
tions is being carried out more or less under the direction of 
Dr. Anderson. Dr. H. P. Riley, of the University of Washington, 
completed and published two investigations on hybridization in 
Tradescantia and Iris; Dr. C. C. Epling, of the University of Cali- 
fornia, has well under way a study of variation in populations of 
Yucca; and Dr. N. C. Fassett, of the University of Wisconsin, is 
studying the comparative variability of species in relict and non- 
relict areas. 

The integration of a research program of this character with the 
duties of a botanical school and a botanical garden would have been 
impossible without the expert assistance of Mr. Leslie Hubricht. 

During the year considerable progress has been made in identi- 
fying the various outdoor collections at Gray Summit, principally 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 21 


the conifers in the Pinetum and the large plantation of several 
hundred oriental flowering crab-apples. With the assistance of 
one of the graduate apprentices, Mr. Robert Clark, this is now 
virtually completed, and we are now beginning to build up these 
collections by purchases, exchanges, and (let us hope) donations. 
In the Pinetum, for instance, we are very much in need of the 
common Japanese white pine, Pinus parvifolia, which, while it 
is grown in several American collections, is not regularly offered 
in the trade. It is to be hoped that some friend of the Garden will 
be able to supply us with a few young plants. 

Dr. Robert E. Woodson, Jr., Assistant Curator of the Her- 
barium and Assistant Professor in the Henry Shaw School of 
Botany of Washington University, has, as in previous years, spent 
the majority of his time with classes at the University. The ele- 
mentary class, Botany 101, has continued to grow in interest to 
the undergraduate body, as evidenced by the registration, quality 
of work, number of students participating in the voluntary field 
trips, and number of those electing succeeding courses in botany. 
The work in this class during the past year has been facilitated 
greatly by the appointment of Dr. Henry N. Andrews (Ph.D. ’39) 
as instructor in botany, in charge of the elementary laboratories. 
Dr. Andrews is also in charge of the classes in plant anatomy and 
microtechnique. He likewise continues studies in his special field, 
paleobotany. Graduate students acting as assistants in the ele- 
mentary laboratory during the past year have been Elizabeth 
Ammermann, Edward L. Berry, Ralph W. Emons, Jean Elder 
Martin, and Ralph E. Rawlings. 

The second year class, Botany 317, is designed as a survey 
course of the whole plant kingdom, exclusive of bacteria, espe- 
cially as represented in the flora of Missouri. During the two 
semesters of 1939, a total of twenty-five students enrolled in this 
course, more than in any previous year. Six graduate students 
have undertaken research in morphology. 

Dr. Woodson’s research during the past year has centered 
chiefly about the preparation of a “Flora of Panama” and taxo- 
nomic studies in the Asclepiadaceae. Tentative plans have been 
made for the publication of the first volume of the “Flora,” to 
deal with the Monocotyledonous families, in 1941. Several of the 


22 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


most prominent botanists of America and Europe are contribut- 
ing important sections of this project. During the year, approxi- 
mately two thousand numbers of specimens have been received 
from Panama, chiefly due to the zeal of Mr. Paul H. Allen, the 
Garden’s representative in Panama. The larger part of the rou- 
tine classification of these collections has been facilitated greatly 
by the assistance of Mr. Robert W. Schery. 


Graduates and Fellows.—The following appointments were 
made in the Henry Shaw School of Botany for the year 1939- 
1940: 

Assistants in Botany (half-time assistants): Elizabeth Ammer- 
man, A.B. and M.S., Washington University (Taxonomy and 
Morphology); Ralph E. Rawlings, B.S., University of Arkansas 
(Mycology and Taxonomy); (quarter-time assistant) Ralph W. 
Emons, A.B., Washington University (Morphology). 

Washington University Fellowships: Ralph O. Erickson, A.B., 
Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn. (Taxonomy); Rus- 
sell J. Seibert, A.B. and M.S., Washington University (Taxonomy 
and Morphology ). 

Jessie R. Barr Fellowship: Dorothy Irene Henson, B.S. in Ed., 
University of Missouri, M.S., University of Oklahoma (Morphol- 
ogv and Taxonomy ). 

Independent Students: Edward C. Berry, B.S. in Ed., State 
Teachers College, Warrensburg, Mo., M.A., University of Mis- 
souri (Mycology); William L. Brown, B.A., Bridgewater College, 
Bridgewater, Va. (Cytology and Taxonomy); Alexander Reyburn 
Gordon, Jr., A.B., Washington University (Morphology and ‘Tax- 
onomy); Elizabeth Jeannette Heuser, A.B., Washington Univer- 
sity (Mycology). 

Graduate Apprenticeships: Stanley Bettoney, B.S., Massa- 
chusetts State College (Cytology); Robert B. Clark, B.S., Massa- 
chusetts State College (Taxonomy and Morphology); Robert 
W. Schery, A.B., Washington University (Morphology and Tax- 
onomy ). 


Degrees.—The following students in the Henry Shaw School 
of Botany received advanced degrees at the Washington Univer- 
sity commencement in June: (Doctor of Philosophy) Henry N. 
Andrews, B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, M.S., 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 23 


Washington University (Taxonomy and Morphology); Hugh 
Carson Cutler, B.A. and M.A., University of Wisconsin (Taxon- 
omy); Mary Maxine Larisey, A.B. and M.S., Washington Uni- 
versity (Taxonomy and Morphology); George Thomas John- 
son, B.A., University of Arkansas, M.A., Washington University 
(Mycology and Taxonomy); Francis Marion Ownbey, B.A. and 
M.A., University of Wyoming (Taxonomy); (Master of Science ) 
Elizabeth Ammerman, A.B., Washington University (‘Taxonomy 
and Morphology). 

During the year, with the cooperation of Washington Univer- 
sity, it has been possible to establish the graduate apprenticeships 
on a more definite basis. For a summer period of thirteen weeks 
these young men participate in the regular horticultural work of 
the Garden, while during the school year they work only three full 
days per week and spend the remainder of their time as half-time 
graduate students in Botany. Their wages, however, are equalized 
so that during the summer period and the school vear, as well as 
during their two weeks’ vacation, they are paid at the rate of 
$11.00 per week. The university, on its part, grants half tuition 
to these graduate apprentices, thereby making it possible to at- 
tract candidates of outstanding ability. While it is much too soon 
to estimate the ultimate success of this departure, it is now ap- 
parent that the plan has many attractive features. As the details 
of its administration become adjusted it should prove mutually 
advantageous to the Garden, the apprentices, and the University. 

Published Articles.— 

Allen, Paul H.: Some Experiences of an Orchid Collector. Mo. 
Bot. Gard. Bull. 27: 81-93. March, 1939, 

Anderson, Edgar: A Classification of Weeds and Weed-like 
Plants. Science 89: 364-365. April, 1939: Creating a Flowering 
Meadow. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 27: 102—106. April, 1939; Has 
This Plant Become Extinct in Missouri? Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 27: 
102. April, 1939; John Kellogg, 1862-1939. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 
27: 127-129. June, 1939; Pickle Worms. Real Gardening 22 l= 
53. November, 1939; The Rediscovery of Prenanthes crepidinea, 
Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 27: 189-191. November, 1939; with John 
S. Lehmann: An Old-fashioned Rose. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 27: 
262-263; with Ruth Peck Ownbey: The Genetic Coefficients of 


24 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Specific Difference. Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 26: 325-348. Novem- 
ber, 1939. 

Andrews, Henry N.: One-Way Trees. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 27: 
98. April, 1939. 

Brown, William L.: Chromosome Complements of Five Species 
of Poa with an Analysis of Variation in Poa pratensis. Amer. Jour. 
Bot. 26: 717-723. November, 1939. 

Cutak, Ladislaus: Along the Cactus Trail. Gard. Chron. Amer. 
43: 205-207, 223. July, 1939, and reprinted in Southern Florist 
47: 8-9. August, 1939; Cincinnati Opens a New Desert House. 
Desert Plant Life 11: 185-186. December, 1939; Desert Ter- 
rariums. Gard. Chron. Amer. 43: 317—318. October, 1939; Desert 
Trails and Jungle Paths in Old Mexico. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 27: 
145-156. September, 1939; Exploring for Cacti in the Big Bend 
Country |Texas|. Desert Plant Life 11: 48-51. March, 1939; 
Gardens in the Land of Dolly Madison. Gard. Chron. Amer. 43: 
341-343, 350. November, 1939; Hardy Succulents. Garden Gos- 
sip 14: 10-11. May, 1939; Hardy Succulents for the Rock Gar- 
den. Cactus and Succulent Soc. Amer. Jour. 10: 205-208. June, 
1939 (Reprinted from Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 25: 149-154. Novem- 
ber, 1937); Haworthias, the Dainty Succulents. Mo. Bot. Gard. 
Bull. 27: 112-122. May, 1939; The Misunderstood Kalanchoids. 
Gard. Chron. Amer. 43: 53-54. February, 1939, and reprinted in 
Southern Florist 46: 16-17. February, 1939; Plant Life in the 
Shimmering White Sands. Desert Plant Life 11: 145-147. Octo- 
ber, 1939; Report of a Plant Hunt in Texas. Southern Florist 46: 
3—4, 18-19. January, 1939 (Reprinted from Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 
26: 180-187. December, 1938); A Review of ‘‘Kaktusarske 
Listy.”” Cactus and Succulent Soc. Amer. Jour. 10: 198. May, 
1939; Sacred Tree of the Papago Indians. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 
27: 197-201. December, 1939; Succulents for Winter Window 
Gardens and Terrariums. Cactus and Succulent Soc. Amer. Jour. 
11: 42-43. September, 1939 (Reprinted from Garden Gossip 
12: 4—-5. December, 1937); Winter Care of Succulents. Garden 
Life 12: 93. December, 1939. 

Cutler, Hugh C.: Monograph of the North American Species 
of the Genus Ephedra. Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 26: 373-427. No- 
vember, 1939. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 25 


Fairburn, David C.: The Culture of African Violets. Mo. Bot. 
Gard. Bull. 27: 203-207. December, 1939; How to Force Hardy 
Bulbs. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 27: 137-145. September, 1939; 
Identification and Control of Common Plant Pests. Mo. Bot. 
Gard. Bull. 27: 207-211. December, 1939. 

Garland, Hereford: A Microscopic Study of Coniferous Wood 
in Relation to Its Strength Properties. Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 26: 
1-94. February, 1939. 

Goddard, Mary: Studies on Variation in Gibberella Saubinetii 
(Mont.) Sace. (Fusarium graminearum Schwabe). Ann. Mo. Bot. 
Gard. 26: 99-164. April, 1939. 

Kohl, Paul A.: Chrysanthemums. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 27: 
163-180. October, 1939; Daylilies. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 27: 109— 
112. May, 1939; Growing Roses in St. Louis. Mo. Bot. Gard. 
Bull. 27: 51-80. February, 1939; Silver Lace-Vine, or China 
Fleece-Vine. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 27: 201-202. December, 1939. 

Ownbey, Ruth P., with Edgar Anderson. The Genetic Coeffi- 
cients of Specific Difference. Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 26: 325-348. 
November, 1939. 

Ownbey, Marion, and Ownbey, Ruth P.: Calochortus—Grow- 
ing Globe Tulips and Mariposa Lilies in Missouri. Mo. Bot. Gard. 
Bull. 27: 185-189. November, 1939. 

Pring, George H.: Bulbophyllum Medusae—Medusa’s Head. 
Amer. Orchid Soc. Bull. 8: 5—6. July, 1939; Bull-Headed Den- 
drobium (Dendrobium taurinum Lindley). Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 
27: 97-98. April, 1939; New or Noteworthy Plants for St. Louis. 
XIII. Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull. 27: 183-184. November, 1939. 

Reynolds, Ernest S.: Tree Temperatures and Thermostasy. 
Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 26: 165-255. September, 1939. 

Seibert, R. J., with Robert E. Woodson, Jr. Contributions to- 
ward a Flora of Panama, III. Collections during the summer of 
1938, chiefly by R. E. Woodson, Jr., P. H. Allen and R. J. Seibert. 
Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 26: 265-324. November, 1939. 

Woodson, Robert E., Jr.: Apocynaceae, in H. A. Gleason & 
KE. P. Killip, The Flora of Mount Auyan-tepui, Venezuela. Brit- 
tonia 3: 190. November, 1939; Apocynaceae, in A. C. Smith, 
Notes on a Collection of Plants from British Guiana. Lloydia 2: 
207-208. September, 1939; Asclepiadaceae, ibid. 208-209, Sep- 


26 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


tember, 1939; New or Otherwise Noteworthy Apocynaceae of 
Tropical America. VI. Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 26: 95-98. April, 
1939; ibid. VII. 26: 257-259. November, 1939; Two New Ascle- 
piads from the Western United States. ibid. 261-264. figs. 1-2. 
November. 1939; with R. J. Seibert: Contributions toward a 
Flora of Panama, III. Collections during the summer of 1938, 
chiefly by R. E. Woodson, Jr., P. H. Allen and R. J. Seibert. ibid. 
265-324. November, 1939. Zingiberaceae, in A. C. Smith, Notes 
on a Collection of Plants from British Guiana. Lloydia 2: 171- 
172. September, 1939. 


Scientific and Popular Lectures,— 

Dr. Henry N. Andrews, Instructor in the Shaw School of Bot- 
any: December 28, at Columbus, Ohio, paleobotanical section, 
Botanical Society of America, “A New Cupule from the Lower 
Carboniferous of Scotland, with a Note on the Morphological Sig- 
nificance of Paleozoic Cupules.” 

Dr. Edgar Anderson, Geneticist to the Garden: May 12, Fed- 
erated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Jefferson City, “Something 
About Herbs”; May 15, St. Louis Flower Show Association, 
“Judging Amateur Classes.” 

Mr. A. P. Beilmann, Arboriculturist to the Garden: February 
20, Good Earth Garden Club of Kirkwood, “Some Diseases of 
Shade Trees”; October 23, Louisiana Garden Club, Louisiana, 
Mo.. “Trees and Their Care’; November 7, Ladue Garden Club, 
“Trees.” 

Mr. W. L. Brown, graduate student in the Shaw School of Bot- 
any: February 7, Greater St. Louis Association of Gardeners, 
“Lawn Problems of the Middle West’; and Edward C. Berry, 
graduate student in the Shaw School of Botany: December 29, at 
Columbus, Ohio, general section Botanical Society of America, 
“Abnormal Microsporogenesis in 'Tradescantia.”’ 

Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of Succulents at the Garden: 
January 12, St. Louis Florist Club, “Searching for Botanical 
Treasures in Texan Deserts’; February 8, Group 8 of the Web- 
ster Groves Garden Club, “Gardens of Virginia and Texas”; 
April 20, St. Boniface Holy Name Society, May 8, Nativity 
Holy Name Society, and May 10, Scottish Rite Club, “Exploring 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 27 


Texas with Camera and Tripod’; June 13, Executives Club of 
St. Louis, and September 12, Holy Name Society of St. Pius’ 
Church, “Along the Cactus Trail” ; September 24, Chicago Cactus 
Society, at Chicago, Ill., “The Culture of Succulent Plants’; 
October 18, Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs, of Edwardsville, IIl., 
“Exploring for Plants”; November 4, Irwin M. Krohn Conserva- 
tory, Eden Park, Cincinnati, Ohio, “Cacti and Their Universal 
Appeal”; November 28, St. John Nepomuk Holy Name Society, 
“Along the Cactus Trail’; December 1, St. Louis Horticultural 
Society, ““Cactus—lIndoors and Out.” 

Dr. Carroll W. Dodge, Mycologist to the Garden: September 
4, Third International Congress for Microbiology, at New York, 
“Some Effects of Carcinogenic Substances on Saccharomyces 


ellipsoideus.” 

Dr. David C. Fairburn, Horticulturist to the Garden: Febru- 
ary 8, Delta Gamma Mother’s Club, “House Plants’; April 7, 
College Club of St. Louis, “Spring Gardening” ; September 21, 
Ferguson Garden Club, and November 15, Webster Groves Gar- 
den Club, “Bulbs.” 

Dr. J. M. Greenman, Curator of the Herbarium: December 28, 
at Columbus, Ohio, Presidential Address, American Society of 
Plant Taxonomists. 

Mr. L. P. Jensen, Manager of the Garden Arboretum: April 7, 
Gray Summit School, “Planting and Care of Trees”; April 28, 
Washington Mo. grammar school, ‘The Value of Trees to Poster- 
ity’; May 19, Washington Mo. grammar school, “The Value of 
Trees to Man’; July 9, Meramec State Park, Sullivan, Mo.. 
“Popular Interest in Botany”; August 22, Missouri State Fair. 
“Some Interesting Native Plants”; September 7, Garden Club 
of Washington, Mo., “The Activities of Garden Clubs in the 
Conservation of Native Plants.” 

Mr. Paul A. Kohl, Floriculturist to the Garden: February 21, 
Business Girls’ League of the Y. W. C. A., “A Tour Through the 
Missouri Botanical Garden”; March 7, Triangle Alumni Asso- 
ciation of St. Louis, “The Missouri Botanical Garden”; May 1 
Northwoods Garden Club, “Landscaping the Home Grounds”’: 


’ 


May 2, Ladue Garden Club, “Gardening”; October 6, St. Louis 


’ 


28 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Horticultural Society, “Growing and Displaying Chrysanthe- 
mums”; October 6, Musicians’ Guild of St. Louis, “A Trip 
Through the Missouri Botanical Garden.” 

Dr. George 'T. Moore, Director of the Garden: April 4, Gar- 
den Club of Ladue, “Organizing a Garden Club”; September 25, 
Hawthorn Garden Club of Jefferson City, Mo.; December 27, 
science section, Wednesday Club, “The Plant:—the Greatest 
Chemist of Them All.” 

Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden: Janu- 
ary 5, Men’s Club of the Shaw Avenue Methodist Church, ‘The 
Romance of the Plant World’; February 6, Chicago Association 
of Gardeners, at Chicago, “The Breeding of Tropical Water- 
lilies’; February 9, Chicago Men’s Garden Club, “Development 
of the Russell Lupines”; March 13, over Radio Station KXOK, 
“The Greater St. Louis Flower and Garden Show”; March 16 and 
March 21, over Station KSD, “The Greater St. Louis Flower 
and Garden Show”; March 31 and April 4, over Station KXOK, 
“Plant Collecting in Central and South America”; April 17, Busi- 
ness and Professional Club of St. John’s Episcopalian Church, 
“Floral Displays at the Garden throughout the Year’; Septem- 
ber 21, Ladies’ Coterie of Granite City, Ill., “The Missouri Bo- 
tanical Garden Arboretum”; October 3, interview over Radio Sta- 
tion KMOX, “Orchids for the Veiled Prophet Queen’s Bouquet.” 

Mr. Russell J. Seibert, graduate student in the Shaw School of 
Botany: September 16, Shiloh Valley Grange, Belleville, IIL, 
“Plant Collecting in Panama’; September 20, Mascoutah Wom- 
en’s Club, Mascoutah, IIl., “The Romance of Panama.” 

Dr. Robert E. Woodson, Jr., Assistant Curator of the Her- 
barium: February 3, St. Louis Horticultural Society, “Panama.” 


HERBARIUM 


It is a pleasure to record that a normal growth and expansion, 
accompanied by the many other activities incidental to an her- 
barium, have continued during the year. Marked progress has 
been made in the further organization of the general collections 
in order to bring them in accord with the treatment of recent 
monographs and other current publications—thus rendering the 
herbarium of greater usefulness as a reference medium for ob- 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 29 


taining ready information concerning the identification, varia- 
tion, and geographical distribution of species of plants. 

Particular emphasis has been given to the acquisition of addi- 
tional material to further amplify the representation of the flora 
of western United States, Mexico, Central and South America; 
although several important series of plants have been obtained 
to augment the Garden’s representation of exotic floras. It is 
noteworthy also that an exceptionally large number of specimens 
of horticultural plants have been added to the herbarium during 
the year. The need for such material is felt to be constantly 
increasing. 

The larger series of plants which have been acquired during the 
year are here assembled: 


New Accessions—Paul Allen, 113 plants of Costa Rica; Edgar 
Anderson, 330 plants of central United States and of horticulture ; 
F. A. Barkley, 1217 plants of Montana and Idaho; Botanic Gar- 
den, University of Jagellonica, 208 plants of Poland; Botanical 
Museum, Harvard University, by L. O. Williams, 436 orchids, 
mostly from Mexico, the Philippine Islands, and China; Botani- 
cal Museum, University of Helsingfors, 200 lichens of Finland; 
Mrs. H. P. Bracelin, 392 plants of South America, collected by 
Mrs. Ynes Mexia; Brigham Young University, 43 plants of Utah; 
California Academy of Sciences, 50 plants chiefly from the Pa- 
cific Coast states; Albert Chandler, 124 plants from central and 
eastern United States; M. A. Chrysler, 51 ferns of Jamaica; Hon- 
orable Joseph R. Churchill estate, 500 plants of North America; 
Ira W. Clokey, 39 plants of Utah; Cornell University, 104 plants 
of New York; D. S. Correll, 68 orchids of southeastern United 
States; Arthur Cronquist, 500 plants of Idaho; Hugh C. Cutler, 
611 plants from southwestern and western United States; Otto 
Degener, 451 plants of Hawaii, Philippine Islands, and Borneo; 
Division of Botany and Plant Pathology, Central Experiment Sta- 
tion, Ottawa, 48 plants of Canada; C. F. Erichsen, 100 lichens of 
Germany; Field Museum of Natural History, 1720 plants of Mis- 
souri and Central America; F. R. Fosberg, 500 plants of Arizona, 
California, Mexico, and Hawaii; A. O. Garrett, 51 plants of Utah; 
Howard Scott Gentry, 352 plants of Lower California; T. H. 
Goodspeed, 61 plants of South America; Gray Herbarium of Har- 


30 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


vard University, 100 plants of the United States; J. M. Greenman, 
36 plants of Wisconsin and Missouri, and 30 photographs of type 
specimens; H. Hapeman, 102 plants chiefly from South Dakota 
and Nebraska; Bertrand F. Harrison, 133 plants of Utah; A. A. 
Heller, 350 plants of California; I’. J. Hermann, 51 plants of 
Michigan; L. R. Hesler, 125 fungi chiefly from Tennessee ; George 
B. Hinton, 500 plants from Mexico; Harry Hoogstraal, 101 plants 
of Mexico; Leslie Hubricht, 726 plants mostly from central and 
southeastern United States; Herbarium of Miguel Lillo Insti- 
tute, 22 plants of Argentina; H. Harold Hume, 33 specimens of 
Zephyranthus from Florida and from horticulture; Iowa State 
College, 234 plants of Iowa; Maxine Larisey, 40 specimens of 
Baptisia chiefly from southeastern United States; Ethel H. Looff, 
55 plants from Alaska; Los Angeles Museum of History, Science, 
and Art, 383 plants of California and New Mexico; A. H. Mag- 
nusen, 50 lichens of Scandinavia; Marshall College by F. A. Gil- 
bert, 100 plants of West Virginia; Montana State University, 
495 plants of Montana; Narodin Museum, Prague, 48 fungi from 
Czechoslovakia; Natural History Museum, Stockholm, 277 plants 
of Europe; New York Botanical Garden, 1011 plants of tropical 
America and 30 photographs of types and authentic specimens ; 
Marion Ownbey, 1107 plants of western United States and of 
horticulture; William F. Palsson, 100 lichens of Iceland; Edith 
A. Purer, 184 plants of Alaska, Yukon Territory, Washington, 
Oregon, and California; Rocky Mountain Herbarium, 208 plants 
of southwestern United States and Canada; Royal Botanic Gar- 
dens, Kew, England, 50 plants of Siam; R. J. Seibert, 65 plants 
of Illinois and of horticulture; Alexander IF, Skutch, 638 plants 
of Costa Rica and Ecuador; A. C. Smith, 91 plants of Venezuela 
and British Guiana; F. Solis Rojas, 351 plants of Costa Rica; 
Fraulein Johanna Stephani, 750 tracings from F. Stephani’s 
“Teones hepaticarum”; James R. Stokes, 49 ferns from Georgia; 
H. Sydow, 300 fungi from various countries; Mrs. R. A. Terry, 
362 plants of Panama; United States National Museum, 160 
plants of Virginia and South America; University of California, 
321 plants chiefly from California; University of Lowa, 63 plants 
from Iowa and the American tropics; University of Michigan by 
C. L. Lundell, 38 plants from Mexico and Central America; Uni- 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 31 


versity of Oklahoma by Milton Hopkins, 91 plants of Oklahoma; 
University of Wisconsin by N.C. Fassett, 135 plants chiefly plants 
of Wisconsin; Fr. Verdoorn, 50 mosses from various countries: 
R. E. Woodson, Jr., 1935 plants from southern United States and 
Panama; T.G. Yuncker, 685 plants of Honduras. 

Many smaller collections have been received and recorded in 
current numbers of the Garden BULLETIN. 


Mounting and Insertion of Specimens.—The mounting and in- 
sertion of specimens have continued throughout the year. Miss 
Elizabeth Ammerman and Mr. A. R. Gordon, graduate students in 
the Shaw School of Botany, Washington University, were em- 
ploved by the Garden during the summer months, as extra 
mounters; and some assistance has been obtained through employ- 
ment of NYA undergraduate students. Mrs. Edward C. Berry 
and Mr. D. Flint have also assisted in mounting and distributing 
lichens and fungi. This extra service has greatly expedited the 
routine work of preparing specimens for reference and study; but 
there still remains a relatively large number of unmounted speci- 
mens to be sorted, mounted, and placed in the organized herbarium. 

The interpolation in the general collection of new material has 
been greatly handicapped during the latter half of the year, be- 
‘ause of the crowded condition of many parts of the herbarium. To 
alleviate this congestion, arrangements were made for the instal- 
lation of additional cases; and an order was placed for them early 
in August. The delivery of the new cases, however, was delayed 
until late December; but the new cases are now in place and will 
be ready for use within a short time. The rearrangement of the 
herbarium will necessitate a shift of about two-thirds of the entire 
collection. It is estimated, however, that the present addition of 
new cases will eliminate the existing congestion, and at the same 
time will furnish the necessary case-capacity for a normal growth 
of the herbarium for five or six years. 


Eaechanges.—During the year there were received from scien- 
tific institutions and individuals with whom the Garden maintains 
exchanges approximately 8000 specimens. In the same period 
about 4000 duplicate herbarium specimens have been distributed 
to correspondents. These numbers are somewhat lower than they 


would be under normal international conditions. Because of the 


32 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


disturbed situation in Europe, few shipments of herbarium speci- 
mens have been received from European countries since the first 
of September of the past year; and only a small amount of dupli- 
cate herbarium material has been sent abroad. Several rather 
large series of duplicate specimens are being withheld because of 
present delays and uncertainties in transportation. 


Field Work.—Considerable field work has been carried on dur- 
ing the year by members of the staff and by graduate students. 
Noteworthy among these are the collections made in western 
United States by Mr. and Mrs. Marion Ownbey; in central and 
southeastern United States by Leslie Hubricht; in central United 
States by E. Anderson; in the southern states by R. E. Wood- 
son, Jr. and R. W. Schery; and in Central America by Paul Allen. 
Many former graduates and several of the present graduate stu- 
dents of the Shaw School of Botany have continued to contribute 
collections of plants made in different parts of the country; these 
have often formed the basis for new and important scientific 
records. 


Use of the Herbarium.—The herbarium continues to perform 
an increasing service to the community, as well as to those whose 
interests are more professional. Many botanists, as in previous 
years, have consulted the herbarium, some for extended periods 
of time. ‘The number of specimens loaned to scientific institutions 
for study by graduate students pursuing research in taxonomy 
and to specialists for monographic study is much larger than in 
any one previous year. In fact it has been extremely difficult to 
meet promptly the numerous and legitimate requests for loans of 


material. 


Groups of Plants Under Special Study.—The particular groups 
of plants which have been under intensive taxonomic study during 
the year are the following: Compositae, particularly Palafoaia, 
Polypteris, and Othake, by Elizabeth Ammerman; Gramineae, 
particularly the genus Poa, by William L. Brown; Bumelia, by 
Robert B. Clark; Ephedra, by Hugh C. Cutler; Hepaticae, by 
George T. Johnson; Baptisia and Thermopsis, by Maxine Larisey ; 
Calochortus, by Marion Ownbey; Bignoniaceae, especially T'abe- 
buia and Jacaranda, by R. J. Seibert. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 33 


Statistical Summary (for the year ending December 31, 1939). 


Number of specimens received during 1939: 


BV PCOS pn eee erie eee wks hwo ene 6,217 
Es MENU aaa eee tenia Sea RG Soe eck peas ei OES 3,432 
EV OCU Oe eer a ane sie sia Ks a gra aca wom 7,834 
op ge og sul tt.) ame newer Dy eC a ae anv ae 109 
EY MOI WOE Greate e ee Wl oka ds-a ake deem 3,169 
Nd: 1 Rae asec OTC ee aoe ee 20,761 
Number of specimens mounted and incorporated in 1939, includ- 
ing 9,246 from previously acquired accessions ............. 30,491 
Number of specimens carried forward from 1938, less 9,246.... 1,273,886 
GMT OLN peste gen cet nete eee eRe te sie) be cock cos and avn a ofc ee 1,303,877 
Number of specimens discarded in 1939 ................... 8 
Number of duplicates withdrawn in 1939 .................. 22 
EQ ee eee) ec cenG cake ae boas 30 
Total number of specimens in herbarium ............ 1,303,847 


LIBRARY AND PUBLICATIONS 


Due to economy and conditions in Europe, the vear 1939 has 
seen no abnormal growth in the Garden library. The most im- 
portant serial publications have been continued to be subscribed to, 
and some books have been ordered from catalogues but nothing 
particularly outstanding. However, advantage has been taken of 
this lull to finish a lot of accumulated work. Chief among these 
was the shifting of the thousands of books and pamphlets now 
housed in the basement. A good start has been made. but as the 
work can only be done when nothing else is urgent it will not be 
finished before the end of 1940. During the course of the shifting, 
every book is cleaned and checked. If it can be dispensed with, it 
is removed, and the cards taken out of the file. By discarding such 
useless material enough space will be made available for expansion 
for another several years. 

Another accomplishment during the year has been cataloguing 
the several years’ collection of seed and nursery catalogues. 
The Garden has the most complete and valuable file of such 
publications in the Middle West, but as they are not often 
used they had been allowed to accumulate until more pressing 
work was out of the way. Last spring, through the kindness of 
Mrs. Nellie Bauer, they were all catalogued, and are now on the 
shelf. Mrs. Bauer is a citizen of St. Louis and a graduate of the 


34 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


—e 


University of Missouri, who gave her services to the Garden in 
response to the “Friends of the Garden” campaign. 

During the summer the library cooperated with the W.P.A. in 
its Missouri Imprints Inventory, a project to record every book 
printed in America from 1639 to 1876. The number of such pub- 
lications found here was beyond expectation, and during Decem- 
ber two cataloguers were sent from the branch office to check up. 
The library will receive a carbon copy of the report when it is 
completed. 


Accessions.—No unusual collections were acquired during the 
year, but a number of serials, foreign doctoral dissertations and 
floras, etc., unimportant individually but helping to complete col- 
lections, were ordered from catalogues. The following are some of 
the more interesting acquisitions: American journal of science and 
arts. Ser. II, vols. 16-17. 1853-1854; Darrah, W. C. Principles 
of paleobotany. 1938; Fassett, N.C. The leguminous plants of 
Wisconsin. 1939; Fenneman, N. M. Physiography of eastern 
United States. 1938; Leighton, W. A. The lichen flora of Great 
Britain, Ireland, and Channel Islands. 2nd ed. 1872; Leopoldina, 
vols. 52-58. 1916-23; Lynge, B. Index specierum et varietatum 
lichenum. 2 vols. 1915-22; Merrill, E. D. and E. H. Walker. A 
bibliography of eastern Asiatic botany. 1938; Miller, P. Gar- 
deners’ Dictionary, 3 vols., 4th abridged ed. 1754; Niwa, T. Chry- 
santhemums of Japan. 1937; St. Gallische Naturwissenschaft- 
liche Gesellschaft, Bericht tiber die Thatigkeit, 12 vols. 1878— 
1890; Societé des sciences naturelles de Neuchatel, Bulletin, vols. 
10-14, 16-18. 1876-1889; Turner, R. Botanologia: British phy- 
sician or the nature and virtues of English plants. 2nd ed. 1687; 
Veendorp, H. and L. G. M. Baas Becking. Hortus academicus 
Lugduno-Batavus. 1938; Willdenow, C. L. Florae Berolinensis 
Prodromus. 1787. A complete set of Walcott’s North American 
Wild Flowers (5 volumes) was presented by Mr. and Mrs. R. 
McKittrick Jones. 

Several sets of serial publications have been sent to the library 
of the department of biology at Washington University on an 
indefinite loan. Among these are “‘Biochemische Zeitschrift,” 
“Chemical Abstracts,” “Biochemical Journal,” and “American 
Chemical Society Journal.” The University has agreed to bind 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 35 


them in the standard binding for Garden books and to keep their 
identity separate. None of these is now being used at the Garden, 
but they will be of great benefit in the department of zoology. 
Furthermore, there is room for them in the biology library, while 
the Garden space is extremely limited. 


Garden Publications.—Volume XXVI of the quarterly ANNALS 
or THE Missourrt BoranicaL GarpDEN was issued during the year, 
the volume containing 433 pages and 28 plates. One of the papers 
in this volume was Dr. E. S. Reynolds’ “Tree Temperatures 
and Thermostasy,” the results of several years’ research work on 
the subject. The 1939 volume of the BuLitetiIn (Vol. XXVIII), 
issued monthly except July and August, contains 222 pages and 42 
plates. Some of the important BULLETINS were the February num- 
ber on “Roses,” and the October number on “Chrysanthemums,” 
both by Paul A. Kohl, and profusely illustrated with photographs 
and drawings. 

Work has been started on a “Spring Flora of Missouri” by Dr. 
Julian A. Steyermark, to be published by the Garden, with the 
Field Museum of Natural History at Chicago furnishing the plates. 
The book will comprise about 500 pages, 164 plates, and over 400 
text-figures and will describe every known plant blooming in Mis- 
souri before June 1. From all accounts such a work has been long 
needed by nature-lovers, scouts, amateur botanists, ete., and it is 
fortunate to have it undertaken by Dr. Steyermark, who is more 
familiar with the Missouri flora than any one in the state or else- 
where. Every plant, in addition to being taken up in the keys, will 
be briefly described and usually it will be illustrated. Emphasis 
will be placed on the common name, although the botanical name 
will also be given; and an effort will be made to make the deserip- 
tions so simple and untechnical that any one, with the help of the 
illustrations, will be able to identify even the most uncommon 
spring plants. The book will be sold at about cost. 

Two hundred and sixty-two persons and institutions subscribe 
to the BuLLETIN and 128 send publications in exchange. There are 
83 subscriptions to the ANNaALs and 428 foreign and 126 domestic 
exchanges. The Bureau of International Exchanges of the Smith- 
sonian Institution has not yet let it be known what exchanges 
will be discontinued. 


36 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Use of the Library—In addition to the staff and students in the 
Henry Shaw School of Botany, the following out-of-town botanists 
have consulted the library during the year: Dr. Ernst Abbe, As- 
sistant Professor of Botany, University of Minnesota, Minne- 
apolis; Dr. Esther Adams, Teacher of Biological Sciences, Mo- 
berly Junior College, Moberly, Mo.; Dr. W. A. Anderson, Associ- 
ate Professor of Botany, University of Iowa, Iowa City; Dr. F. A. 
Barkley, Instructor in Botany, University of Montana, Missoula; 
Mr. J. M. Batchelor, of the U. S. Soil Conservation Service, Wash- 
ington, D. C.; Dr. Earl E. Berkley, Associate Cotton Technologist, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.; Mr. James 
Bible, Superintendent of City Parks, Denver, Colo. ; Dr. C. A. 
Brown, Associate Professor of Botany, University of Louisiana, 
Baton Rouge; Dr. J. T. Buchholz, Professor of Botany, Univer- 
sity of Illinois, Urbana; Dr. E. A. Cockefair, Professor of Bot- 
any, Central Missouri Teachers College, Warrensburg; Dr. Hugh 
C. Cutler, botanical explorer in the Southwest; Dr. W. B. Drew, 
Assistant Professor of Botany, University of Missouri, Columbia; 
Dr. Carl C. Epling, Associate Professor of Botany, University of 
California, Los Angeles; Dr. Walter S. Flory, Horticulturist, 
Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College, College Station ; Mr. 
M. Truman Fossum, student in horticulture, Cornell University, 
Ithaca, N. Y.; Miss Susann Fry, graduate student, Washington 
State College, Pullman; Dr. Harry J. Fuller, Assistant Professor 
of Botany, University of Illinois, Urbana; Dr. Hereford Garland, 
Instructor in Forestry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Miss 
Mary Gentry, graduate student, University of Wyoming, Laramie ; 
Mr. Richard Gnade, graduate student, Harvard University, Cam- 
bridge, Mass.; Mr. Neil E. Gordon, Central College, Fayette, 
Mo.; Mr. H. 'T. Hartmann, graduate student, Department of Hor- 
ticulture, University of Missouri, Columbia; Mr. L. H. Harvey, 
graduate student, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Dr. Albert 
W. Herre, Curator of Ichthyology, Natural History Museum, 
Stanford University, Calif.; Mr. W. E. Hopper, graduate stu- 
dent in botany, University of Illinois, Urbana; Dr. L. O. Jimenez, 
of the Academia Costarriquena, San Jose, Costa Rica; Dr. George 
Neville Jones, Instructor in Botany, University of Illinois, 
Urbana; Mr. F. L. Kellogg, of the Central States Forest Experi- 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 37 


ment Station, Columbus, Ohio; Dr. E. P. Killip, Assistant Curator, 
U.S. National Museum, Washington, D. C.; Dr. Maxine Larisey, 
Instructor in Botany, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.; Dr. 
E. J. Little, Jr., of the U. S. Forest Service, Tucson, Ariz.; Mr. 
Thomas M. Little, Geneticist to the W. Atlee Burpee Seed Co., 
Lompoc, Calif.; Dr. Juan E. Mackinnon, Assistant at the Instituto 
de Higiene Experimental Seccion Parasitologia, Montevideo, 
Uruguay; Dr. Paul C. Mangelsdorf, Assistant Director of Texas 
Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station; Dr. J. Francis 
Macbride, Assistant Curator, Field Museum of Natural History, 
Chicago; Mr. J. Myrlin McGuire, research assistant, University 
of Iowa, Iowa City; Mr. J. T. Middleton, Graduate Assistant in 
Botany, University of Missouri, Columbia; Dr. C. E. Moore, Head 
Biology Department, State Teachers’ College, Memphis, Tenn.; 
Mr. H. KE. Morris, botanist and bacteriologist, Montana State Col- 
lege, Bozeman; Mr. M. J. Reed, graduate student, University 
of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.; Prof. Alfred Rehder, Curator 
of the Herbarium, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, 
Jamaica Plain, Mass.; Dr. Philip K. Reynolds, in charge of 
Banana Dietetic Research, United Fruit Co., New York City; Mr. 
F. I’. Rockwell, Garden Editor of New York Times; Mr. Art 
Smith, Horticulturist, Boone, Ia.; Mr. Julian F, Smith. Central 
College, Fayette, Mo.; Mr. H. A. Stevenson, of the U. S. Soil Con- 
servation Service, EKlsberry, Mo.; Cora Shoop Steyermark, Chi- 
cago; Dr. J. A. Steyermark, Assistant Curator of the Herbarium. 
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago; Dr. Delbert Swartz, 
Associate Professor of Botany, University of Arkansas, Fayette- 
ville; Mrs. J. J. Taubenhaus, in charge of the Herbarium, Texas 
Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station; Dr. F. A. Var- 
relman, Professor of Botany, DePaul University, Chicago; Mr. 
EK. Walther, member California Academy of Science and Assist- 
ant Superintendent of Golden Gate Park, San Francisco; Dr. 
Selden R. Warner, Professor of Botany, Sam Houston Teachers 
College, Huntsville, Texas; Mr. Stephen White, graduate stu- 
dent, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Dr. F. L. Wynd, Assist- 
ant Professor of Botany, University of Illinois, Urbana. 

Among the groups visiting the library were: a party of super- 
intendents of Texas public schools, Mr. C. M. Selman, of Bren- 


38 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
ham. Mr. W. C. Perkins, of Shamrock, and Mr. Allen Kavanaugh, 
of Wheeler County; students from the University of Illinois Li- 
brary School, Urbana, accompanied by Dr. Errett W. McDiarmid ; 
botany students from Junior College of Moberly, Mo., accom- 
panied by Dr. Esther Adains ; classes in plant taxonomy and hor- 
ticulture, University of Missouri, Columbia, under the leadership 
of Prof. H. W. Rickett and Prof. T. J. Talbert respectively ; eco- 
nomic botany class, University of IHlinois, Urbana, accompanied 
by Dr. Harry J. Fuller; Senior High School of Wood River, IIl., 
under the leadership of Mr. W. E. Hopper; Dr. L. A. Kenoyer, 
chairman of the biology department, and Mr. Frank Hinds, in- 
structor, Western State Teachers College, Kalamazoo, Mich., 
with a group of their students. 

The library also loans books on the interlibrary-loan plan, 181 


such loans having been made to 38 institutions during the vear. 


Statistical Information.—- 

There have been donated to the library or received in exchange 
during the year 538 books valued at $1,328.68, 2,638 pamphlets 
valued at $384.67 and five manuscripts valued at $5.30. Three 
hundred and seventy-two books were bought at a cost of $2,457.52 
and 27 pamphlets at a cost of $52.08. Ninety-four parts of pub- 
lications purchased at a cost of $237.85, and previously listed as 
pamphlets, now compose complete volumes and have been  re- 
catalogued under that category. The library now contains 53,730 
books and 84,029 pamphlets. There are 349 manuscripts valued 
at $1,709.70 and 1,062,444 index cards valued at $13,385.03. A 
total of 10,407 cards were added during the year, of which 1,030 
were written by Garden employees, and 9,377 were purchased at 
a cost of $222.74. Two hundred and thirty-eight books were 
bound. 

ANNUAL BEQUESTS 


The annual flower sermon “On the wisdom and 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 April 30, by Dr. Angus 
Dun, of the Episcopal Theological School, Cambridge, Massa- 


chusetts. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 39 


The Gardeners’ Banquet Fund was used to provide turkeys for 
employees at Christmas. 

Neither the Trustees’ Banquet Fund nor the fund for the pro- 
vision of prizes at flower shows was drawn upon during 1939. 


ATTENDANCE FOR 1939 


(Not including visitors to Arboretum) 


Week-days Sundays 
TU UAT Vinee see rene citer ole SRE ira eS gurend! watanece 88 8,198 4,132 
CDT Ue Vier eyereert oe ya rerevear ae tara: io i doa wea 11,257 17,969 
DVN Te CEN grees ede eae eee eet IEEE: Sesig vaio Gin iedo dee 11,501 6,939 
CENSTO Tel receipe fice TA ites PUN ok. 6 cnc cas 11,017 16,172 
IVE Vin getters nae waste eparn ee rare ee Ecos one SHG 22,767 15,407 
UITN Chee erent ace re ee eB So he, o 13,812 9,151 
UML Ve tenatcn syn ena Nera wrt ete nt ke ae ce aii 17,644 11,439 
PNT RUS ee lp wreaks eve retro eile so cis 0S a 24,755 11,298 
S12) O12) 10100) ompR no oP a area oe 14,167 11,407 
OCTOD ETS ai. Senter terete eC a eI a ied aa den 16,022 15,670 
INOVEIN DE Tex. ude Ror Ae eA ne ete Pe eo Susi, eek esa 24,133 22,540 
DECEMID ER ers cree ee hee i ccebeee a 754 12,143 
182,627 154,262 
182,627 
NG lee eee eee Oe She Does xb 9 de has eaeawe eis os.0< eee 


GeorGe TI. Moore, 
Director. 


STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR DECEMBER, 1939 


GARDEN ATTENDANCE: 


Motel nmmiper Of VIsIOTS: .xs.2554564 oe 80.04 68 G6 Sa edaeE eS 19,497 
PLANT ACCESSIONS: 

Total number of plants received as gifts .................. 4. 
Liprary ACCESSIONS: 

Total number of books and pamphlets bought .............. 11 

Total number of books and pamphlets donated ............ 92 
Herspartum ACCESSIONS: 

By Purchase— 
Cronquist, Arthur—Plants of Idaho ....................000.. 500 
Smith, A. C.—Plants of Venezuela and British Guiana, collected 
EYEE RRS le oe hh Efib dw nk de oos aoe meee ion Bees 91 
Terry, Mrs. R. A.—Plants of Panama ..................0005 362 


Palsson, William F.—Plants of Iceland ...................... 100 


40, MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


By Gift— 
Anderson, Edgar—Plants of ‘Tennessee 2... 0.06000. 0 000s 3 
Baxter, R. W.—Spathoglottis from the Hawaiian Islands ..... 
Cheesman, C. EK.— Plants of ‘Trinidad and Tobago ............. 


Davis, R. J.—-Asclepiadaceae and Apocynaceae from Idaho ... 12 
Featherly, H. 1.—Vorestiera acuminata (Michx.) Poiret from 
Ou AROMAKS 32 ica gee oh tae Hae Sone Hee wet eee eas I 
Museo Rocha, Ceara, Brazil—Lichens of Brazil .............-. 11 
Schultes, R. K.—Plants of Mexico 2.0... 00.0006. eee 4 
Seibert, R. J.—Plants of [linois and of horticulture .......... 24 
Smith, A. C.—Plants of South America ............ 0020.4 2 
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry, Plant 
Introduction Garden—Tanaecium crucigerum (1...) Seem. 
from: horticulture: +. ..205 640hGG sir iiwu dee tees ree. 2 
U.S. Nat. Museum, by E. P. Killip—-Plants of Venezuela ..... 6 
University of Kentucky, by Frank F. MeFarland— Plants of 
Kentucky? }issi5.¢0cns ta tine de i ocie Feu ania nade eae Bes SK 8 
University of Michigan, by C. L.. Lundell—Plants of Mexico .. 7 


By Exchange— 
Iowa State College, by Ada Hayden—Plants of Lowa 234 


U.S. Nat. Museum by E. P. Killip—Plants of South America 59 


Total 


STAFF 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE GARDEN, 2315 TOWER GROVE AVENUE, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 
Groree T. Moors, 


Director 
_ HERMANN von SCHRENE, Epa@ar ANDERSON, 
Pathologist és ‘Geneticist 
ve Rosert E. Woopson, JR., 
JESSE M. GREENMAN, Assistant Curator of 
Curator of Herbarium Herbarium 
Neti C. Horner, 
Carrout W. Donez, Librarian and Editor of 
Mycologist } Publications 
Groree H. Prine, 
Superintendent 
JoHN NOYES, Pav A. Konn, 
Consulting Landscape Architect Floriculturist 
Wittiam F, LAnGan, '> Aveusr P. BerLMann, 
Chief Engineer Arboriculturist 
JosEePH LANGEN, Davyp C. FAarRBuRN, 
Assistant Engineer ; ; Horticulturist. 
Aubert Pearson, | JOSEPH CuTAK, 


Painter In charge of Exotics 


Lapisuaus Curak, 
In charge of Succulents 


THE ARBORETUM, GRAY SUMMIT, MISSOURI 
Lars P, JENSEN, 
Manager 


Roy E. Kissecx, Davin Miter, 
Engineer j : Orchid Grower 


REPRESENTATIVE IN THE TROPICS 


Paut H. ALLEN, 
~ Balboa, Canal ‘Zone 


REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE 


Gurney Witson, F. L. &., 
Hove, Sussex, England: —_ 


Missouri BoTANICAL 
GARDEN JBULLETIN 


Vol. XXVIII FEBRUARY, 1940 No, 2 


CONTENTS 

Page 
The Dragon-blood: Tree! iV gn ae ed thai Se 
Gee Crete hee es Rh APs CO tet Ak eat rede ch ot oe 

Identification and Control of Common Plant Pests. 
Plant Pest No: 2—Mealy-bugs ... . +. .. ... 47 
The Library. of Henry’ Shaw io. 8 a hie ie? 49 
1 fo. Re at SOs AME "eh EP LOL Sie Ecce Mg Ee eR Sa 
Statistical Lutormation 555. oe Pee Ra ee BS 


Office of Publication; 1201-5 Bluff Street, Fulton, Mo. 

Editorial’ Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue, 
St.. Louis, Mo. 

Published monthly except in July and August by the Board of Trustees 
of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 

Entered as second-class matter February 23, 1937, at the post-office at 
Fulton, Mo., under the Act of March 3, 1879, 


SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 


BOARD OF TRUSTEES 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS WERE DESIGNATED IN MR. SHAW’S WILL 
AND THE BOARD SO CONSTITUTED, EXCLUSIVE OF THE 
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS, IS SELF-PERPETUATING 


President 
Groreze C. Hircucock 


Vice-President 
Dante K. Catiin 


Second. Vice-President 
Tomas 8. Marrirrr 


L. Ray Carter Grorce T. Moore 
Samvet C. Davis EvaGene Perrus 
Dupiey Frencu A. WESSEL SHAPLEIGH 


Eruan A. H, SHeriey 


EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS 


Grorce R, THRoop, Wiii1am SCARLeETt, 
Chancellor of Washington Uni- Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri 
versity 
Brernarp F, Dickmann, A. H. Timmerman, 
Mayor of the City of St. Louis President of The Academy of Sci- 


ence of St. Louis 


Mark D. EaGuetron 
President of the Board of Education of St. Louis 


Secretary 
GERALD ULRICtI 


SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN 


The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr. 
Henry Shaw about 1860, From that date to the death of Mr. Shaw, 
in 1889, the Garden was maintained under the personal direction of 
its founder, and while virtually a private garden it was, except at 
certain stated times, always open to the public. Although popularly 
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden 
was designated by Mr. Shaw as its official title and in his will and 
all of his writings he specifically referred to it as the “Missouri Bo- 
tanical Garden.” By a provision of Mr. Shaw’s will the Garden 
passed at his death into the hands of a Board of ‘Trustees. ‘The 
original members of the Board were designated in the will, and the 
Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members, is self- 
perpetuating. By a further provision of the will, the immediate di- 
rection of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by the 
Board of Trustees. The Garden receives no income from city or 
state, but is supported entirely from funds left by the founder. 

The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species 
of plants are growing. There is now in process of development a 
tract of land of over 1,600 acres outside the city limits which is to be 
devoted to (1) the propagation and growing of plants, trees, and 
shrubs, designed for showing either indoors or outside, at the city 
Garden, thus avoiding the existing difficulties of growing plants in 
the city atmosphere; (2) gradually establishing an arboretum as 
well as holding a certain area as a wild-flower reservation, with the 
idea that possibly at some future time this may become the new 
botanical garden. 

The Garden is open to the public every day in the year except 
New Year’s Day and Christmas—week days from 8:00 a. m. until 
sunset; Sundays from 10:00 a. m. until sunset. The greenhouses are 
closed every day at 5:00 p. m. 

The main entrance to the Garden is located at ‘Tower Grove Ave- 
nue and Flora Place, on the Sarah car line (No. 42). Transfer south 


from all intersecting lines. 


Mo. Bor. Garp. BuLu., Vou. 28, 1940 PLATE 1 


/ 


DRAGON-BLOOD TREE IN FLOWER 


Missourl Botanical 


Garden Bulletin 


Vol. XXVIII FEBRUARY, 1940 No. 2 


THE DRAGON-BLOOD TREE 


Less than seventy-five years ago a hurricane swooped down 
upon the Canary Islands and destroyed one of the most famous 
trees of the world. Curiously enough, though, it was not a tree 
in the strict sense of the word but a kind of Lily, which supposedly 
had its origin in the dawn of history. According to the naturalists 
of that day, it was the oldest living plant in the world, much older 
than the big trees and redwoods of California. In California’s 
Mariposa Grove there stands the venerable “Grizzly Giant,” ap- 
proximately 3,800 years old. In the Sequoia National Park there 
is another hoary veteran, “General Sherman,” which is even older 
by about two hundred years. Only the giant cypress of Tule, in 
Mexico, is said to have nearly approached the antiquity of the 
dragon-blood tree of the Canary Isles. The age of the destroyed 
Canarian Methuselah was estimated at 6,000 years, yet it was only 
seventy feet high, a mere Liliputian when compared with the 
mammoth Sequoias, which are four and five times higher. 

The celebrated dragon-blood tree flourished on the isle of Ten- 
eriffe, near the town of Orotava, and much of the romance of the 
Canary Islands was centered about this ancient specimen. When 
the Spaniards assumed authority of the islands, nearly five cen- 
turies ago, they found that rot diseases had taken their toll of the 
inner pulp of the tree and that the whole trunk was hollow. A 
chapel for Catholic services was built in the huge cavity by Alonzo 
del Lugo and his conquistadores. Later a staircase was built in 
the interior by which the tree could be ascended as far as the 
forking of the trunk. No one really knows for what length of 


(41) 


42 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


time the Guanches, the original inhabitants of the island, had 
used this “living sanctuary” for their religious ceremonies. 

The dragon-blood tree, known botanically as Dracaena Draco, 
is not an uncommon plant in collections. It is said to have been 
introduced into England prior to 1640, and probably every botan- 


ical garden in Europe and America possesses a plant of greater 


DRAGON BLOOD TREE IN FRUIT 


or less size. Unfortunately, this species rarely flowers outside of 
tropical and subtropical regions; therefore it is worth recording 
here the specimen which condescended to bloom for the first time 
last summer in the cactus house of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 

The plant in question is the gift of the late D. S. Brown, a 
philanthropic St. Louisan who possessed the finest and most ex- 


tensive private collection of tropical plants in the Midwest. It 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 43 


‘ame to the Garden in 1918 and at present is thirteen feet tall, 
three outstretched branches arising from the trunk. Evidently the 
dragon-blood must have flowered in the Brown greenhouse for it 
is known that branching does not occur until after the tree blos- 
soms; and since it generally does not flower until the fifteenth or 
thirtieth year, our plant must be at least forty or fifty vears old. 

The trunk of our dragon-blood branches in octopus fashion at 
five feet. The branches are scarred by the transverse lines of the 
fallen leaves and bulge at unequal intervals, greatly remindful of 
a snake that has swallowed several small live animals. The trunk 
is conspicuously fissured by the scale-like splitting of the bark, a 
natural condition of the plant. Each branch is four to five feet 
long and is crowned by a tuft of about 135 leaves. The leaves at- 
tain a length of three feet, are quite glaucous, coriaceous, narrowly 
sword-shaped, and sheathing at the base. Irom the center of the 
crown of leaves arises the flower stalk, on which the clusters of 
five or six minute flowers are arranged in a panicle. Several thou- 
sand flowers were produced but only a small proportion have ma- 
terialized into fruits. The fruit is a globular olive-green berry, 
turning an orange color at maturity. It may be of interest to re- 
cord that the fruit sprouts from a three-celled ovary, yet very 
rarely do the three ova develop into seed. Generally a single tan- 
nish pearl-like seed is contained in a berry but two are not un- 
common. The French missionary nuns in Portugal used the seeds 
for rosaries when they took up their residence at the asylum of 
Ajuda, where a large dragon-blood flourished. 

The dragon-blood tree receives its mystifying name from the 
fact that at certain times a blood-colored resinous substance exudes 
from cracks in the trunk. This “dry-blood” can be plainly dis- 
cerned on the Garden specimen. The resin has been found in the 
sepulchral caves of the Canary Islands and has hence been sup- 
posed to have been used by the aborigines in embalming their dead. 
At one time the resin formed a considerable article of commerce, 
being highly esteemed in medicine and in the preparation of var- 
nish. The commercial dragon’s blood of the present day is not 
obtained from Dracaena Draco but mostly from several species of 
palm. 

The dragon-blood is a fit subject for the indoor gardener, grow- 


ded: MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


ing very readily from seed. It takes its place with sansevierias, 
aspidistras, various bromeliads, and other ornamental house plants 
that can withstand a lot of abuse. The young plants are very sim- 
ilar in appearance to those of the graceful Yucea gloriosa. A year- 
old seedling will produce a tuft of approximately thirty-five leaves, 
eight to twelve inches in length. L. C. 


FROST CRACKS 


A very cold, very wet or very dry season usually provides the 
gardener with some new problem. ‘To cope with the “unusual dry 
weather” he must begin to irrigate and perhaps to mulch. In ab- 
normally wet times he must either devise some drainage system or 
change his plantings. Extremely cold winters usher in other prob- 
lems. Just what the cold of January, 1940, will reveal cannot be 
determined at this date. So far as shade trees are concerned we 
need not expect many new difficulties. The occurrence of ‘frost 
cracks,” however, has caused some comment and not a few calls 
for information. 

Frost cracks are those longitudinal splits which appear in tree 
trunks during cold weather. They are seldom seen at their worst 
since few gardeners have the inclination to inspect trees during 
sub-zero periods, and the cracks partly close when the weather 
moderates. Native trees are seldom injured by the cold of winter; 
vet a list of the trees likely to be damaged would include most of 
the oaks in this vicinity. The willow oak (Quercus Phellos L.) of 
the South—of which there are several specimens in the Garden— 
is very liable to this injury. The tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipi- 
fera L.) commonly cracks during periods of low temperature, as 
does the horse chestnut (Aesculus Hippocastanum L. and its orna- 
mental hybrids). Even the American elm (Ul/mus americana L.) 
and the cypress (Tarodium distchum) may be fractured in some 
seasons. 

Frost cracks may open wide enough to permit the insertion of 
most of a hand. When this happens we have a practical demon- 
stration of the forces involved. During sub-zero weather the ac- 
tual contraction of the tree trunk may be measured with a common 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN a5) 


tape line. An explanation of the shrinkage phenomenon seems to 
center upon the stresses set up when ice crystals form. The center 
of a tree may remain quite warm until the beginning of a cold 
wave. With the rapidly dropping temperature the outside begins 
to cool first and finally to freeze while the very center remains 
much warmer. As ice forms in the intercellular spaces water is 
withdrawn and the wood undergoes a rapid drying out. The 
weather checks we see in a piece of lumber exposed to the sun are 
very much like frost cracks, except for size. Both are caused by 
dehydration. 


| Sun Mon Tue = Wen | True | Fer | Sat | 
Eyeree « Omm : 

DenpRocRraPn 

-3o0 | 

-40 | 

* | 

| 

| 

40° Fahr | 

Pa { 

INTERNAL | 

TEMPERATURE ; 
o 

: par THIS POINT ICE FORMS 
60 F 
IN THE INTER-CELLULAD SPACES 
| AND THE TRUNK SHRINKS. 

ATMOSPHERIC 

: | 

TEMPERATURE | 

10° 

Y 
_ 


Frost cracks then are the direct result of extreme cold and the 
rapid translocation of water which follows freezing. The accom- 
panying diagram shows the behavior of a bur oak (Quercus 
macrocarpa Michx.) during zero weather in February, 1934. 


46 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


The dendrograph line indicates the expansion or contraction of 
the trunk; for comparison, the air temperature and the internal- 
trunk temperature are also included. The chart shows that a 
tree trunk begins to freeze at about 19° Fahr., and at which point 
the dendrograph records an abrupt contraction of the outer layers 
of wood. The slow cooling of a tree trunk can be seen in the 
internal-temperature curve; in fact, eight hours may elapse be- 
fore the internal temperature begins to approach that of the air. 


Therefore, the outer laver—perhaps four or five inches thick 
is freezing and shrinking around a warmer core, which is com- 
pressible only within certain limits. This sets up a tremendous 
tension and the outer portion suddenly fractures with the boom of 
a shot gun. The split always follows the grain and, of course, re- 
leases the strain. 

With milder weather the wood thaws and reabsorbs the proper 
amount of water. The crack then nearly closes and no permanent 
harm is apparent. This would be the end of the matter except that 
the corky bark—which is an armor—has been ruptured and can 
no longer offer complete protection to the underlying wood. 
Healthy trees always attempt to heal over such wounds, just as 
they do pruning cuts, but the succeeding winters usually re-open 
them. The healing processes are repeated annually and just as 
regularly come to naught. Often the wound tissue of six or more 
such attempts can be counted. 

The importance of the bark is well known and we indicate our 
acceptance of this fact when we apply pruning paints. Frost 
cracks may be considered as very large and deep pruning wounds 
which do not dry out in summer. Thus they offer even better op- 
portunities for the entrance of those enemies of woody plants— 
insects and wood-destroying fungi. 

Frost cracks should be watched, and if healing is slow or disease 
enters, the tree surgeon should be consulted. Some degree of pro- 
tection can be obtained by the installation of a filling as is done 
with ordinary cavities, but usually such work requires more judg- 
ment and experience than is needed in simple trunk cavities. 


Aa Fe Bs 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 47 


IDENTIFICATION AND CONTROL OF 
COMMON PLANT PESTS 
PLANT PEST NO. 2—MEALY-BUGS 

Second place on our present insect “hit parade” goes to mealy- 
bugs by a wide margin. In fact they become so pestiferous at times 
that aphids have to keep busy twenty-four hours a day pumping 
out plant sap to even “win by a nose.” 

Mealy-bugs are closely related to the scale insects and may be 
found on house plants at any time of the year. They are brownish 
to light orange in color and entirely covered with a dense white, 
waxy, mealy material which takes the form of short projecting 
filaments along the lateral margins of the body. This waxy cover- 
ing protects the bugs from certain insecticides which are used to 
control them. The mature female mealy-bugs are small, sluggish, 
soft-bodied insects about one-fourth inch in length and broadly 
oval in shape. They may occur singly or in clusters anywhere on 
the host plant, but mostly they prefer the tender growing tips, the 
under-sides of the leaves and protected areas where they can feed 
and multiply unmolested. The males are small, delicate, two- 
winged flies of the retiring type that do not feed in the adult stage 
and die soon after mating. So, as might be expected, it is the 
female of the species that causes all the trouble. They have suck- 
ing mouth parts like aphids and rapidly devitalize the host plants 
by extracting the cell sap. Infested leaves become deformed, turn 
yellow and drop prematurely. [Flowers are sometimes deformed 
by mealy-bugs feeding just below the buds. Unless checked these 
pests soon swarm all over the plant and eventually kill it. In ad- 
dition they secrete a sweet sticky honey-dew which encourages 
sooty fungus and ants. 

There are several kinds of mealy-bugs but only three are of im- 
portance to the indoor gardener: 

1. Common mealy-bug 

2. Long-tailed mealy-bug 

3. Mexican mealy-bug. 

The common mealy-bug is the one that causes most of the dam- 
age to house plants. It attacks nearly all kinds of vegetation but 
prefers soft-stemmed specimens such as coleus, geranium, croton, 


48 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


cyperus, ivy, orchid, African violet, cactus, begonia, poinsettia, 
fuchsia, fern, gardenia and oleander. The females are active up 
to the time that they are ready to deposit eggs. Then they select 
a favorable spot on the plant, become more or less stationary and 
build up a colony of 300 to 600 yellowish eggs which is covered 
with a loose, white, cottony secretion. These eggs hatch in about 
ten days and the youngsters, which resemble the adult female, 
soon spread over the entire plant and immediately get to work 
pumping out cell sap. ‘They grow rapidly and a new generation 
appears about once a month. 

The long-tailed mealy-bug is easily identified by its long tail 
filaments. This type is a tropical or semi-tropical species found 


ae AN Me | 
Chong wk 


A, common mealy-bug, greatly enlarged; B, long-tailed 
mealy-bug, greatly enlarged; C, typical mealy-bug in 
festation on coleus. 


mostly in greenhouses. It is not as destructive as the common 
mealy-bug because the family increase is not so rapid, the females 
giving birth to living young instead of laying countless eggs. 
Long-tailed mealy-bugs seem to be particularly happy on ferns, 
but in a pinch there is no doubt that they will gladly feast on nu- 
merous other plants. 

The Mexican mealy-bug is of fairly recent introduction and oc- 
curs mostly in the South. It resembles the common type and has 
been reported destructive on chrysanthemums, cotton, and citrus 
fruits. In time it may become a pest of major importance. 

Control measures.—Mealy-bugs are more easily prevented than 
cured. A thriving infestation is often hard to eradicate without 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 49 


damaging the host plant. The safest and most economical means 
of control is to wash off the bugs and egg clusters with a forceful 
spray of water. This treatment works remarkably well in the ma- 
jority of cases. Plants which are too fragile to stand strong 
syringing with water may be dipped in a strong soap solution to 
which 40 per cent nicotine sulphate (1 teaspoonful to a quarter of 
water) has been added. Spraying the mealy-bugs with a solution 
of Black Leaf 40 and Volck (14 teaspoonful of each to a quart of 
water) has proved effective. Plants that may be injured by such 
potent sprays should be thoroughly washed with water about two 
hours after the spray is applied. Sponging and brushing in- 
fested plants with soapy water can be used to advantage in cer- 
tain cases. Sprays containing kerosene should be avoided as they 
may injure the plant. Anointing the bugs with a drop of alcohol 
is another method of control frequently heard about. This is not 
only a tedious and uncertain process but also a downright waste 
of good antifreeze. 

In the March issue of the Garden BuLuetin we will consider 
Plant Pest No. 83—Red Spiders. DC.F, 


THE LIBRARY OF HENRY SHAW 


The following paper was kindly contributed by Mr. John 
Francis McDermott, of the department of English of Washington 
University. 

Not the least part of Henry Shaw’s contribution to science was 
the collection of books that he left to the Missouri Botanical Gar- 
den. The idea of a library formed to complement his cherished 
project was apparently suggested to him by Sir William J. 
Hooker, Director of Kew Gardens, who wrote to him, on 10 Au- 
gust 1857, that ‘very few appendages to a garden of this kind are 
of more importance for instruction than a library and economic 
museum, and these gradually increase like a rolling snowball.” 
Dr. George Engelmann, then in Europe, started that ball rolling 
the next year by purchasing, on Shaw’s order, thirty-four works 
which Shaw had selected from a list prepared by Engelmann in 
consultation with European botanists. From this time on Shaw 


50 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


must have bought such books in quantity, for when he died in 1889 
he left a very considerable library. 

At that time (as we can discover from the record of his estate in 
the files of the Probate Court) in the library of the Museum build- 
ing there were “83 volumes of EKngelmann’s Edition” which were 
appraised at $13 each, reaching a total of €1,079. There were 
also “1077 volumes of Botanical Works” by the following authors: 
John Abbott ; W. Aiton; J. Fiske Allen; J. H. Balfour; 
P. Barry; Wm. P. C. Barton; S. O. Beeton; Elisabeth Black- 
well; A. Bonpland and Alex. de Humboldt; Joseph Breck; Robert 
Brown; Robert Buist; Boissier; Agnes Catlow; 'T. Caruel; James 
Henry Coffin; William Curtis; John Darby; Wm. Darlington; 
Aug. Pyr. de Candolle; Alphonse de Candolle; L. G. Delamarre ; 
|R.| Desfontaines; Dillenius; George Don; P. N. Don; Du- 
hamel; Dumortier; D. C. Eaton; G. B. Emerson; EK. Kmmons; 
W. H. Emory; S. Endlicher; G. Engelmann; Ellis; A. Fendler ; 


Flore [?]; C. C. Gmelin; S. G. Gmelin; A. Gouan; Asa Gray; 


> 


Asa Gray and John Torrey; Gussone; R. K. Greville; J. Ff. Grono- 
vius; S. Hales; W. H. Harvey; Peter Henderson; J. S. Henslow; 
J. Hull; J. D. Hooker; W. J. Hooker; J. Hoopes; Franklin 
B. Hough; C. M. Hovey; G. Hughes; Alex. de Humboldt, A. 
Bonpland and C. S. Kunth; H. N. Humphreys; C. Jacquin; 
N. J. Jacquin; J. Kennedy; C. S. Kunth; Lehmann; W. Lem- 
priere; J. Lindley; Ledebour; Linnaea; Linnaeus; C. Linné; 
Adam Lonicerus; J. C. Loudon; J. Lunan; C. I. P. Martius; 
J. Martyn, P. A. Matthiolus; C. Milne; T. Moore; H. Muhlen- 
berg; Michaux; Michaux and Nuttall; P. Miller; W. Neubert; 
N. J. de Necker; J. S. Newberry; T. Nuttall; Owen; P. S. Pallas; 
Paxton; C. H. Persoon; A. Philipps |H. Phillips?|]; G. Pinney; 
Poiret; Pursh; Rousseau; Richard; Risso; Rumphius; Sagra; 

* Biographical information in this article is drawn from “The Library 
of the Missouri Botanical Garden,” Missourr Boranican Garpen But- 
LetTIn) (Dec., 1926); and Thomas Dimmock, “Henry Shaw,” reprinted 
from the Firsr ANNUAL Report or ‘rite Missourt Boranicat GARDEN, 1890. 
The specific detail concerning Shaw’s library in 1889 is from the records 
of his estate in the Probate Court of Saint Louis (File No, 17,369) ; in- 
formation concerning the purchase from the Mullanphy estate, from Pro- 


bate Court Records, File No. 1074. The various lists given in this article 
are reproduced as they appear in those papers. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 51 


Aug. de Saint-Hilaire; P. A. Schenck; Schleiden; Schoepff; 
Schott; Seemann; Smith & Abbott; Smithsonian Institution; 
O. Swartz; Sprengel; Schwemme [?]; Schkuhr; R. Sweet; 
J. Torrey; Tilli; Tournefort; Van Houtte; Van Heurck; Vil- 
morin, Andrieux & Cie; Wight; Willdenow; O. R. Willis; Alph. 
Wood; H. C. Wood; Walpers’ Annales; W. Woodville; J. K. 
Hasskarl. 

A number of works were listed by title in this inventory of 2 
September 1889; these were mostly periodicals and special ref- 
erence works: The Botanical Magazine; The British Florist; 
Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles; Flora Atlantica; The Gar- 
den; The Gardeners’ Chronicle; The Gardener’s Monthly; The 
Horticulturist; |Lunan’s| Hortus Jamaicensis; | Aiton’s| Hortus 
Kewensis; Principes de Botanique; Reports of the St. Louis Pub- 
lic Schools; Vegetable Substances; Transactions of the Linnean 
Society; |St. Hilaire’s| Plantes de la France; | Humboldt, Bon- 
pland & Kunth] Nova Genera et Species Plantarum; | Don’s| His- 
tory of Dichlamydeous Plants; Phillip’s Voyage to Botany Bay; 
{Duhamel’s| Traite des Arbres et Arbustes; [DeCandolle’s?] 
Succulent Plants; [Coffin’s|] Winds of the Globe; Patent Office 
Reports on Agriculture; Diseases of Domestic Cattle; ‘Trans- 
actions of the Department of Agriculture of Illinois; Wisconsin 
Farmer; Popular Field Botany; Fleurs de Pleine Terre; Journal 
of Agricultural Society; lot of books marked “Executive Docu- 
ments, etc.”’; Michigan Horticultural Society; Minnesota State 
Horticultural Society Annual Reports; |de Candolle’s| Regni 
Vegetabilis Systema Naturale; United States Geological Explo- 
rations. 

Following this list in the inventory was a reference to “all other 
books and pamphlets contained in six glass cases in the Library- 
Room of the Museum, altogether 1077 bound volumes and a lot 
This statement probably means that the 


’ 


of unbound pamphlets.’ 
total quantity includes all items in the Museum library, except 
possibly one lot of “7 Trunks containing Pamphlets and unbound 
periodicals valued at $14” that seems to be mentioned only in the 
appraisement of 10 September. The total value then set on the 
library was $3,050.00. One other part of the Museum furnishings 
may be of interest here: pictures (oil portraits) of John Lindley, 


52 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Adr. de Jussieu, Thomas Nuttall, George Engelmann, Alexander 
Wilson, Charles V. Riley, F. André Michaux, Asa Gray, Tourne- 
fort, De Candolle, Linnaeus, and Magnol were appraised at $50 
each. A portrait of Shaw, done in 1835, was valued at $200. 

The authors and publications listed above, with a few excep- 
tions, represent Shaw’s interest in botany and his intention to 
build up a scientific collection as a valuable addition to his garden. 
They do not show, however, the full extent of his library nor do 
the records cited show how early his purchases began or what 
variety they offered. The quantity of his books is illustrated by 
further reference to the records of his estate. He maintained, be- 
sides the Museum building, two residences and apparently wher- 
ever one turned in those houses one found books. In the library at 
the city residence, 7th and Locust Streets, the appraisers located 
“1 Lot of Books in Book Case” (valued at $50), “224 Books in 
Book Case” ($100); “1 Lot of Books & Pamphlets in Base of Book 
Case” ($25). A room on the second floor contained “1 Lot Old 
Books” valued at $1. Atleast five rooms in the Tower Grove house 
contained books. In the front parlor was a “Rosewood Book Case 
and Books” worth $200, “1 music stand and lot of Books” valued 
at $25, and “1 Mahogany Desk Book Case and Books’’ ($50). “‘] 
Large Mahogany Book Case and Books” ($200) stood in the din- 
ing room. In the upper hall was another “Lot of Books in Case’ 
($100). But the principal lot upstairs was housed in ‘Room 
No. 3.” Here were “1 large Book Case and Books” ($200); “1 
Cylinder Book Case and Books” (#50), and ‘1 Lot of Books on 
Secretary” ($1). 

The indifference of the appraisers deprives us of the possibility 
of knowing what these numerous bookcases contained. Shaw’s 
biographer, however, tells us that he was “especially fond of 
French literature and his library is quite rich in the standard 
authors as well as lighter works’’; he had also “‘well-thumbed 
grammars and dictionaries, and a good selection of Italian and 
Spanish books.” 

This account so far represents the books that Shaw possessed 
at the time of his death but his interest in books was not simply the 
diversion of a man retired from business. Early in life he began 
to build a widely assorted library. The first record of this ac- 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 53 


tivity comes twenty-five vears before the first purchase toward a 
museum library. When the library of John Mullanphy was sold 
at auction, 7 December 1833, Shaw bought twenty-two items, 
amounting to one hundred and twelve volumes, and paid for them 
$54.09. This purchase included works of history, biography, 
travel, literature, geography, classics, and other subjects. Since 
it illustrates so well the varied taste of the man, I give the entire 
purchase as it appears in the Mullanphy bill of sale—with a 
warning that the document was not always legible. 


No. of Vols. Title Price Paid 
1 Hutchinson’s Xenophon $ .95 
12 Works of Frederic I] 30 3.60 
4 Voyage to Greece 28 1.12 
4A Rotbur’s [2] Voyages 80 
4 Letters of du Deffand 33 1.32 
2 Journal of a Lady [ * | 26 56 
1 Latin dictionary 38 
6 Mirror of Pans | *| 26 1.56 
2 Dobson’s Petrarch 50 1.00 
1 Cabinet of Momus .20 
4 Manual Croncile | * | 1.00 
1 Hallam’s Letters | ? | 31 Bl 
6 Letters of St. Augustine 18 72 
16 Geographie Universelle of Biisching 5 2.40 
7 History of Malta 15 1.05 
8 Voyage in Italy 15 1.20 
4 Famous proceeding 28 1.12 
12 Works of La Fontaine 0.00 
2 Letters of Pope Clement XTV .20 40 
11 Antigastus of Herculaneum 2.25 24.75 
3 Atlases 3.12, 9,38 
1 Hall [7] Journey | ? | 31 
NOTES 


The “Land We Live In,” the subject of radio talks given Sun- 
day evenings over Station KMOX, depicted the life of “Henry 
Shaw,” in the program of January 14. 

The New England Gladiolus Society Year Book for 1940 con- 
tains an article by Dr. D. C. Fairburn, Horticulturist to the 
Garden, entitled “Gladiolus Are Hardy in Missouri.” 


54 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of Succulents at the Garden, 
gave a talk before the Missouri State Growers School, at the 
Hotel Chase, January 31, on “Along the Cactus Trail.” 

Dr. George 'T. Moore, Director of the Garden, spoke at the 
Junior League lecture course, February 12, on “What's New in 
the Plant World—If Anything.”’ 

Dr. David C. Fairburn, Horticulturist to the Garden, spoke 
at the Monday Club of the St. Louis Horticultural Society, Feb- 
ruary 6, on “Raising Plants from Seeds.” 

Dr. Henry N. Andrews, instructor in the Henry Shaw School of 
Botany, and Mr. Russell J. Seibert, graduate student at the Gar- 
den, spent Jan. 27-Feb. 11 collecting plants in Florida. 

Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, spoke 
before the Optimists’ Club, January 19, on “Romance of the 
Plant World”; and before the Kirkwood Garden Club, January 
22, on “Plant Reproduction.” 

Mr. Paul A. Kohl, Floriculturist to the Garden, was one of 
the participants in the after-dinner forum discussion on “Smoke 
and Its Effects on Living Things | Plants],” over Radio Station 
KXOK, December 12. On January 31 he gave an illustrated talk 
before the Missouri State Growers School, at the Hotel Chase, 
on “The Missouri Botanical Garden’; and on February 6 he lec- 
tured on “Roses” before the Ladue Garden Club. 

Recent horticultural and florists’ magazines have reprinted the 
following BuLuetin articles: “Chrysanthemums,” by P. A. Kohl 
(from the October 1939 BuLietin), reprinted in the November 
15 issue of Horticulture; “What Shall We Do With the Christmas 
Poinsettia?’ by P. A. Kohl (December 1938 But tetin), in the 
January 1940 issues of Flower Grower, Garden Digest, and Real 
Gardening; “Winter Care of Succulents,” by Ladislaus Cutak 
(December 1939 BuLierin ), in the January issue of Desert Plant 
Life; “African Violets,” by D. C. Fairburn (December 1939 
BuLLetin), in the January Real Gardening and January 19 
Southern Florist. 

Recent visitors to the Garden include the following: Mr. Walter 
S. Reeves, secretary of the California Fig Growers and Packers, 


ISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 55 


Fresno; Miss Elizabeth A. Meredith, of the Wm. C. Meredith Co., 
Wood Preservers, Atlanta, Ga.; Dr. C. Audrey Richards, Pathol- 
ogist, Forest Products Laboratory, U. S. Dept. Agr., Madison, 
Wis.; Dr. Henry Schmitz, Dean of the School of Forestry, Uni- 
ours of Minnesota, St. Paul; Dr. Hugh C. Cutler, botanical 
collector, Santa Fe, N. Mex.; Dr. Louis Wheeler, instructor in 
botany, University of Missouri, Columbia; Dr. Harry J. Fuller 
and Dr. F. Lyle Wynd, Associate Professors of Botany, Univer- 
sity of Illinois, Urbana; Mrs. Edward Rodeman, of the Jefferson 
City Garden Club, Jefferson City, Mo.; Miss Esther Adams, in- 
structor in biological sciences, Junior College, Moberly, Mo., ac- 
companied by her botany students. 


STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR JANUARY, 1940 
GARDEN ATTENDANCE: 
Total number of visitors ...... Berd ed fin & ts ae ee pee ee. Oba 


Prant ACCESSIONS: 
Total number of plants and seed-packets received as gifts .... 29 


Liprary ACCESSIONS: 


Total number of books and pamphlets bought .......... re 32 
Total number of books and pamphlets donated ......... aan 33 


Herpartum ACCESSIONS: 
By Purchase 
Avenue Camera Store—Photographs of type specimens of 


TSRUNUOVACL. oho ace eno» 2S: ase Goes eS Ewe are BE wb eae week 4 
Bracelin, Mrs. H. P.—Plants of Mexico and South America, 

collected: by Mrs. Ynes Mexta occ. 40.63 -20ss0e sponse 558 
Harper, R. M —Plants of Alabama and ne sighboring states .. 58 

By Gift— 

Anderson, EK.—/elenium tenuifolium Nutt. from Arkansas 1 
Bock, H. S.—Plants of horticulture ..................04.6. 2 
Chandler, Albert—Plants of eastern and central nite a States 4 
Clark, Robert B.—Plants of Oklahoma and Texas .......... 24. 
Hancin; John—Plants of Kansas .. ......5.02:0+ seveeces 30 
Penland, C. W.—Plants of Venezuela .................2.-255 13 
Seibert, R. J ants” Of horticulture 20.4 seid vveaGar sae ae 6 


By Exchange— 
Brown, Clair A.—Plants of Louisiana .......... 14 
Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh—Plants of New foundland, ‘col- 
lected by Mrs. S. T. Brooks ...... gts at gracwte unease ee 144 


56 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Iowa State College, by George J. Goodman—Plants of Iowa, 


Oklahoma, and Arizona ..... 0.000.000.0000 e cee eee. 
Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences—Plants of eastern 
United States ......... 0c ce ce ee eee ee ewes 
Rocky Mountain Herbarium, by C. L. Porter—Astragalus sp. 
from Arizona eateig aaevaly hie ie Stecees eat ede) 4s pisie Secures Tae oe 
University of Michigan—Plants of Mexico and Central 
PIMOCQTICA: 25 6 cdi ks eck ros ba em oe ars basta baal d ee ahead 


University of Minnesota 
By Transfer— 
Seibert, R. J. 


Piper nigrum 1... 


Ot Al cic alccoaniatecue ocat paenua = ace aie ae gale guare « 


STAFF 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE GARDEN, 2315 TOWER GROVE AVENUE, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 
George T. Moors, 


Director 
HERMANN VON SCHRENK, Ep@ar ANDERSON, 
Pathologist . Geneticist 
Rozsert E, Woopson, Jr., 
Jesse M. GREENMAN, Assistant Curator of 
Curator of Herbarium Herbarium 
; Nett C. Horner, 
Carrot W. Dopar, Librarian and Editor of 
Mycologist Publications 
Grorce H. Prine, 
j Superintendent 
Joun Noyes, - Paut A. Koun, 
Consulting Landscape Architect Floriculturist 
Witiiam F. Langan, - 30 Aveust P, BernuMann, 
Chief Engineer Arboriculturist 
JOSEPH LANGEN, Davin C. Farrpurn, 
Assistant Engineer Horticulturist 
ALBERT PEARSON, aie JosmPH CUTAK, 
Painter In charge of Exotics 


LADIsSLAUS CuTAK, 
In charge of Succulents _ 


THE ARBORETUM, GRAY SUMMIT, MISSOURI 
Lars P, JENSEN, 
Manager 


Rory B. Krssecx, Dayvip Minuer, 
‘ Engineer baa bo Orchid Grower 


REPRESENTATIVE IN THE TROPICS 


Pau H. Auten, 
Balboa, Canal Zone 


REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE 


Gurngyr Wixson, F. L. S., 
Hove, Sussex, England 


Mussourt BOTANICAL 
GARDEN BULLETIN 


Vol. XXVIII MARCH, 1940 No. 3 


CONTENTS 
Page 
Camoensia maxima . . : she ON eel, RCT SA 
Trapeze Artists of the Palm Hose Sih» th eS 


Identification and Control of Common Plant Pests. 
Plant Pest No. 3—Red Spiders . . . . . ... 60 


The Pruning of Shrubs ks Se eee 62 
Sunshine (?) in yaks Yin Yh ee 1 en tae ON PE eee, SS 
Notes... , BS ET On OR IR tow Mle te, ON 
Statistical Entortaadan Sr) sea SCENE Lt alco RR Mi «| 


Office of Publication: 1201-5 Bluff Street, Fulton, Mo, 

Editorial Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue, 
St. Louis, Mo. 

Published monthly except in July and August by the Board of Trustees 
of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 


Entered as second-class matter February 23, 1937, at the post-office at 
Fulton, Mo., under the Act of March 3, 1879, 


SUBSCRIPTION PRICE:, ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 


_ BOARD OF TRUSTEES 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS WERE DESIGNATED IN MR. SHAW’S WILL 
AND THE BOARD SO CONSTITUTED, EXCLUSIVE OF THE 
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS, IS SELF-PERPETUATING 


President 
Grorce C. Hireucock 


Vice-President 
Danriet K. Carin 


Second Vice-President 
Tuomas §. Marrirr 


L. Ray CarTEer GerorceE T. Moore 
Samvet C. Davis EuGENE Perrus 
DupLey FRENCH A. Wrsset SHAPLEIGH 


Eruan A. H. SHEepiey 


EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS 


Grorcr R. THROOP, WitiiAM SCARLETT, 
Chancellor of Washington Uni- Bishop of the Diocese of Missour! 
versity 
Brernarp F, Dickmann, A. H. Timmerman, 
Mayor of the City of St. Louis President of The Academy of Sci- 


ence of St. Louis 


Mark D. EaGurron 
President of the Board of Education of St. Louis 


Secretary 
GERALD ULRICI 


SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN 


The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr. 
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date to the death of Mr. Shaw, 
in 1889, the Garden was maintained under the personal direction of 
its founder, and while virtually a private garden it was, except at 
certain stated times, always open to the public. Although popularly 
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden 
was designated by Mr. Shaw as its official title and in his will and 
all of his writings he specifically referred to it as the “Missouri Bo- 
tanical Garden.” By a provision of Mr. Shaw’s will the Garden 
passed at his death into the hands of a Board of Trustees. The 
original members of the Board were designated in the will, and the 
Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members, is self- 
perpetuating. By a further provision of the will, the immediate di- 
rection of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by the 
Board of ‘Trustees. The Garden receives no income from city or 
state, but is supported entirely from funds left by the founder. 

The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species 
of plants are growing. There is now in process of development a 
tract of land of over 1,600 acres outside the city limits which is to be 
devoted to (1) the propagation and growing of plants, trees, and 
shrubs, designed for showing either indoors or outside, at the city 
Garden, thus avoiding the existing difficulties of growing plants in 
the city atmosphere; (2) gradually establishing an arboretum as 
well as holding a certain area as a wild-flower reservation, with the 
idea that possibly at some future time this may become the new 
botanical garden. 

The Garden is open to the public every day in the year except 
New Year’s Day and Christmas—week days from 8:00 a. m. until 
sunset; Sundays from 10:00 a. m. until sunset. The greenhouses are 
closed every day at 5:00 p. m. 

The main entrance to the Garden is located at ‘Tower Grove Ave- 
nue and Flora Place, on the Sarah car line (No. 42). Transfer south 


from all intersecting lines. 


Mo. Bor. Garp. BULL., VOL. 28, 1940 PLATE 2 


*AMOENSIA MAXIMA 


CC 


Missourl Botanical 


Garden Bulletin 


Vol. XXVIII MARCH, 1940 No. 3 


CAMOENSIA MAXIMA 


“ONE oF THE Most GorGeousLy BEAUTIFUL OF 
Tropical CLIMBERS” 


This showy woody climber flowered at the Garden for the first 
time in January, 1928, producing a single flowering growth bear- 
ing but three flowers. The following season it again flowered, and 
was described in the Garden Butierin, Vol. 17, No. 10. At that 
time it was stated that, judging from its behavior, it could not be 
regarded as a fast grower under greenhouse cultivation. How- 
ever, since it has become established it has proved to be a rampant 
woody climber, demanding plenty of head room for its growth, 
which may exceed ten feet ina season. It has consistently flowered 
annually during January, and at the present time the plant is bear- 
ing over two hundred blossoms, snow-white flushed with gold at 
the time of opening. By the time that the flowers are fully open, a 
smoky atmosphere may have discolored the margins to a dark 
chocolate as shown distinctly in the photographs. Since the 
flowers are produced upon the current year’s growth, control 
pruning should be done immediately after flowering. 

The genus Camoensia consists of but two species, and Bentham 
states: “This genus stands alone in Leguminosae, as combining 
the lofty climbing woody stem and habits of many Dalbergieae 
with digitately trifoliate leaves of Podalyrieae and Genisteae, 
whilst the flowers place it among Sophoreae.’’ The name Camoen- 
sia was given by Dr. Welwitsch as a tribute to the illustrious Por- 
tuguese poet, Luis de Camoéns (or de Camoes). It is a woody 


(57) 


58 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Flower and bud of Camoensia maxima 


climber with long pendulous flowering branches, the young shoots, 
petioles and inflorescence having a peculiar brown scurfy decidu- 
ous woolly covering. The leaves are digitately trifoliate, some- 
what resembling the poison ivy. The flowers are most peculiar in 
their formation, possessing bunches of milk-like petals which are 
tinged with gold on the fringed edge and finally dropping off from 
the vase-shaped calyx. Of the five segments the standard, which 
is fan-shaped and more than three inches in diameter, overhangs 
the four narrow lower ones. Looking up at the flowers one gets 
the effect of a fan, shielding the combined lower petals, the long 


filamentous stamens and the pistil. G, As. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 59 
TRAPEZE ARTISTS OF THE PALM HOUSE 


“He flies through the air with the greatest of ease, 
The daring young man on the flying trapeze.” 


Not long ago this song was on everyone’s lips. And why not? 
It had a catchy tune and trapeze artists have always thrilled 
people. For the past few years trapeze performers have occupied 
the palm house in the main conservatory, and their aerial antics 
have been greatly enjoyed by countless children and grown-ups 
alike. Swinging with the greatest of ease they fly through the 
air and alight on the graceful leaves of adjoining palms. If the 
leap is not accurate they come hurtling down toward the ground; 
sometimes their plunge is broken by the dense undergrowth; again 
their leap lands them on the frail swaying ends of date-palm 
leaves, where they lose their precarious grip and land in the soft 
‘arth. Yet they arise with lightning agility and there they go up 
the trunk to try again. Despite these occasional mishaps, the 
writer has yet to see a dead performer or even one that has been 
injured in any noticeable way. 

The trapeze artists of the palm house are none other than the 
cunning grey squirrels, scientifically known as Sciurus carolinen- 
sis. Cute little rascals are they and quite tame. The grey squirrel 
is a North American arboreal rodent and is said to be a larger 
and more powerful animal than its European cousin, Several 
broods make their home in the Garden and in adjoining ‘Tower 
Grove Park. Some have even chosen the greenhouses for their 
abode, making their nesting places under the glass roof. 

This isn’t the first time that the Garden greenhouses have been 
used as a haven. Perhaps animal instinct has guided the birds 
and squirrels indoors where perpetual summer prevails and where 
it is possible to escape the cold, the rain, and the other harsh ele- 
ments. During the warm months, when the ventilators are kept 
open, the birds fly in and out of the greenhouses at their will. ‘The 
tall trees and thick vegetation afford a secure retreat wherein to 
build their nests and to rear their young. The strong fibers that 
clothe the trunks of palms serve as excellent material for con- 
structing nests, and in the springtime visitors may notice the birds 


60 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


plucking out strands of the matted fiber for this purpose. At one 
time more than ten pairs of grackles (blackbirds), with iridescent 
plumage, made their abode in the palm house, utilizing girders, 
vines and palm trees for nesting sites. Cardinals have made 
attempts to inhabit this conservatory but the noisy grackles 
have driven them out on every occasion (“Blackbirds in the Palm 
House,” Butierin, October, 1928). However, the redbirds built 
several nests in other portions of the main conservatory, particu- 
larly in the thick vines of Bougainvillea, Clerodendron and the 
night-blooming Cereus. 

lor some unknown reason the chattering blackbirds have made 
an exodus from the greenhouses and the impish squirrels have 
moved in. Whereas the birds could get in and out only through 
opened ventilators during the summer season, two small openings 
near the rain spouts give the squirrels an opportunity to come 
and go when they please the whole year round. The squirrels 
have proven such an attraction that no attempt has been made 
to plug up the holes to keep them out. 

The squirrels utilize available food of the outdoors such as 
horse-chestnuts, acorns, walnuts and gingko fruits, but they also 
feed upon the berries of various palms, particularly those of 
Sabal Palmetto, Livistona chinensis, and various species of Phoe- 
nix. It is a delight to watch these frisky animals as they straddle 
the pendent fruiting branches and pluck at the small berries. The 
palmetto and date palms have always produced sufficient seed, 
which, on ripening, fell to the ground and germinated, but since 
the squirrels now appropriate most of it very few reach the 
ground. LG, 


IDENTIFICATION AND CONTROL OF COMMON 
PLANT PESTS 
PLANT PEST NO. 3—RED SPIDERS 
Red spiders or mites are often very troublesome on house plants. 


The common name is rather misleading for they are not spiders 
although somewhat closely related. Neither are they true insects 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 61 


for they have eight legs instead of six. In spite of these technicali- 
ties they can make a plant look awfully sick in a relatively short 
time. They attack nearly all kinds of plants and are found prac- 
tically everywhere. 

Red spiders are quite small, the adults being less than 1/64 
inch long. In color they vary from pale green and yellow in the 
immature stages to orange and dark red as adults. Infested leaves 
often look as if they have been sprinkled with red pepper. Mites 


RED SPIDER 


A. Salvia leaf (x one-half), showing many tiny brown dots and fine web 
connecting them. This infestation has reached an advanced stage. B. Adult 
red-spider mite (x 80). The body is dull red. Note the sucking mouth part. 
C. Under-surface of Salvia leaf (~ 2), showing habit of red spiders. Note the 
various sizes, the many spherical eggs, and a portion of the web which com- 
pletely covers the leaf. 


have sucking mouth parts like those of aphids and mealy bugs. 
They extract the plant juices, causing the leaves to become 
speckled a dull gray, turn yellow, curl up and drop prematurely. 
Infestations generally start on the under-sides of the leaves and 
soon spread to all parts of the plant. Delicate silken webs are 
formed which protect the mites and serve both as highways and 
as depositories for eggs. 

The female lays about 75 eggs during a life span of four or 
five weeks. The number of generations a year depends on the 
climatic conditions. A hot, dry atmosphere is favorable to the 


62 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


development of these pests, so in the house they remain active at 
all times and increase rapidly. 

Control, A thriving infestation of red spiders is not easy to 
eradicate, so prevention is far better than cure. Always inspect 
plants carefully before bringing them into the house, even when 
they come from the florist or nursery. All house plants should be 
examined about once every two weeks just to make sure no hardy 
pioneers stake a claim. 

The most effective way for indoor gardeners to combat red 
spiders is to wash the “bugs” off the infested plants with a forceful 
spray of cool water. Moisture is obnoxious to them and frequent 
syringing with water removes the webs, eggs and adults. Special 
attention should be given to the under-sides of the leaves. Certain 
lethal sprays, dusts and fumigants are recommended, but there is 
hardly any reason why it should be necessary to use such insecti- 
cides on house plants when a simple spray of water will do the 


job. D.C. F. 


THE PRUNING OF SHRUBS 


At some time or other every gardener is confronted with the 
task of pruning. No matter what method is followed, nor what 
season is selected, he will be well within his judicial rights, since 
there is a precedent for every mistake as well as every correct cut. 
The art of pruning dates back to dim antiquity, and the succeed- 
ing generations have long ago exhausted the statistically possible 
errors. Probably no other horticultural art is so riddled with 
custom and habit—shrubs are pruned because they have always 
been pruned. The one method of avoiding mistakes and growing 
large plants—by simply not pruning—seems never to have be- 
come well established. 

There are a number of reasons why shrubs are pruned. First 
of all, those which have outgrown the space allotted to them are 
always cut back, although this can hardly be considered a good 
reason. A more careful selection of planting material would 
yield greater satisfaction. Then there is the gardener who cannot 


resist the urge, cach spring, to take pruning shears and get busy. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 63 


For this individual there can be no summer until he has pruned 
away all flowering wood from the unfortunate shrubs within his 
reach. After this, he whitewashes all nearby tree trunks and then 
blithely awaits the first robin. Actually very fine shrubs can be 
grown by not pruning at all, except to cut them to the ground 
periodically. The time to do this is when they become unsightly 
or when the interior and shaded portion is bare of leaves and full 
of dead branches. Many shrubs enjoy this treatment. It removes, 
temporarily at least, many insect pests and the very vigorous 
shoots quickly resume their characteristic growth. Lastly, there 


” 


is the method known as “renewal pruning,” which is a very satis- 
factory way of keeping a shrub border young and producing 
flowers. 

Of the methods in use only “renewal pruning” needs much 
amplification. The system is simply the annual removal, during 
late winter or early spring, of the largest and oldest shoots. 
The oldest branches begin to lose their ability to produce an 
abundance of flowers shortly after reaching maturity. This is 
especially noticeable when there is competition with younger and 
more vigorous branches or plants and when water and food are 
inadequate. It is not possible to state a definite age when this 
happens, nor when pruning should begin; so much depends upon 
the vigor of the whole plant and its freedom from insect attack. 
However, it is suggested that the oldest shoots be removed when, 
by comparison with other plants or other parts of the same plant, 
they seem to have begun to decline. In the common bridal-wreath 
(Spiraea Vanhouttei) this may require ten years. With the com- 
mon lilac (Syringa vulgaris) twenty years may elapse, while some 
species of honeysuckle ( Lonicera) may not reach this stage before 
death, 

In addition to what pruning method to use or whether to prune 
at all, there is need for some knowledge concerning the time when 
this work should be done. And so we come to the matter of rules. 
There is but one rule which has extensive application; and that 
concerns the time of pruning rather than the method. Since most 
shrubs are grown for flower production, it will not do to prune 
away those portions normally producing flowers. Those shrubs 


64 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


which flower after June first should be pruned before this time 
and preferably in very early spring. Those which flower along 


with the first warm days of spring—and even until June first— 
should not be pruned until after blooming. In this group any 
removal of live wood usually reduces the number of flowers pro- 
duced. However, as will be seen, even this simple rule is subject 
to many reservations and amendments. Tor instance, if the shrub 
border is not in bad condition and it is still possible to carry on 
a system of renewal pruning, we may disregard the rule covering 
the time of pruning. Renewal pruning can therefore be carried 
on each winter without reducing the number of flowers. 

If we consider the Spiraeas we have a classical example of how 
difficult it will be to formulate simple rules for guidance in prun- 
ing. Almost every garden contains some species of Spiraea; some 
begin to flower in spring before the leaves unfold (Spiraea pruni- 
folia ); others (Spiraea Billiardii) do not flower until late summer, 
Thus, for this one genus almost every specialized type of pruning 
should be done. Renewal pruning is necessary for those blooming 
in early spring, since the flowers are produced on the wood of the 
past season and open before growth begins. Those developing 
flowers in late summer produce them as terminal inflorescences 
on the new growth of the current season, and therefore any prun- 
ing which stimulates the production of new shoots will also in- 
crease the number of flowers. At the same time the last type 
would be properly pruned if they were cut to the ground each 
winter. The early-flowering types, such as Spiraea Vanhouttei, 
might grow beyond the control exercised by renewal pruning and 
require cutting to the ground every ten years, 

The most important equipment of the gardener contemplating 
pruning is not a sharp knife—as has often been said—but rather 
a thorough knowledge of the flowering habits of his plants, and 
the reasons why they are being grown. 

The following list is an attempt to reduce pruning to a set of 
rules and regulations, although in some cases several rules or 
methods are proposed. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


PLANT 


Abelia grandiflora 
Acanthopanax 
pentaphylhum 
Albizzia Julibrissin 
Amelanchier sp. 
Amorpha sp. 


Amygdalus sp. 
Aralia spinosa 
Aronia sp. 

Azalea sp. 
Baccharis halimifolia 
Benzoin aestivale 
Berberis sp. 


Buwus sp. 
Callicarpa sp. 


Calycanthus floridus 


Caragana sp. 


Cephalanthus occidentalis 


Cercis canadensis 
Chaenomeles sp. 


Chionanthus virginica 


Cornus mas 
Cornus stolonifera 
Corylus sv, 
Cotinus, sp. 
Cotoneaster sp. 
Deutzia sp. 


Diervilla sp. 


al 2 ‘. 
Hlaeagnus, sp. 


Evonymus sp. 
Exochorda sp, 
Fontanesia sp. 
Forestiera sp. 
Forsythia sp. 


SEASON 
TO 
PRUNE 


any time 
spring 
spring 

AF spring 

AF spring 


AF spring 
any time 
AF spring 
spring 
AF spring 


spring 


spring 


early spring | 


AF spring 
AF spring 
in spring 


AF spring 
AF spring 
in spring 
AF spring 
in spring 
in spring 
in spring 
in spring 
in spring 


in spring 


me 
~ 
= 


spring 


in spring 
in spring 
in spring 
AF spring 
AF spring 


remove dead wood 


remove dead wood 

may freeze to ground 

remove dead wood 

annual vigorous pruning 
stimulates flowering 

remove root suckers 

remove old trunks 

remove dead wood 

needs little pruning 

severe pruning when old 

remove dead wood 

shear as a hedge; remove dead 
wood as specimen 

usually sheared 

needs little pruning unless 
frozen 

remove dead wood and very 
old shoots 

remove dead wood; very old 
shoots 

annual pruning stimulates 
flowering 

remove dead wood 

remove dead wood 

remove dead wood 

remove dead wood and suckers 

renewal prune—cut to ground 

remove dead wood 

remove dead wood 

needs little pruning 

renewal pruning—cut to 
ground 

renewal pruning—cut to 
ground 

remove dead wood in tree 
forms; renewal prune 
shrubby kinds 

remove dead wood 

remove dead wood 

renewal prune 

remove dead wood 

remove dead wood—renewal 
prune 


66 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


PLANT 


Grewia sp. 
Tlalesia sp. 
Hamamelis sp. 


Hibiscus syriacus 
Hydrangea paniculata 


Hydrangea arborescens 
Nerria japonica 
Nolkwitzia amabilis 
Ligustrum sp. 
(except when used as 
a hedge) 


Lonicera sp. 
(shrubby types) 


Mahonia Aquifolium 
Philadelphus sp. 


Physocarpus sp. 
Pyracantha coccinea 
Ribes sp. 

Robinia sp. 

Securinga ramiflora 
Sorbaria, sp. 

Spiraea Vanhouttei, 
Spiraca prunifolia, ete. 


Spiraca Douglasii, 
Spiraea Billiardii, ete. 


Symphoricarpos sp. 
Syringa villosa 


Syringa sp. 
(named varieties ) 


Tamarix sp. 


Viburnum sp. 


SEASON 
TO 
PRUNE 


in spring 
in spring 
AF spring 


in spring 
| in spring 
in spring 
in spring 


in spring 


in spring 


= 
=) 


spring 


in spring 
in spring 


in spring 
AF spring 
AF spring 
in spring 
in spring 
in spring 
AF spring 


in spring 


in spring 
in spring 


AF spring 


in spring 
| in spring 
| 


REMARKS 


remove dead wood 

remove dead wood 

remove dead wood—renewal 
prune 

thinning top assists flowering 

reduce number of terminal 
shoots 

cut to ground annually 

renewal prune 

renewal prune 


renewal prune when full- 
grown; cut to ground when 
unsightly 


renewal prune when full- 
grown; cut to ground when 
unsightly 

remove dead wood 

renewal prune when possible; 
cut to ground when unsightly 

renewal prune—cut to ground 

remove dead wood 

renewal prune—cut to ground 

head back to two feet 

head back annually 

head back—cut to ground 

renewal prune when possible; 
cut to ground when neces- 
sary; don’t head back 

heavy pruning produces new 
shoots which flower same 
summer 

cut to ground when unsightly 

remove dead wood and_ old 
flower spikes 


remove dead wood, old flower 
spikes, root suckers 

‘an be headed back annually, 
or left grow like a tree 

renewal prune as long as pos- 
sible, cut to ground if nec- 
essary 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 67 


The above list does not include every shrub grown in this local- 
ity; the gardener in possession of an unusual shrub generally has 
a definite idea of its use and possibilities and therefore pruning 
is not a problem. Under the heading “Season to Prune,” the nota- 
tion “in spring’ means that the work can be done as long as the 
plant is dormant, either fall, winter or spring. The note “AF 
spring’ means: after flowering has finished in spring. At this 
time many branches bearing leaves will be removed when renewal 
pruning is practiced—no harm will result. rae ea 8 


SUNSHINE (?) IN FEBRUARY 


Since 1931 a record has been kept of the hours of sunshine at 
the Arboretum, thirty-five miles southwest of the city, in order 
to compare it with the amount registered at the city Garden. The 
average for the month of February for the past eight years has 
been 118 hours in town, and at the Arboretum it was 20 hours 
more. 

This February the total number of hours of sunshine in St. Louis 

yas 58, a trifle less than half the normal amount, while at the 

Arboretum the regular average excess was maintained over that 
of the city, 20 hours. Since many plants are more or less depend- 
ent upon bright sunlight for their flowering, the past month was 
particularly trying for growers planning to use forced material 
for the Greater St. Louis Flower and Garden Show at the Arena. 
The least amount of sunshine in February for St. Louis in the 
previous eight years was 9984 hours in 1935. The greatest 
amount was 1591, hours in 1933. The maximum for the Arboretum 
was 17214 in 1933 and the minimum 121 hours in 1931. 


NOTES 
Dr. George 'T’. Moore, Director of the Garden, spoke before 


the St. Louis Women’s Club, March 7, on “California vs. Missouri, 
Horticulturally Speaking.” 

The botany class from Southern Illinois State Normal Univer- 
sity, with Prof. Walter B. Welch in charge, visited the Garden 
February 26, 


68 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of Succulents at the Garden, 
gave an illustrated lecture, “Foot-loose in Mexico,” before the St. 
Pius Holy Name Society, March 12; and on March 14, he spoke 
before the St. Louis Florist Club, on “The Quest for Plants in 


Mexican Deserts.” 

Mr. L. P. Jensen, Manager of the Garden Arboretum, spoke 
before the members of the Marguerite Krueger Conservation Club, 
February 22, on “The Henry Shaw Gardenway”; and on March 
7, he gave an illustrated talk before the members of the Washing- 
ton Garden Club, Washington, Mo., on “Steps in Landscape De- 
sign.” 

Recent visitors to the Garden include: Mrs. Edward J. Rode- 
man, of the Jefferson City Garden Club; Mrs. Vincent Kolkmeyer, 
Botanist of the Missouri Research Museum, State Capitol, Jef- 
ferson City, Mo.; Dr. F. Lyle Wynd, Assistant Professor of Bot- 
any, University of Illinois, Urbana; Dr. Paul B. Sears, Head, 
department of botany, Oberlin College. 


Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of Succulents at the Garden, 
has recently been elected honorary vice-president of the Cactus 
and Succulent Society of America “in recognition of outstanding 
service in the preceding year for a better understanding of 
xerophytic plants, . . . who, by writings and lectures, has 


brought knowledge of cacti and other succulents to many people.” 


Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, spoke on 
“The St. Louis Flower Show” over Radio Station KMOX, March 
5 and 8,over KSD, March 9, and KXOK, March 13. On March 1, 
assisted by Mr. Paul A. Kohl, Floriculturist to the Garden, he 
showed Mr. Kohl’s colored pictures of the “Garden Floral Dis- 
plays Throughout the Year” at the meeting of the St. Louis Horti- 
cultural Society; and on March 7 these pictures were shown at the 
Tyler Place Presbyterian Church. 

The February number of the ANNALS or THE Missourt Borant- 
cAL GarveNn (Vol. XXVII, No. 1) has recently been issued, with 
a paper by G. 'T. Johnson on “Contributions to the Study of the 
Trypetheliaceae,” and one by H. N. Andrews, “On the Stelar 
Anatomy of the Pteridosperms, with Particular Reference to the 
Secondary Wood.” 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 69 


Dr. Edgar Anderson has received a grant-in-aid for 1940 of 
$900 from the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia 
to be used in monographing the genus T'ripsacum which is of spe- 
cial interest because of its close relationship to Indian corn, The 
taxonomic work will be carried on by Dr. Hugh C. Cutler under 
the joint auspices of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Washington 
University, and the ‘Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. 


STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR FEBRUARY, 1940 


GARDEN ATTENDANCE: 

Total number: Of VISItOTS a6 wc 0 os ace boss 0 ME eal ee ens Ses eee 15,386 
Piantr ACCESSIONS: 

Total number of plants received as gifts .......-....+-.006+ 14 
Lisrary ACCESSIONS: 

Total number of books and pamphlets bought ............-- 

Total number of books and pamphlets donated ...........-. 523 


Herpartum ACCESSIONS: 
By Purchase— 


Cronquist, Arthur—Plants of Idaho and Utah .............. 625 
Hoogstraal, Harry—Plants of Mexico .............--.-+-5- 174 
Looff, Mrs. Henry B.—Plants of Kodiak Island, Alaska .... 97 
Williams, Louis O.—Orchids of Mexico ................000. 100 
By Gift— 

Baxter, Re W.—Plants: of (Hawall. .4.06 os sis a re eee eee 134 
Brown, William L.— Poa stiriaca Fritsch & Hayek from Bosnia 1 
Cheesman, EK. E.—Bonafouria undulata (Vahl) A. DC. from 

the West: IndiéS e052 os dis oe nk Se Se Rovdka oa ead ee aes 1 
Clark, Robert B.—Plants of Oklahoma and Texas .......... 44. 
Cutler, Hugh C.—Plants of western United States .......... 325 
Daniel, Hermano—Plants of Colombia ................0045. 2 
Field Museum of Natural History—Plants of Mexico ....... 6 
Kenoyer, L. A.—Plants of Mexico ........... 0. cece eens 75 
Penland, C. W.—F phedra sp. from Ecuador ...........-..-. 1 
Seibert, Russell J.—Bignoniaceae .....................0... 36 

By Exchange— 
Daily, William A.—Freshwater algae, chiefly from Indiana .. 20 
Gray Herbarium, Harvard University—“Plantae Exsiccatae 

Grayanae,” (Cent. A aici seins s eee h eae meee eb ae sy ba’ 100 
Gray Herbarium, Harvard University—Miscellaneous dupli- 

COLES ayers eae te ee Mes ta WAG Ye Rega as ge a torres 84 
Hermann, F. J.—Plants of eastern United States .......... Th 
New York College of Agriculture, Cornell University— Plants 

of Whatcom County, Washington ..................... 102 
Smarods 02 PANS Ol pA CVI aR Sica. 94 od acaous elle arom eee ea 28 

By Field Work— 
Woodson, R. E., Jr.—Plants of Panama .................065 444 


POCA liaise a: ah atscaear ga oe ahaa: ack eaves aa ee eo eG 2,773 


| STAFF 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE GARDEN, 2315 TOWER GROVE AVENUE, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 
Grorce T. Moore, 


Director — 
HERMANN VON SCHRENK, Epcar ANDERSON, 
Pathologist Geneticist » 
‘ Rospert E. Woopson, Jr., 
Jesse M, GREENMAN, Assistant Curator of 
Curator of Herbarium Herbarium 
: Neu C. Horner, 
Carrot W. Donez, Librarian and Editor of 
Mycologist ., Publications 
* 
Grorar H. Priva, 
Superintendent 
JOHN NOYES, Pau A, Kout, 
Consulting Vehidacape Architect Floriculturist 
Wituram F. Lanaan, Aueustr P. Brinmann, 
Chief Engineer : Arboriculturist 
JOSEPH LANGEN, . Davin C.. Farrpurn, 
Assistant Engineer Horticulturist 
ALBertT Prarson, JosepH Curak, 
Painter In charge of Exotics 


LADISLAUS CUTAK, 
In charge of Succulents 


THE ARBORETUM, GRAY SUMMIT, MISSOURI 
Lars P, JENSEN, 
Manager 


Roy E. Kissecr, - Davip MrILuer, 
Engineer Orchid Grower 


REPRESENTATIVE IN THE TROPICS 


, Pavt H. Aten, 
Balboa, Canal Zone 


REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE 


Gurney Witson, F. L. S.,. 
Hove, Sussex, England 


rv 


Missourt BOTANICAL 
GARDEN JBULLETIN 


Vol. XXVIII APRIL, 1940 | No. 4 


CONTENTS 

Page 
The Kudzu Vine... rig eR Mme ietg apie & S 
Sweet Corn with a College ‘Paupation Re dake os his 7X Arka Mak hee 
A Review of Dendrobium superbiens . . . 76 

Missouri. Botanical Garden Orchid sich ‘February, 
LOGO ay } J at es 85 
Winter Injury. . Biota SEM he ig urea, 
Garden Club of St. Loins arigileaes bas MR: BEC esc ane 
Notes... MOPED MUTE, OO OU AA" A MOSER Ieee. 
Statistical ileuaution A A ie we PT MY aS BARR OTR 


Office of Publication: 1201-5 Bluff Street, Fulton, Mo. 
pane Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue, 
t. Louis, Mo. 
Published monthly except in July and August by the Board of Trustees 
of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 
Entered as second-class matter February 23, 1937, at the post-office at 
Fulton, Mo., under the Act of March 3, ‘1879. 


SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 


BOARD OF TRUSTEES 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS WERE DESIGNATED IN MR. SHAW’S WILL 
AND THE BOARD SO CONSTITUTED, EXCLUSIVE OF THE 
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS, IS SELF-PERPETUATING 


President 
Grorce C. Hrrcucock 


Vice-President 
DanieEL K. Catiin 


Second. Vice-President 
Tuomas 8, Marrirr 


L. Ray Carrer GrorGE T. Moore 
- SamveEt GC. Davis Evucenr Perrus 
Dupiey FRENCH A. WerssEL SHAPLEIGH 


Eruan A. H. SuHepiey 


EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS 


GrorGEe R. THRoop, . Witi1am Scarier, | 
Chancellor of Washington Uni- Bishop of the Diocese.of Missouri 
versity ; 
Brrnarp F. Dickmann, A. H. Timmerman, 
Mayor of the City of St. Louis President of The Academy of Sci- 


ence of St. Louis 


Mark D. EaGueron 
President of the Board of Education of St. Louis 


Secretary. 
GERALD UBRICI 


SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN 


The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr. 
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date to the death of Mr. Shaw, 
in 1889, the Garden was maintained under the personal direction of 
its founder, and while virtually a private garden it was, except at 
certain stated times, always open to the public. Although popularly 
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden 
was designated by Mr. Shaw as its official title and in his will and 
all of his writings he specifically referred to it as the “Missouri Bo- 
tanical Garden.” By a provision of Mr. Shaw’s will the Garden 
passed at his death into the hands of a Board of Trustees. The 
original members of the Board were designated in the will, and the 
Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members, is self- 
perpetuating. By a further provision of the will, the immediate di- 
rection of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by the 
Board of Trustees. The Garden receives no income from city or 
state, but is supported entirely from funds left by the founder. 

The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species 
of plants are growing. There is now in process of development a 
tract of land of over 1,600 acres outside the city limits which is to be 
devoted to (1) the propagation and growing of plants, trees, and 
shrubs, designed for showing either indoors or outside, at the city 
Garden, thus avoiding the existing difficulties of growing plants in 
the city atmosphere; (2) gradually establishing an arboretum as 
well as holding a certain area as a wild-flower reservation, with the 
idea that possibly at some future time this may become the new 
botanical garden. 

The Garden is open to the public every day in the year except 
New Year’s Day and Christmas—week days from 8:00 a. m. until 
sunset; Sundays from 10:00 a. m, until sunset. The greenhouses are 
closed every day at 5:00 p. m, 

The main entrance to the Garden is located at Tower Grove Ave- 
nue and Flora Place, on the Sarah car line (No, 42). Transfer south 


from all intersecting lines. 


Mo. Bor. Garp. BuLL., VoL. 28, 1940 PLATE 3 


The Kudzu vine, on May 22, 1939 
“ c 


bh Se 
ae ois Mm 


The vine on Aug. 22 


THE KUDZU VINE (Pueraria Thunbergiana) 


Missourl Botanical 


Garden Bulletin 


Vol. XXVIII APRIL, 1940 No. 4 


THE KUDZU VINE 


When choosing a vine to cover a trellis quickly or to hide some 
unsightly object why not consider the Kudzu vine? Pueraria 
Thunbergiana is its botanical name and it is native to China and 
Japan. The leaves are large, the entire plant making a bold mass 
of foliage. The speed with which one established plant will cover 
a large area ina few weeks’ time is amazing. Kudzu likes a warm 
soil, and on that account only commences growing in early May. 
It is almost unbelievable, except for picture records, that a few 
tender shoots in May will effectively screen a wide area in late 
June. The first frost will brown the foliage and kill the young 
shoots but the heavier stems will survive a mild winter. Should 
the temperature reach zero the vine will freeze to the ground 
but new shoots will spring from the roots. For good exercise try 
digging a ten-year-old root system of a Kudzu vine. The section 
shown in fig. 1 measured twenty-four inches in length and three 
inches in thickness, and this was only a small portion of the root 
system. 

Established plants, or such as have not been frozen to the 
ground, will bloom freely during the summer months. Kudzu is 
a legume, the purple pea-shaped flowers being borne in axillary 
spikes. There are many flowers but they are partially hidden by 
the large leaves. The fragrance, which is most delightful, very 
much resembles that of grapes. One plant at the Garden covers 
an arched trellis, and invariably visitors passing under this arch 
stop to investigate the source of this captivating odor. The hairy 
seed-pods measure about two and one-half inches in length but 


(71) 


72 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


each pod contains only two to five viable bean-shaped seeds which 
measure one-eighth inch in length. 
Kudzu vines may be started from seeds in the spring but a few 


years are required before the plants produce the characteristic 


Fig. 1. Tuberous root of the Kudzu vine. 


heavy growth. Occasionally plants will appear from self-sown 
seeds. For quicker results it is better to purchase two- or three 
vear-old plants from nurserymen. Other methods of increasing 
the plants are by division and layering. 

It is customary when singing the praises of a plant to balance 


the good qualities with the disagreeable pest-control program 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 73 


but fortunately in this instance we can say that, so far as we know, 
there are no insects or diseases to harass this vine and what is 
more it is drought-resistant. 

In this country the Kudzu vine is being extensively used in soil 


Fig. 2. Flowers of Kudzu vine. Fig. 3. Seed-pods of Kudzu vine, 


erosion work and to some extent as a forage plant. The Chinese 
make flour from the roots and weave the fiber into cloth popularly 
known as grass linen. Beneficial and harmful drugs are also ex- 


tracted from the roots and stems. P. A. K. 


SWEET CORN WITH A COLLEGE EDUCATION 


Until recently the St. Louis gardener who wished a supply of 
sweet corn for the table was caught between the horns of a 
dilemma. He had to choose between a northern variety not 
adapted to this climate or one of the better field corns picked at 


74 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


the roasting-ear stage. Neither of these courses appealed to a 
discriminating gardener. The northern sweet corns, brought this 
far south, tasseled too early and produced little “nubbiny” ears, 
while in dry years or in dry situations they often produced no ears 
at all. The “roasting ear” corns grew well, particularly on a good 
piece of corn land, and they produced large well-filled ears, but 
they were scarcely an acceptable substitute for true sweet corn. 
Even when picked young they were not really sweet and the more 
they matured, the more strongly did they acquire the flavor of 
laundry starch. One had the feeling that he was eating a high- 
grade horse food in lieu of a table vegetable. 

But Missouri gardeners no longer need despair of growing green 
corn for the table since sweet corn, like field corn, has been to 
college. In the great cooperative corn-breeding program under- 
taken in the last two decades by the agricultural colleges, experi- 
ment stations, and seed companies of the corn belt, sweet-corn 
breeding has had a share. As a result there are now becoming 
available in the trade a number of hybrid sweet corns, adapted 
to the home garden. Like the hybrid field corns which have been 
so successful that even the average city dweller is hearing about 
them, these hybrid sweet corns are the result of a long and intri- 
cate breeding program. From the original stocks selections were 
made year after year, the tassels and silks being covered with 
paper bags to prevent the inter-crossing which ordinarily takes 
place and the silks of each plant dusted with the pollen from its 
own tassels. A weird way to produce superior corn, for each 
season saw the selections becoming smaller. Many of the lines 
died out altogether, but the runts were being eliminated and hid- 
den weaknesses brought to light. Even the best of the strains 
which at last emerged, though uniform, were distinctly inferior 
in appearance to the average of the original stocks. But cross two 
of these selected inbreds together and learn that in corn breeding, 
as in many other matters, it does not pay to put too much trust in 
appearances! The corn which grows from these crossed inbreds 
is tall and strong, with fine long ears. The plants are amazingly 
uniform. Looking down a row, tassels all at the same height, ears 


the same shape and size, one who is used to ordinary fields of corn 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 75 


has the feeling that he is looking at a machine-made product. It 
is as though one had selected one of the best plants from a corn 
field and then by some miraculous machine had made a thousand 
copies of the original. 

The first of these hybrid seed corns to reach the seed market 
originated in the North. This was only natural, since it is there 
that sweet corn has been longest grown and there that it is a 
standard bill-of-fare every summer. These crossed inbreds of 
northern origin have not done as well in St. Louis as in the North, 
but even here they have produced a usable crop in all but the 
driest years. Meanwhile other inbreds from closer at hand have 
made their appearance in the trade and the best of those now avail- 
able should satisfy the most critical gardener. 

Eight of these crossed inbred sweet corns were grown in a 
small experimental plot at Gray Summit during the summer of 
1939. Of those which are already in commercial production, the 
most satisfactory was “Joana.” The earliest plantings were in 
their prime the 20th of July, the last plantings were ready for 
table use between the 8th and the 17th of August. The plants were 
remarkably uniform, even for a hybrid corn. Every stalk bore one 
large, well-filled ear, and in the later plantings most of the stalks 
carried a smaller but well-shaped ear. Particularly noticeable was 
the almost complete absence of nubbins, even in rows which had 
been too thickly planted. 

“Toana” is a cross between two selections from “Golden 
Bantam.” One of these was originally started at Purdue Univer- 
sity in Indiana, the other at the Experiment Station at Ames, 
Iowa. Technically known as “Iowa 45 x Purdue 39,” the hybrid 
was given the popular name “Ioana,” a portmanteau expression 
for Iowa x Indiana. To the average gardener its only objection 
is that, like all crossed inbreds, it does not breed true from seed 
and must be purchased from the breeder (or his agent) every 
spring. For the small quantity used by the home gardener, the 
difference in price between the hybrid seed and ordinary sweet 
corn is but a trifle, and is more than compensated by the better 
quality, higher yield, and greater reliability of the best hybrid 
varieties. B.A. 


76 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
A REVIEW OF DENDROBIUM SUPERBIENS 


For many years, orchid enthusiasts from various parts of the 
world have discussed the parentage of this elusive hybrid from 
Australia. Dendrobium Phalaenopsis, D. bigibbum, D. undulatum 
and recently D. veratrifolium have all been suggested. The 
writer's part in the discussion will consist of bringing together 
most of the references from the literature. 

During 1915 an importation of orchids, supposedly all D. 
Phalaenopsis, was received from Australia through Stuart Low 


& Co., Enfield, England. However, in addition to D. Phalaenopsis, 


l 2 


Fig. 1. Parents and progeny: left to right, (1) the first plant grown at the 
Garden since 1915, showing characteristic fusiform pseudobulbs of D. undu 
latum; (2) typical D. ‘“‘Louis Bleriot’’ likewise in the collection since 1915. The 
growth resembles D. Phalaenopsis. The reader might question height, but 
many of our own Garden-raised D. Phalaenopsis measure 30 inches; (3) D. 
Phalaenopsis, rather a poor specimen, but the only plant carrying flowers at 
the time of photographing (Feb. 1, 1940). This is the first time we ever 
managed to get the entire group in bloom at this date; (4) typical D. undu 
latum. Note height of pseudobulbs, number of leaves which decrease in size 
toward the top; (5 and 6) hybrids of recent importation, (5) with light mauve 
flowers, (6) with dark mauve. 

Fig. 2. Top row: D. Phalaenopsis and D. undulatum; below, left, two flowers 
of the natural hybrid D. ‘‘Louis Bleriot.’”’ Note white margined sepals; right 
(below undulatum), flowers of D. swperbiens raised at the Garden. Note linear 
twisted sepals and petals. The 4 lowest flowers are from the most recent im 
portation and show variation in color 


a | 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 7 


there was finally identified D. bigibbum, D. superbiens, and one 
hybrid which was a puzzler. It did possess the characteristic 
white-margined sepals and petals of D. superbiens and was de- 
scribed under that name in the Garden BuLLetin (Vol, 21, p. 142. 
1933). 

Recently, while visiting the orchid range of Sherman Adams, 
Wellesley, Mass., Mr. Adams drew my attention to one of his new 
purchases, Dendrobium “Louis Bleriot.” It had been raised in 
France by Vacherot in 1929, and was a progeny of D. Phalaenop- 
sis var. Schroderianum and D. superbiens. Being in full bloom 


at the time, it was immediately recognized as the same plant as the 


Fig. 3. Dendrobium hybrid im Fig. 4. Typical Dendrobium undu 
ported from Australia in 1915, show latum, showing erect flower spike and 
ing erect flower spike. characteristic sepals and petals (see 


Bot. Cook’s Voyage, p. 111, t. 299). 


puzzling one received from Australia in 1915. Again Nature must 
be credited with making the first hybrid, for the same cross was 
made in Tokyo, according to the Orchid Review (1923, page 355). 
Its vigorous growth resembles D. undulatum, and the cane shape 
is that of D. Phalaenopsis. The flowers are very dark mauve like 
those of D. bigibbum but smaller. ‘The dominant character of 


D. undulatum, the white margins of both sepals and petals, is 


78 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


shown. The puberulous ridges of the crest of the lip are character- 
istics of either D. Phalaenopsis or D. bigibbum. Its flowering pe- 
riod is intermediate between that of the parents, perhaps nearer D. 
superbiens. Consistent flowering periods of the group show: 
D. Phalaenopsis, October-December; D. bigibbum, November- 
January; D. undulatum, October-March; D. superbiens and D. 
“Louis Bleriot,’ December-February. An interesting fact, re- 
corded for several years in the orchid show at the city garden, is 
that D. undulatum is the most resistant to smoke palls, D. super- 
biens and D. “Louis Bleriot” less so, while D. Phalaenopsis and 
D. bigibbum are decidedly sensitive. 

In the Orchid Review (Vol. 40, page 246), Mr. R. F. Leaney, 
of Sidney, Australia, stated that he had observed a hybrid grow- 
ing among “large quantities of both parents |D. Phalaenopsis and 
D. undulatum| and in places that in the past have been simply 
covered with D. Phalaenopsis and D. undulatum. The fact that 
this plant [D. superbiens| grows in fairly large colonies, but 
only in very few places and not scattered over districts, lends colour 
to my suggestion that it is a natural hybrid.” 

In August, 1937, 260 plants, presumably of D. Phalaenopsis, 
were received at the Garden from Mr. Leaney. The following sea- 
son all of them were found to be D. bigibbum (Bot. Mag. pl. 4898 ). 
A study of the plants in the shipment for the past two flowering 
seasons showed that the average growth is 18-24 inches, shaped 
like D. Phalaenopsis and green with prominent lines of deep 
purple. The old stems were brown, whereas D. Phalaenopsis has 
green stems and membranous bracts. The flower spikes are 
pendant, supporting 4-12 dark mauve flowers varying from one 
inch (suggesting D. “Louis Bleriot”) to 214% inches across. A 
lighter color is extremely rare, in which case the sepals have white 
margins. 

The new growth of D. superbiens is 24-30 inches, enlarged at 
the middle, lined with green-purple, brown with age; leaves 10-15, 
with purple margins; flowers light mauve to dark mauve; sepals 
and occasionally petals white-margined; spikes usually erect (one 
specimen pendant like the Garden-raised specimens described in 
the Garden Butietin Vol. 21, pl. 41). 


Parental characters noted from D. undulatum: vigorous growth, 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 79 


Fig. 5. Top: Hybrid Dendrobium superbiens with pendant spikes, raised at 
the eet bottom: Dendrobium ‘‘Louis Bleriot’’ imported from Australia in 
1915, proving to be identical to the plant raised by Vacherot of France. 


80 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


fusiform shape, increase in number and size of leaves; vertical 
spikes; petals twisting or rolling; serrulate erect keels; longer 
and later flowering period; greater resistance to sulphur in the 
atmosphere. If growing in the same area as D, Phalaenopsis or 
D. bigibbum: pseudobulbs cane-shaped with white membranous 
bracts; flower spikes pendant; petals rhomboid-orbicular; five 
to seven obscure puberulent ridges; prominent spur; variable 


mauve color, particularly in association with D. Phalaenopsis. 


Fig. 6. Dendrobium bigibbum imported as D. Phalaenopsis in 1937 (see 
Bot. Mag. 1856: pl. 4898). 


PUBLICATIONS REVIEWED 


D, bigibbum (Bot. Mag. 1856, t. 4898 ).—Contains colored il 
lustration of a specimen grown by Mr. Loddiges in November 
1855, and “received from Dr. Thomson, who found it on Mount 
Adolphus, Torres Straits, on the northeast coast of New Hol 
land.” 

D. superbiens (Orchid Album. Vol. 7, t. 31:2. 1878).—Colored 
illustration of plant “discovered and sent home by our collector, 
Mr. Goldie, in the year 1877, from Torres Straits on which abut 


the northern extremity of Australia and the southern shore of 


PLATE 4 


Mo. Bor. Garp. BuLL., VOL. 28, 1940 


1. Forms of Dendrobium Phalaenopsis flowers grown from seed. 2. Flower of D. superbiens raised at the Garden. 
3. Flowers of D. superbiens (left) and of D. ‘Louis Bleriot’’ (right). 2 and 3 show pale rose 


margins characteristic of D. superbiens. 


82 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


the Island of New Guinea.” The flowers are said to be “rosy 
purple, bordered with white, .. . and continue in beauty for 
three months.” The illustration was taken from a specimen 
grown by M. le Due de Massa, Chateau de Francouville, par 
Luzarches, France. 

D. Phalaenopsis (Bot. Mag. 1885, t. 6817 ).—A colored illus- 
tration of two spikes of flowers. Article quotes Mr. Fitzgerald 
as stating: “‘that he regards this as the finest of Australian 
orchids . . . and closely allied to D. bigibbum, Lindl., superbiens, 
Reichb., and Goldiei, all natives of the same botanical region.” 

D. Goldiei (The Garden, vol. 14, pl. 4. 1878).—A colored 
plate shows two pendant flower spikes. Flowers more red than 
mauve, sepals lighter mauve and margined with white. Side lobes 
of the lip mostly shielding the column; base of the lip showing 
5-7 dark ridges. Pseudobulbs green at the nodes, narrowed 
towards the apex, typical of undulatum. “This beautiful species, 
at one time thought to be D. superbiens, but now found to be dis- 
tinct.” 

D. superbiens (Sander’s Reichenbachia, vol. 1, page 87, pl. 39. 
1888).—A_ beautiful colored plate showing one erect and one 
pendant spike. Pseudobulbs and shape and color of flowers cor- 
respond with hybrids raised at the Garden and Low’s of England. 
The plate is captioned D. superbiens, whereas the description is 
headed D. superbum, evidently a printer’s error. 

D. Leeanum (Orchid Review, vol. 31, page 355. 1923).—Im- 
ported by Sander and described as a new species by Mr. Jas. 
O’Brien. The late Mr. Rolfe of Kew “suggested that it might be 
a natural hybrid between D. Phalaenopsis and D. superbiens” and 
noted that the crest of D. superbiens “consists of three serrulate 
erect keels at the base of the front lobe, but in Phalaenopsis the 
dise is simply puberulous without any crest.’’ Several thousand 
flowers of D. Phalaenopsis and D. bigibbum examined at the Gar- 
den show that both have the same type of dise. D. undulatum has 
three definite serrulate erect keels, while the keels of D. super- 
biens will vary from three to seven. This variation, combined with 
white margins on the sepals and infrequently the petals, is a 
dominant character inherited from D. undulatum. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 83 


“Dendrobium superbiens, a Natural Hybrid,” by G. H. Pring 
(Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull., vol. 21, page 142. 1933). 

D. superbiens (Mo. Bot. Gard. Bull., vol. 22, page 141. 1934). 
—Reply by Gurney Wilson to the above note: “The notes on 
D. superbiens have no doubt been read with interest by many 
orchid folk who have hitherto regarded the plant as. a species. 
That D. superbiens is a hybrid between D. Phalaenopsis and D. 
undulatum has definitely been proved by the seedlings raised in 
the Missouri Botanical Garden. The recording in 1932 of hybrids 
of similar parentage under the respective names, ‘Pauline’ and 
‘Greystone,’ brought forth a note from Mr. R. E. Leaney that he 
had discovered ‘Pauline’ in the form of a natural hybrid, in places 
that in the past have been simply covered with D. Phalaenopsis 
and D. undulatum.” 

D. superbiens: (“Is it a Hybrid of Dendrobium bigibbum and 
D. undulatum?” Australian Orchid Review, vol. 3, page, 29. 
1938 ).—Reference is made to D. H. L. Lyon, Director of the Ex- 
perimental Station of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association, 
who has raised hybrids between D. bigibbum and D. undulatum 
which he states are typical D. superbiens. Concerning the natural 
locality he writes: “In all places where D. superbiens occurs 
there also is found D. bigibbum and D. undulatum. West of Cook- 
town, where D. Phalaenopsis is found in such large numbers, D. 
undulatum is conspicuous by its absence. Neither are there any 
superbiens to be found.” 

D. superbiens: (“Is D, superbiens a Hybrid?” by R. E. Holt- 
tum, in dustralian Orchid Review, vol. 3, page 117. 1938).— 
Dr. Holttum, Director of Botanic Gardens, Straits Settlements, 
possesses hybrids between D. veratrifolium and D. bigibbum and 
states: “These hybrids approximate closely to our D. superbiens, 
except that the flowers are smaller and less deeply coloured.” He 
suggests that “doubtless the wild plants are a mixture of hybrids, 
and are the results of many generations of selfing and possible 
back crossing.” 

D. undulatum, (Specimens identified: Banks and Solander’s 
Illustrations Australian Plants Collected during Captain Cook’s 
Voyage, vol. 3, t. 299. 1905. 


84 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
VARIABILITY OF SPECIES 


Collecting expeditions since 1923 in Central and South America 
have given the author an excellent opportunity to study the vari- 
ability of species in the “wild.” Upwards of 4,000 plants of Cat- 
tleya T'rianae, C. Schroederae and C. gigas have been collected. 
The C. Trianae, known to the natives as Tulipans, presents re- 
markable variation, the pseudobulbs and leaves ranging from short 
and stout to long and narrow. Sunlight is definitely a factor in 
growth. The sturdier plants are always found in exposed posi- 
tions, and the more elongated growth in shadier locations upon 
the trees. The following season under cultivation the flowers 
showed variations in size and in color from pure white and light 
mauve to dark mauve. 

Plants of Brassavola nodosa have been collected in Panama on 
both the Atlantic and Pacific coast. They were growing in clumps 
upon low-growing trees, their growth averaging about ten inches. 
Those on the Pacific coast were much stronger, influenced by a 
greater precipitation of rain. North of the Canal Zone, on the 
Atlantic side at El Valle, at an elevation of 2,000 feet, more or less 
terrestrial pygmy-flowered specimens were collected from large 
boulders. Phragmopedilum caudatum was also noted in pygmy 
form. Farther north, bordering Costa Rica, the same orchids 
were collected, at an elevation of 4,000 feet, where they were 
growing upon tall trees. A most unusual plant adaptation was the 
epiphytic genus Stanhopea growing under bushes in leaf mold. 
They would possibly have been passed unobserved if they had not 
been in full bloom and fragrant. 

Variability in hybrids is often beyond expectation, Within the 
past ten vears upwards of 10,000 hybrids of varied genera have 
flowered in the greenhouses at the Garden.  First-generation 
crosses between Phalaenopsis Schilleriana and P. amabilis have 
produced some progeny with the mottled foliage of Schilleriana 
and the white flowers of amabilis, and some with the leaves of 
amabilis and the pink flowers of Schilleriana. However, amabilis 
was the dominant parent, most of the plants possessing dark green 
leaves and white flowers flushed with pink around the base of the 
sepals and petals. The number of flowers was increased by Schil- 


leriana parentage. Brassavola parentage is dominant over Cat- 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 85 


tleya, but the revolute sepals from Brassavola is an annoying 
factor to hybridists. The Cattleya color is of course dominant. 
One of the Garden’s best hybrids is C. Trianae x Brassocattleya 
Fournierae (B. Digbyana  labiata) x (C. Trianae x B. C. 
Fournierae), in which the growth is the same as noted in the 
“wild” with C. Trianae and the flowers are larger than in the 
parents. Color varied from pure white to light and medium mauve. 
Other forms (often referred to as “runts” for the discard) pos- 


sessed narrow and revolute sepals and petals. Gs Hee 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN ORCHID SHOW, 
FEBRUARY, 1940 


The following article by Mr. G. H. Pring, Superintendent of 
the Garden, from the American Orchid Society Bulletin (March, 
1940) is herewith reprinted: 

“The general effect of the 1940 Orchid Show at the Missouri 
Botanical Garden was probably even more pleasing to the orchid 
lover than to the general public. In years past, often one did not 
see the orchids for the beauty of the staging. This year, to avoid 
not seeing the trees for the forest, as it were, the shadow boxes 
in which the plants were displayed were painted a soft, dull green, 
as nearly like the color of the orchid foliage as possible. Addi- 
tional interest was given the show by center formal beds of prim- 
roses, and cyclamen in the various orchid colors, intermingled with 
white Pelargoniums, while the boxes and niches of orchids stood 
out beautifully against the cool, restrained background. The usual 
naturalistic display of orchids at the far end of the Floral Display 
House looked really natural, for the first time in the history of 
the show, and the general effect, as one viewed the display as a 
whole, was one of restrained good taste and beauty. 

“Thirty shadow boxes, arranged in groups of three around the 
wall, were broken occasionally by four large niches, the whole 
line being backed by our permanent planting of Ficus. In making 
the circle tour of the show, the first shadow box contained Cat- 
tleya T'rianae and the very fragrant Flor de Mayo, C. Schroe- 
derae, both from Colombia. Like the other shadow box groups, 


86 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


this one was covered on top with a group of Dendrobiums of the 
Nobile type, raised from seed in St. Louis. 

“The first large niche contained moth orchids, in blue and 
white. Phalaenopsis amabilis was usual in the shows here, but an 
unusually deep blue Vanda coerulea created a sensation. We have 
had the plant for some ten years, but it seldom blooms at exactly 
the right date for the orchid show. 

“Continuing with the rows of shadow box groups, we came 
next to a collection of Brassocattleyas, ranging from pure whites 
through mauve to dark mauve. Most of these are crosses from 
Brassocattleya Fournierae « C. Trianae, raised in St. Louis from 
seed. Lighter shades of mauve are found in the next shadow box 
group, containing hybrids of Brassocattleya Fournierae x C. 
Schroederae, also raised in St. Louis. In this same display was 
Oncidium splendidum, the Tiger Orchid. 

“Then came three forms of Dendrobium nobile, followed by a 
group of Botanical orchids, including Brassavola nodosa (Lady of 
the Night), Laelia Lindleyana, Dendrobium amethystinum from 
the Philippines, the Braided Orchid, Lockhartia pallida, and also 
Oncidium stipitatum, with its stiletto-like leaves two and a half 
feet long. 

“Next came the jungle scene, flanked on both sides by large 
niches. These niches displayed collections of various spray 
orchids, including Dendrobium superbiens, with four types of 
natural hybrids from Australia; D. bigibbum, Laelia acuminata, 
L. Gouldiana, L. anceps, L. anceps brilliant, and hybrids of D. 
undulatum x D. Phalaenopsis raised in St. Louis. Varieties of D. 
Phalaenopsis were displayed ranging in color from almost pure 
white to extremely dark mauve, raised from selected seed strains 
in St. Louis. 

“The so-called jungle scene contained large groups of Cym- 
bidiums and Dendrobiums, both evergreen and deciduous; 3 large 
Vanda tricolor tive feet tall; masses of over 300 Cypripediums, 
including 20 specimens of C. callosum and about 100 hybrids such 
as C. Arthurianum, C. aureum, some good C. actaeus, ete. 

“Orchids and Bromeliads were displayed on trees, the whole 
picture being framed by Cibotium Schiedei and one superb speci- 
men of Anthurium, along with the usual miscellaneous greenery. 

“The next group of shadow boxes contained a collection of 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 87 


Cypripediums, and the fourth niche showed Laelia anceps and its 
pure white forms. 

“Another collection of Cypripediums followed in the next 
shadow box group, including C. cymatodes beechense superbum, 
whose name is more than justified, since it is still an outstanding 
thing, though we have had it over twenty years. Other lady slip- 
pers included C. “Olivia,” the pink lady slipper; C. “Sidney 
Brown,” the yellow lady slipper; the pink flowered C. Nandi, and 
both C. Holdenii and C. Maudiae. 

“Tt may interest the readers to note that the plants on exhibi- 
tion were transported from Gray Summit to the Botanical Gar- 
dens in St. Louis, a distance of forty miles, during subzero 
weather in a small heated half-ton truck. The plants were packed 
in two layers, those from the cooler, higher altitudes next the floor, 
those from the tropical slopes on a shelf more completely insulated 
from local temperature conditions. The transportation of the 
plants during the subzero weather in such excellent condition was 
a great achievement.” 


WINTER INJURY 


While last winter brought extreme cold weather to gardens in 
Missouri, it was accompanied by heavy snow. The cold, though 
severe, was practically continuous so that there was little winter 
injury due to plants coming into growth too early. Such plants as 
were seriously damaged were either killed outright by the cold, or 
were weakened by the dryness which always is an accompanying 
feature, or by the bright sunlight reflected from the snow. The 
middle of April is too early to give a complete report; some plants 
which look seriously damaged now will undoubtedly recover. 
Others will not reveal the full extent of their injury until much 
later in the season. Although the conditions were somewhat dif- 
ferent, the record of winter injury in 1935-1936 (BuLuetin, vol. 
24, p. 130) is interesting as a matter of comparison. No very satis- 
factory conclusions can be drawn, however, from the record of but 
two seasons. There does seem to be additional evidence for the 
statement that plants and trees supplied with water and fertilizer 


during the growing season are hardier than those not supplied. 


88 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


WINTER INJURY TO WOODY PLANTS IN THE GARDEN 
AT ST. LOUIS AND THE ARBORETUM AT 
GRAY SUMMIT, 1939-40 


71939 
| | | growth | 
|Flower- Leaves| killed | Frozen! | 
buds dehy- back to to snow Willed Remarks 
\blasted drated ripened level 
| wood | | | 


Abies homole pis 


Acanthopanax tri- * 
foliatus 


Acer carpinifolinm * 
Acer palmatum 


Albizzia julibrissin . 


Amorpha_ micro- * Slight 
phylla injury 


Berberis Julianae ne * 


Brachychiton . 
acerifolium 


Broussonetia 
papyrifera® 


Buddleia alterni- | * | | Slight 


| 

folia | injury 
Bueus koreana i | | |; Moderate 
Buxus microphylla * sun-seald 
Bueus microphylla * injury as 

sinica | || early as 
Burus semper- mid-Nov. 

virens 


Callicarpa dicho- * or * 
toma 

Callicarpa japon- 7 
ica angustata 

Callicarpa rubella = 


“Dehydration of bark; injury will not become evident until late sum- 
mer or autumn. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 89 


Flower- Leaves | growth | | 
buds | dehy- killed | Frozen Killed Remarks 
blasted drated back to to snow | 
ripened level 
| wood | 


Cedrus atlantica 
Cedrus libanotica 


Chamaecy paris 
Lawsoniana 


Cornus kousa i Un- 
Cornus kousa | - injured 
chinensis | owing 
to pro- 
tection 


Cotoneaster Fran- 
cheti | | 

Cotoneaster hori- | | | | 
zontalis per pu- | | 
silla 

Cotoneaster tenu- 
ipes 


Cupressus arizon- | | . | 
ica 


Deutzia scabra | * | ; 

: Slight 

“Pride of Ro- | | 6 
chester” 


Elaeagnus ‘“Fruit- * 
land” 


Evonymus japon- * Possibly 
ica killed 
Evonymus japon- | e 
ica microphylla 
Evonymus radi- * 
cans minima 
Tay “4 x | 
Forsythia sp. | | About 1% 
| fl. buds 
| blasted 


90 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


WINTER INJURY TO WOODY PLANTS—(Continued) 


1939 
growth 
Flower- Leaves killed | Frozen 
buds dehy- back to to snow, Killed Remarks 
blasted drated ripened level 
wood | | 


Hedera helix | | 


baltica 


Ilex cornuta | a 
Ilex crenata 


Jasminum fruti- 


cans 


Jasminum nudi- 


florum 


Kerria japonica 
Kerria japonica 


plena 


Ligustrum ovali- 


folium 


Liquidambar for- | 


mosana 


Lonicera implexa 


Magnolia grandi- 


or * Growing 


flora in pro- 


Mahonia A qui- 


tected 
locality 


* * Slight 


folium | 
Mahonia haemato- 
carpa 


Morus alba* 
Morus rubra* 


Nandina domestica 


or 


Pinus cembroides * | | Only 2nd- 


yr. leaves 


} 7 
affected 


| | | | | 


“Dehydration of bark; injury will not become evident until late sum- 
mer or autumn. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 91 


WINTER INJURY TO WOODY PLANTS—(Continued) 


1939 
growth 
\Flower- Leaves killed | Frozen 
buds | dehy- back to to snow Killed Remarks 
blasted drated ripened level | 
| wood 


Prunus, certain sp. 


Pterocarya Reh- * | Slight 
deriana 


Pyracantha coc- 
cinea Lalandtt 
ericadl 
Quercus laurifolia 


Rhododendron * 
mucronatum 
Rhododendron ob- 
tusum amoenum 
Rhododendron * * 
yedoense pouk- 
hanense 


Rosa climbers | * Except 
hyb. 
| Wichura- 
iana 
* Especially 
Tausend- 
schon 


Rosa hybrid per- 
petuals 


Rosa hybrid teas 
Sapium sebiferum 


Spiraea prunifolia | * | | Slight 
plena | | | | 

Spiraea japonica + Slight 

Spiraea Thun- . Slight 
bergii 

Styrax japonica | | | | 

Taxus baccata ad- 
pressa 

Taxus baccata | 
fastigiata | | 


92 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


WINTER INJURY TO WOODY PLANTS—(Continued ) 


| 71939 | 
growth: 
\Flower- Leaves, killed | Frozen 
buds — dehy- back to. to snow Killed) Remarks 
blasted drated ripened level 
| wood — | 


Taxus brevifolia i * ’ | Slight 

Taxus cuspidata i Slight 

Taxus Washing- 
toni 


Teucrium 
Chamaedrys | 


Viburnum rhytido- 
phyllum | 
Viburnum | 
W rightii 


GARDEN CLUB OF ST. LOUIS VISITING DAYS 


The Garden Club of St. Louis will again open the gardens of 
sixteen of its members to visitors on May 18 and 19 from 10:00 
a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Last year a very substantial sum was raised by 
the Club for the “Friends of the Garden Fund.” This year it is 
hoped that an even greater number of garden lovers will welcome 
the opportunity to view some of the more beautiful gardens in this 
vicinity and, at the same time, help the Missouri Botanical Garden. 
The gardens listed include those of: 


Mr. and Mrs, Frederick R. Von Windegger, 315 S. McKnight Road 
Mr. and Mrs. Royall H. Switzler, 8 Ridgewood Road 

Mr. and Mrs. Mortimer P. Burroughs, 700 S. Price Road 

Mr. and Mrs. A. Wessel Shapleigh, 23 Fordyce Lane 

Mrs. George Mepham, 7 Fordyce Lane 

Mr. and Mrs. Archie Lee, 8 Fordyce Lane 

Mr. and Mrs. Boyle O. Rodes, 8 Upper Ladue Road 

Mrs. Edward Walsh, 9 Upper Ladue Road 

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Werner, 9625 Ladue Road 

Mr. and Mrs. John V. Janes, 5 Apple Tree Lane 

Mr. and Mrs. John S. Lehmann, 10 Apple Tree Lane. 

Mr. and Mrs. Chapin 8. Newhard, Lindbergh and Ladue Roads 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 93 


Mr. and Mrs. John K. Wallace, Lindbergh and Ladue Roads 

Mr. Peter Seltzer, 302 Leffingwell, Kirkwood 

Mr. and Mrs. Hermann von Schrenk, Florissant 

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel W. Fordyce, Brown and Hazelwood Roads, 

Florissant 

Tickets are $1.00 for the entire list of gardens. They may be 
obtained at various florists and department stores as well as from 
members of the St. Louis Garden Club, and at the Missouri Bo- 
tanical Garden. 


NOTES 


Dr. George T. Moore, Director of the Garden, spoke before the 
Delta Gamma Mothers’ Club, April 22, on “Keeping Up-to-Date 
in the Garden.” 


Dr. Henry N. Andrews, Instructor in the Shaw School of 
Botany, broadcast over Station KSD, on April 2, his subject be- 


ing “Spring Flowers in Missouri.” 


Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of Succulents at the Garden, 
gave an illustrated lecture before the St. Louis Ladies’ Florist 
Club, April 1, on “Cactus Hunting in Texas and Mexico.” 


The annual flower sermon for which Henry Shaw provided in 
his will was preached at Christ Church Cathedral, April 28, by 
the Rt. Rev. William Scarlett, Bishop of Missouri. 


Mr. G. H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, gave a talk 
before the Friendly Fellows Club of the Shaw Avenue Metho- 
dist Church, March 28, on “Hybrid Tropical Water-lilies.” 


Mr. Russell J. Seibert, Graduate Student at the Garden, gave 
an illustrated talk before the Mascoutah Women’s Club, Mas- 
coutah, Ill., April 17, entitled “Spring Comes to the Arnold 
Arboretum.” 


Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of Succulents at the Garden, 
has an illustrated article in the April number of Desert Plant 
Life (12: 68-71), entitled “Succulents at the Greater St. Louis 


, 


Flower and Garden Show.’ 


Mr. G. H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, acted as judge 
of the nature-study exhibitions during the annual ‘‘Pow-Wow’”’ 


94 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


of the Indian Guide Organization at the Webster Groves High 
School Armory, March 22 and 23. 


Mr. A. P. Beilmann, Arboriculturist to the Garden, gave a talk 
before the University City Parent-Teachers Association, March 
12, on “The Tree as a Living Organism”; and before the Colum- 
bine Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, 
April 2, on “Conservation and Thrift of Plant Life.” 


Mr. Paul A. Kohl, Floriculturist to the Garden, gave an illus- 
trated lecture on “‘The Missouri Botanical Garden, March 26, 
before the Hannibal Garden Club, at Hannibal, Mo. On April 2, 
he gave an illustrated talk on “Roses” before the St. Louis Hills 
Garden Club. 


Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, as one of 
the members of the tree-planting committee, spoke at the tree- 
planting ceremonies at Fairground Park, April 5, when 100,000 
soft maple trees were presented to the city and county schools 
by John S. Swift, of St. Louis. 


Dr. George 'T. Johnson, Research Assistant, and Lecturer in 
Botany, Henry Shaw School of Botany, has received a John 
Simon Guggenheim Fellowship to continue his studies of tropical 
American lichens. He plans to center his work in Cuba, Panama 
and Costa Rica. 

Recent visitors to the Garden include: Dr. A. P. Saunders, 
professor of chemistry, Hamilton College, Clinton, N. Y., and one 
of the directors of the American Peony Society; Mr. Paul H. 
Allen, of Balboa, C. Z., the Garden's Representative in the 
Tropics; and Miss Bernice G. Schubert, technical assistant and 
graduate student, Gray Herbarium of Harvard University, Cam- 
bridge, Mass. 


STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR MARCH, 1940 
GaRDEN ATTENDANCE: 
Total number of visitors...........0.00 20.0.0... eee eee eee 24,422 
PLANT ACCESSIONS: 
Total number of plants, seeds and bulbs received as gifts.... 578 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 95 


Liuprary ACCESSIONS: 


Total number of books and pamphlets bought................ 25 
Total number of books and pamphlets donated..........-.... 240 
Herpartum ACCESSIONS: 
By Gift— 
Allen, Paul—Phyllocarpus septentrionalis Donn. Sm. from 
PAM AT Bey ey tere ieee ions anon aha vacs agree eateinp ener ong 1 
Braun, E. Lucy—Plants of “Kentue Yi sc'eh ihe eee eee é 
Bureau of Plant Industry, U.S. Depa rtment of Agriculture— 
Apocynaceae and Asclepiadaceae from Costa Rica and 
IM GXICON ee eee eek gS eee ee 17 
Cutler, Hugh C.—Plants of New Mexico, Arizona, ‘and Utah 13 
Hancin, John—Salix nigra L. from Kansas..............0665. 1 
Penland, C. W.—Plants of Ecuador............... 000s wees 3 
Questel, Adrien—Plants of Guadeloupe................-.-. 8 
Ragonese, A. E.—Plants of Argentina..................... 30 
Scully, F. J—Plants of Arkansas.................0005-- 16 
Seibert, R. J.—Specimens and illustrations of Bignoniaceae. . 2 
Seibert, R. J—Plants of Florida................. 0.0 eee 175 
von Schrenk, Hermann—Pinus sylvestris L. from Missouri. . 1 
By Exchange— 
‘Clokey, Ira W.—Plants of California and Nevada.......... 333 
University of Pennsylvania by John M. Pop Jr— Plants of 
AUG hog hal Enea ee ee eae Gistiye aGty ai eranlorcaety seen geen 215 
By Field Work— 
Woodson, R. E., Jr.—Plants of Panama..................-5. 18 


yt a eS — or rk. . oO A ee Oe ee ol eee 
‘ rake : 0 neh 


, STAFF 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE GARDEN, 2315 TOWER GROVE AVENUE, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 
GrorGe T. Moors, 


Director 
HrrMANN VON SCHRENK, EpnGgar. ANDERSON, 
Pathologist Geneticist 
Rosert E. Woopson, fe R., 
Jesse M. GREENMAN, Assistant Curator of 
Curator of Herbarium Herbarium 
Newt C. Horner, 
Carroty W, Dover, Librarian and Editor of 
Mycologist Publications 
Grorce H., Prine, 
Superintendent 
JOHN NOYES, Pau A. Kout, 
Consulting Landscape Architect Floriculturist 
Wim F. Langan, Avueust P. BrrmMAnn, 
Chief Engineer Arboriculturist 
JosEPH LANGEN, Davip C. FArRBURN, 
Assistant Engineer Horticulturist 
ALBERT PEARSON, JOSEPH CUTAK, 
Painter In charge of Exotics 


Lapistaus Curak, 
In charge of Suceulents 


THE ARBORETUM, GRAY SUMMIT; MISSOURI 
Lars P, JENSEN, 
Manager 


Roy E. Kissrcx, Davin MILurEr, 
‘Engineer Orchid Grower 


REPRESENTATIVE IN THE TROPICS 


_ Paut H. AEN, 
Balboa, Canal Zone 


REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE 


Gurney Witson, F. L. &., 
Hove, Sussex, England 


NOTICE 


ATTENTION is called to the recently issued “Spring 
Flora of Missouri” by J. A. Steyermark. About 
1,400 plants blooming in Missouri and adjoining 
states before June 1 are described and most of 
them illustrated. Designed primarily for nature- 
lovers, scouts, amateur botanists, etc., emphasis is 
placed on the common name; also, an attempt is 
made to write the descriptions in simple untechni- 
cal language so that, with the help of the keys 
and the illustrations, identification of spring- 
blooming flowers should not be difficult. The book 
is cloth-bound and comprises 590 pages, 163 
plates, and 444 line drawings. For sale by the 
Missouri Botanical Garden. Price $3.00. 


Mussourt BOTANICAL 
GARDEN BULLETIN 


Vol. XXVIII MAY, 1940 No. 5 


eT AE Men 
ene +E A nat /3 V8 (fae! 
a) Sas Meira 
yy iene °: 


CONTENTS 

Page 
Scouting the Short-leaf Pine .. . .. 2). 0s... 97 
‘Monarch of the Cactus House Falls . . . . . . 101 

Identification and Control of Common Plant Pests. 
Plant Pest No. 4—White-flies . .- >. . . . «. 104 
Notes from the Missouri Botanical Garden Arboretum 106 
Pe LF a eS Se Nd ona ae cae 2a Sa 
Statistical. Information. 33.3 A REARS Se ee 2109 


Office of Publication: 1201-5 Bluff Street, Fulton, Mo. 
singe ee Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue, 
t. uis, Mo. 
Published monthly except in July and August by the Board of Trustees 
of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 
Entered as second-class matter’ February 23, 1937, at the post-office at 
Fulton, Mo., under the Act of March 3, 1879, 


SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 


i ees 


BOARD OF TRUSTEES 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS WERE DESIGNATED IN MR, SHAW’S WILL 
AND THE BOARD SO CONSTITUTED, EXCLUSIVE OF THE 
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS, IS SELF-PERPETUATING 


President 
Grorce C. Hrroucock 


Vice-President 
Dante K. Cattrn 


Second Vice-President 
THomas 8S. Marrirr 


L, Ray Carter GrorGe T, Moore 
Samus. C. Davis Evcrene Perrvs 
Dup.iey Frencu A. Wrssen SHAPLEIGH 


Eruan A..H. SHeriey 


EX-OFFICIO. MEMBERS 


GrorcGe R. THROop, WitutAmM SCARLETT, 
Chancellor of Washington Uni- Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri 
“ versity 

Bernarp F. DIcKMANN, A. H. Trtmerman, 
Mayor of the City of St. Louis President of The Academy of Sci- 


ence of St. Louis 


Mark D. Eacurron 
President of the Board of Education of St. Louis 


Secretary 
GERALD ULRICr 


SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN 


The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr. 
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date to the death of Mr. Shaw, 
in 1889, the Garden was maintained under the personal direction of 
its founder, and while virtually a private garden it was, except at 
certain stated times, always open to the public. Although popularly 
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden 
was designated by Mr. Shaw as its official title and in his will and 
all of his writings he specifically referred to it as the “Missouri Bo- 
tanical Garden.” By a provision of Mr. Shaw’s will the Garden 
passed at his death into the hands of a Board of Trustees. The 
original members of the Board were designated in the will, and the 
Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members, is self- 
perpetuating. By a further provision of the will, the immediate di- 
rection of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by the 
Board of Trustees. The Garden receives no income from city or 
state, but is supported entirely from funds left by the founder. 

The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species 
of plants are growing. There is now in process of development a 
tract of land of over 1,600 acres outside the city limits which is to be 
devoted to (1) the propagation and growing of plants, trees, and 
shrubs, designed for showing either indoors or outside, at the city 
Garden, thus avoiding the existing difficulties of growing plants in 
the city atmosphere; (2) gradually establishing an arboretum as 
well as holding a certain area as a wild-flower reservation, with the 
idea that possibly at some future time this may become the new 
botanical garden. 

The Garden is open to the public every day in the year except 
New Year’s Day and Christmas 


week days from 8:00 a. m. until 
sunset; Sundays from 10:00 a. m. until sunset. The greenhouses are 
closed every day at 5:00 p. m. 

The main entrance to the Garden is located at Tower Grove Ave- 
nue and Flora Place, on the Sarah car line (No. 42). Transfer south 
from all intersecting lines. 


PLATE 4 


1940 


28, 


VOL. 


Bot. GARD. BULL., 


Mo. 


ee ee 
7 + FZ 
br gt 


Belli _ 


XAS 


J 


ET, T 


PINE FOREST IN THE BIG THICK 


Missourl Botanical 


Garden Bulletin 


Vol. XXVIII MAY, 1940 No. 5 


SCOUTING THE SHORT-LEAF PINE 


Missouri, unlike many states, cannot boast of a varied conifer- 
ous flora. There are but three true conifers within the state. The 
most commonly distributed is the juniper (Juniperus virginiana 
LL. and J. mevicana Spreng.), most frequently called cedar. The 
much more majestic cypress (T'avodium distichum Rich.) is 
known from only a few counties within the ancient embayment, 
south and southwest of Cape Girardeau. While this tree is tech- 
nically a conifer it is also deciduous and therefore not very 
imposing during the winter—the period when evergreens enliven 
the landscape. The third conifer is the short-leaf pine (Pinus 
echinata Mill.) which agrees with our notion of how an evergreen 
should look and grow. However, it seems never to have penetrated 
much farther north in Missouri than a point some forty miles south 
of Gray Summit. Although many attempts have been made to 
establish a group in the plantings at the Arboretum, so far it has 
never become more than a transient. It seems that other factors— 
in addition to climate—are responsible for some of these failures. 

Gardeners are well aware that plants are often reluctant to 
establish themselves even a few miles beyond their natural range, 
unless every soil, moisture, exposure and climatic requirement has 
been met. The difliculty usually is in determining what the re- 
quirements are and applying the knowledge before the struggling 
plant dies. Often the needed information can be obtained only by 
a study of the plant in its natural surroundings, and this became 
the purpose of a trip covering a considerable portion of the range 
of Pinus echinata during December, 1938. 

Although the log of the trip includes many references to wholly 
unrelated trees and shrubs, the various associations often hold a 


(97) 


98 MISSOURL BO'TANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


clue to the climatic requirements of a species. Certainly the pre 
ferred soil types are indicated, leaving little doubt concerning a 
tolerance for acid or neutral soils. A condensation of the log, 
covering 2.700 miles of travel through six southern states, while 
following a single tree species from its northern to its southern 
range, is presented here. It is not often that most of the geo- 
graphic range of a species can be covered so quickly, nor that so 
many individuals can be found for study. 


ford 


Following U. S. Highway No. 67 south, the short-leat pine 
makes its first appearance just south of Fredericktown, Missouri. 
From here until near Poplar Bluff it is an active competitor of the 
hardwoods over many of the hillsides. Near the town of Mar- 
quand, pine logging has been carried on for many years. Below 
Poplar Bluff the flora changes to one typical of drained swamp 
land and this continues as far as Little Rock, Arkansas. Although 
much of the region is given over to cotton farming, at one time it 
contained a magnificent stand of hardwoods. A remnant of such a 
forest can be seen in the Big Oak State Park at East Prairie, Mis- 
sourl, 

Somewhat south of Little Rock the swamp flora gives way 
suddenly— on. slightly higher ground—to that associated with 
pine, and here is one of the few places where pine and cypress 
grow within fifty feet of each other. It was also interesting to 
observe that the sweet gum (Liquidambar Styraciflua L.), so suc- 
cessfully used as a shade tree in St. Louis, could leave the swam) 
and become a competitor of the pine on the higher ground. The 
adaptability of the sweet gum, its vigor and aggressiveness, are 
really remarkable. The holly (Jlea opaca Ait.) can be found with 
the pine, usually in the wetter places. 

Two species of pine are found in the pine belt of Arkansas, the 
short-leaf and the loblolly (Pinus T’aeda L.), and there is some 
evidence that they hybridize. At least, there is a third pine, a very 
vigorous tree, rather difficult to identify, sometimes resembling 
short-leaf and sometimes loblolly pine. While scouting for seed 
it was observed that the short-leaf produced the greatest number 
of cones, loblolly far less, and the presumed hybrid almost none. 
Both species of pine are at “home” in this region; both are sut- 
ficiently aggressive to restock an abandoned field, yet they do not 
reforest a “burn” or a bare logging site until huckleberry has 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 99 


become established. The soil under a tangle of huckleberry (J’ac- 
cinium arboreum Marsh.) is usually very acid, and this may be 
an important requirement—aside from protection—for seedlings, 
or for the mycorrhiza always found with the pines. The probable 
role and importance of the mycorrhiza will be discussed later. 

Within the town limits of Malvern, Arkansas, seeds were col- 
lected from an old and well-established hedge of wild lemon 
(Poncirus trifoliata Raf.). After dodging the spines while photo- 
graphing the plant and collecting the seed, there was no doubt in 
our mind that a wild lemon hedge is a “cattle tight” fence. 

The Osage orange (Maclura pomifera Nutt.), as noted in the 
Buivietin of April, 1938, grows in pure stands only in the Red 
River Valley of East Texas. A tree of such general interest to 
the gardener and of such importance to the aboriginal tribes was 
well worth the day-long drive necessary to collect and photograph 
it. The largest stands are within Bowie and Red River counties 
and are rapidly being cut to make more land available for farm- 
ing. The mistletoe (Phoradendron flavescens Nutt.) attacks 
every hardwood within the vicinity, and the Osage orange 
tably free of enemies—is no exception. Normally this tree grows 


no- 


only in the black alluvial soil of the river valley, the red soils of the 
slopes supporting both species of pine and the Sabal Palmetto. 
From New Boston, Texas, southward. is a stretch of country 


very reminiscent of portions of Missouri, in that old fields and 


fence rows are dotted with groups of sassafras—an uncommon 
tree since leaving that state. Near Black Cypress Bayou, a pro- 
jection of the Louisiana lowland, some cypress and Spanish moss 
were seen. Beyond, the country is more rolling and pines again 
appear. 

Just outside the city limits of Nacogdoches, Texas, short-leaf 
pines were found growing to a height of 110 feet with trunks meas- 
uring 28 inches in diameter. On the banks of the Angelina River 
the overcup oak (Quercus lyrata Walt.) grew equally as tall and 
much larger in diameter. A specimen of this oak growing in the 
Garden has not exceeded 25 feet in 40 vears. The water oak 
(Quercus nigra L.) attains the same stature as the overcup oak 
in East Texas, but specimens in the Garden appear never to 
grow larger. While both species have proven entirely winter-hardy 
in St. Louis they fail to flourish as they do 600 miles farther south. 


100 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULILE’PIN 


The Big Thicket in East Texas is an immense tract which re- 
tains much of its primeval character. The town of Livingston is 
at the western edge and Woodville is the present eastern edge. 
While much logging has been done in the Big Thicket, time, the 
great aid of Nature, has healed many of the scars and one can 
travel for days in this pine forest covering 1,000,000 acres. The 
abrupt change from the usual farm land, after leaving Livingston, 
to the deep forest of the Big Thicket is breath-taking. ‘To measure 
and photograph a bull bay (Magnolia grandiflora L.) 79'y feet 
high and eight feet in circumference is to express better than 
words what has been lost through ill-advised land clearing which 
at best vields only another form of sub-marginal agriculture. 
Both the short-leaf and the loblolly pines reach their climax in 
this region. The growth rate is remarkable and the regeneration 
more than ample to maintain the species as the dominant tree. 
In the very sandy soils there is little competition from other 
species of forest trees. To anyone familiar with the beeches of the 
eastern states, those of the Big Thicket—festooned with Spanish 
moss—would seem quite bizarre. The sweet bay (Magnolia vir- 
giniana L..) is rather uncommon in parts of the region but is 
abundant near the Neeches River. However, cultivated specimens 
often surpass these wild plants in symmetry and profusion ot 
bloom. The youpon (Ilex vomitoria Ait.) is browsed by deer and 
‘rattle, and the continued cutting of the more succulent tips pro- 
duces a very symmetrical and sometimes formal shrub. The plants 
growing ina small “bay gall,” an acid bog or swale and part of the 
surface drainage system, should be of interest to many gardeners. 
The following list, including only mature plants, was made within 
a radius of fifty feet of a little bridge near Swab City, Texas: 


Azalea nudiflorum Pinus Taeda 

Hlex opaca Magnolia grandiflora 
Ilex vomitoria Magnolia virginiana 
Fagus grandifolia Persea borbonia 
Ostrya virginiana Quercus alba 
Vaccinium arboreun (Quercus nigra 
Cephalanthus oecidentalis Quercus rubra 


A program to preserve some of this area is the purpose of the 
East Texas Big Thicket Association. 'To its president, Mr. R. E. 
Jackson, are due many thanks for the opportunity of examining 
this tract. Thanks are also due Mr. J. R. Keig, Mr. L. J. Fischer. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 101 


and Mr. P. A. Winkler, for their many courtesies during a tour of 
several hundred miles through the Big Thicket. Fifty short-leaf 
pine seedlings, the gift of Mr. Balthis of Kirbyville, were potted 
and continued their growth during the summer of 1939. If they 
withstand the cold of this January they will be moved to Gray 
Summit for planting in the Pinetum. 

The pines are not found in the coastal plain of Louisiana. ‘They 
reappear north of Lake Pontchartrain, where the spruce pine 
(Pinus glabra) replaces the short-leaf pine. As one continues 
north into Mississippi the loess bluffs support magnolias, beech. 
holly, as well as various oaks and some loblolly pine, but the im- 
pressive pine forests of eastern Texas are not duplicated near 
the highway. 

Mycorrhiza was found on the roots of the pine seedlings ob- 
tained from Mr. Balthis, and it has been present in the potted 
plants ever since. Roots of pine examined in Arkansas and ‘Texas 
were infected, but the frozen soil and lateness of the season made 
the collection of infected roots in Missouri rather uncertain. The 
mycorrhiza of a tree root is a fungus which replaces the root tip 
with an absorbing organ much more capable of extracting food 
from an infertile soil. The success or failure of many tree plant- 
ings may be due in part to the absence of this fungus which enters 
into a symbiotic association with the tree roots. Hatch! has shown, 
through the use of soil free of mycorrhiza, that pine seedlings 
are incapable of absorbing mineral salts from infertile soils. 
Mitchell,? working with nursery stock, has confirmed this work. 
Trees may succeed on very fertile soils without the mycorrhiza, 
but they cannot grow on poor soils without it, and one might 
suspect that the mycorrhiza becomes increasingly important to 
trees planted farther and farther beyond their natural range. 


FW de 


MONARCH OF THE CACTUS HOUSE FALLS 
The much battle-searred veteran of the Cactus House is reduced 
to a mere skeleton of itself. For nearly twenty-five years, or ever 
since the present desert house was established, it reigned supreme 


*Hatch, A. B. Black Rock Forest Bull. 1937. 
* Mitchell, H. L. Black Rock Forest Paper. 1937. 


102 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


in the collection. By no means was it the tallest cactus but it was 
a behemoth in all other respects. Branching from near the base it 
had sent up huge, wide-spreading succulent arms, while the cen- 
tral trunk rose fifteen feet above the ground. It had come to the 
Garden in 1898, but beyond that no data is available. It was prob- 
ably nearly fifty years old. 

Greenhouse plants are much slower growers than those planted 
in the open ground, and under California and Texas skies this 
species would have required only about twenty years to reach a 
height of fifteen feet. Our plant would have been more massive 
were it not that numerous joints had to be cut off frequently in 
order to keep prospective initial carvers at a distance. This speci- 
men, as well as many others, suffered great abuses in 1931 and 
1932, so much so that it was decided to close the Cactus House un- 
til the wave of depredation had abated. Beside the perpetrations 
of initial carvers, umbrella pokers, souvenir hounds and reasonless 
visitors, our plant was also badly damaged by falling glass during 
the memorable hailstorm of May, 1927. 

On April 19, this once proud monarch collapsed in a heap—a 
victim of top-heaviness. Fortunately, only one plant growing in 
the immediate vicinity was damaged, a highly prized, five-foot 
Cephalocereus polylophus being decapitated by the falling mass. 
Outside of being reduced considerably in size, which of course is 
greatly lamented, the heavily branched “King of the Shaw’s Gar- 
den cacti’ escaped with negligible injuries. ‘Two or three long, 
many-armed stems were salvaged, almost intact, and these will be 
allowed to callus before being placed in sandy soil to encourage 
root growth. Although shorn of its former magnificence, this 
cactus still will command attention. 

Plants of this species have existed for a long time, usually 
parading as Cereus Jamacaru or under some other name. When 
Dr. Werdermann, of Berlin, visited the Huntington Botanic Gar- 
den in California a few years ago, he found a specimen which 
seemed to warrant a distinct name. After careful study, he decided 
that it should be known as Cereus grandicostatus, which literally 
means ‘the large-ribbed torch or candle cactus.”’ A description of 
this species, growing in the Garden collection, is given here as an 
aid to its identification: 


Generally it is an upright, very robust grower with extremely 


Mo. Bor. Garp. Butu., Vou. 28, 1940 


“THE MONARCH” (Cereus grandicostatus) 
1. As it looked in 1931. 2. After the fall. 3. Initial-scarred infected joint. 


104 MISSOURT BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


heavy limbs, the oldest stems averaging eight to ten inches in 
diameter. A very short trunk, less than twelve inches in length, 
is noticeable. The branches arise terminally, as well as laterally, 
and in great profusion. The young growth is of a striking bluish 
color, caused by a thin coating of wax which can be rubbed off very 
easily. This glaucous covering is characteristic of many cacti 
and is extremely typical of our plant. As the stems mature they 
lose their azure color and take on a greenish hue, finally becoming 
gray and scaly in old age. Gazing upon the drab epidermal coat of 
the trunk and oldest branches, it isn’t difficult to compare it with 
the thick, wrinkled hide of an elephant. 

The voung branches are deeply six-ribbed, but five and seven 
ribs are not uncommon. ‘The ribs are rounded at the ridge and 
three-eighths inch wide at that point, also more or less undulate, 
the large prominent areoles appearing in the scallops. The 
areoles are at least three-eighths inch in width and slightly less 
than one to two inches apart. These organs are filled with gray- 
brown felt and white cobwebby hairs and some reddish-brown 
spines of variable lengths, but all under five-sixteenths inch. On 
older stems, the web-like hairs disappear and the felt assumes a 
grey-white cast, until in the very old stems it appears as a densely 
packed, circular, slightly raised cushion. ‘The spines in these 
areoles usually fall off. only the knob-like bases persisting in a 
semi-lunar fashion in the lower portion, ‘The spines, averaging 
thirteen to sixteen for each areole, gradually change in color, be- 
coming nearly black with age, and occupying the lower two-thirds 
portion of the areole. L. C. 


IDENTIFICATION AND CONTROL OF COMMON 
PLANT PESTS 
PLANT PEST NO. 4—WHITE-FLIES 

Certain kinds of house plants are very susceptible to white-flies 
whereas others seem to be partly or completely immune to their 
depredations. The plants which they prefer most are fuchsia, lan- 
tana, ageratum, begonia, coleus, calendula, salvia, penstemon and 
geranium (especially the scented varieties). White-flies are tiny, 


pure white. harmless-looking parasites and are generally found on 


MISSOURI BO'TANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 105 


the under-sides of the leaves. The adults are very active and fly 
off in all directions when disturbed, thus making control by sprays, 
dips and washing rather doubtful at times. The insect increases 
by means of eggs which are deposited in large numbers on the 
under-sides of the leaves. These eggs are quite inconspicuous and 
resistant to insecticides. They hatch in about two weeks and the 
young gradually develop into adult flies which immediately start 
laving eggs for another generation. 

White-flies are sucking insects and injure plants by extracting 
the juices from the leaves and stems. Infested plants turn yellow, 
wilt, and finally die if these pests are not checked. The larvae 
and pupae excrete a sticky substance that accumulates dust and 


encourages the growth of a sooty fungus. 


A B 


A, adult white-fly (x15); B, White-flies and eggs on under-side of leaf (nat. size). 


The most effective control for white-flies is fumigation with 
cyanide, but this is an extremely lethal gas and should be used only 
by those who know and appreciate its deadly properties. The 
recommended dosage is one-fourth ounce to 1,000 cubic feet of 
space, the treatment to be repeated at two-week intervals until the 
infestation is cleaned up. Spraying the under-sides of the leaves 
with nicotine (one teaspoonful to a quart of water) and soap solu- 
tion helps matters somewhat, but it is not a sure cure. Washing 
the adult flies and eggs off the plants with soapy water is a simple 
method which is most successful when the temperature is cool 
(45-60° F.), because then the insects do not fly away as readily as 
they do when it is warm. Perhaps the best idea is to adopt pre- 
cautionary tactics and never bring plants into the house unless 


you are sure that they are free of all harmful insects. D.C. F. 


106 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


NOTES FROM THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 
ARBORETUM 


Under this heading it is planned to publish from time to time 
random observations of general interest which are too short or 
too trivial for separate treatment. 


NARCISSI DURING 1940,—As in previous vears the narcissi were 
in bloom for almost exactly two months, but the entire season was 
delayed a full two weeks so that they blossomed from the middle 
of March to the middle of May rather than from late February to 
the last of April. The height of the season came during the week 
of April 14 when nearly half of the collection was in full bloom. 
Many of the varieties provided an attractive display in spite of 
severe freezing weather with snow and sleet. “February Gold” 
came into flower the last week in March at the same time as the 
old-fashioned yellow trumpets. It is certainly one of the best if not 
the best daffodil for early-season display in Missouri. Many of 
the more expensive new varieties are not to be recommended for 
mass display in such a climate as ours. “Gallipoli” and “Myte- 
lene,” for instance, have flowers too large for their stems and are 
knocked down by the wind, particularly when they are weighted 
with snow or rain. Some, such as “King Alfred,” tend to “run 
out” when planted in the grass and left to themselves. Many of 
the newest and largest have such large flowers that they are un- 
sightly in the landscape after they have gone out of flower. In 
contrast to all of these, the old reliable variety “Emperor” has 
stems which remain erect through wind and rain and although so 
floriferous as to make a showy mass of soft yellow in the land- 
scape, the withering flowers are noticeable for only a day or two. 
It has the longest blooming season of any of the yellow trumpets 
at Gray Summit and was attractive this vear from the first of 
April until about the twentieth. 

Of the newer and more expensive varieties “Beersheba” con- 
tinued to give a very good account of itself. The disproportion- 
ately short stems, which are often considered a defect, are a posi- 
tive advantage in the Missouri climate and its large clear white 
flowers remained erect through two snowstorms and one heavy 
rain. The last of the collection to bloom was the old-fashioned 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 107 


variety ““Recurvus.”” Though old and cheap, this is one of the best 
varieties for mass planting. It differs from the other poet narcissi 
by the way in which its white perianth is curved or rolled back- 
wards and by the heavy substance of its flowers which conse- 
quently make a fine display in the landscape and continue in bloom 
in spite of hot sun and dry winds. 


DUCKS IN THE PINETUM.— Every spring sees a larger number of 
waterfowl using the artificial ponds in the Arboretum during mi- 
gration. The small reservoir in the Pinetum is deep enough so that 
it attracts a number of species which are seldom seen on such a 
small body of water. Ring-neck ducks arrived the last week in 
February and were seen more or less continuously until late in 
March. On March 17 over fifty individuals of this species were 
counted at one time, together with a few lesser scaup, a pair of 
mallards, four pintail, and a few coot. 


COLOR VARIETIES OF Mertensia virginica.—In addition to the 
change from pink to blue, which is seen in most inflorescences of 
Mertensia and which is variously affected by soil differences and 
by the temperature, there are several marked variations in color 
to be found in the Ozarks. Pure whites are rare but a number have 
been reported. These show no vestiges of either pink or blue in 
the buds or in the fully opened flowers. A much commoner vari- 
ation is frequent at Gray Summit and has been noted at other 
points near by. In this form the flowers are lavender rather than 
pink in the bud, and open to a soft gray-blue, rather than the bril- 
liant blue of the typical Mertensia. At times they have a rather 
washed-out look and after several sunny days they may fade to a 
gray-white. In a large planting of Mertensia they add variety 
to the color and though they are themselves less brilliant they 
make the other plants seem brighter by contrast. In a perennial 
border they might be used to give a particular effect since they 
make a most attractive combination with yellow tulips. Last 
spring several plants of this color-form were staked when in flower 
and were moved to a new location during the summer after their 
leaves had died down. They all blossomed well this spring and 
showed the same characteristics in their new location that they 
had in the old. BE, A. 


108 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
NOTES 


Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, broadcast 
over Station KWk, May 20, on “What to Plant in the Garden.” 


Mr. A. P. Beilmann, Arboriculturist to the Garden, has a paper 
on “Frost Cracks,” in the February number of Shade Tree (Vol. 
13, No. 2). 


Dr. George T. Moore, Director of the Garden, has been ap- 
pointed Honorary Counselor of the 1940 California Spring Gar- 
den Show, Berkeley, Calif. 


Dr. Harry J. Fuller, assistant professor of botany, University 
of Illinois, Urbana, brought his class in economic botany to visit 
the Garden on May 10. 


Dr. Edgar Anderson, Geneticist to the Garden, acted as judge 
at the annual flower show of the Associated Garden Clubs of Kirk- 
wood, on May 16. 


The April number of the Cactus and Succulent Journal (12: 
66-70, 1940) contains an article by Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in 
Charge of Succulents at the Garden, entitled “Beyond the Beaten 
Path.” 


Dr. William B. Drew, Assistant Professor of Botany, and Dr. 
Louis C. Wheeler, Instructor in Botany, University of Missouri, 
brought a group of twenty students, May 18, to study the outdoor 


plantings in the Garden greenhouse collections. 


Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in Charge of Succulents at the Garden, 
gave an illustrated lecture, “Camera Clicks in Old Mexico.” be- 
fore the St. Louis Camera Club, May 15, and before the Holy 
Name Society of St. Boniface Church, May 16. 


Dr. Hugh C. Cutler has been appointed research fellow in the 
Henry Shaw School of Botany and is collaborating with Dr. 
Anderson in a monographie study of T'ripsacum. During the com- 
ing summer he will be botanist on the Norman Nevills expedition 
down the Green and Colorado Rivers. 


The April number of the ANNALS oF THE Missourt BoTraNICAL 
Garven (Vol. 27, no. 2) contains two papers by Dr. Mary Maxine 
Larisey, formerly Instructor in the Henry Shaw School of Bot- 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 109 


any: “Monograph of the Genus Baptisia,” and “A Revision of the 
North American Species of the Genus Thermopsis.”’ 


Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, gave a 
talk before the Belleville Woman's Club, April 29, on “Henry 
Shaw and His Garden”; and before the Scottish Rite Club, May 1, 
on “The Romance of Plant Life.” On May 2 he presented films 
showing “Tour Seasons in the Missouri Botanical Garden,” before 
the Floriculture Club of the University of Ilinois, Urbana. 


The following, from the Garden or the Shaw School of Botany, 
were recently elected to the Society of Sigma Xi at Washington 
University: full members—Dr. David H. Fairburn, Horticultur- 
ist to the Garden; Mr. Ralph E. Rawlings, Assistant in the Shaw 
School of Botany, Elizabeth Jeanette Heuser, Assistant in the 
Shaw School of Botany, and Robert W. Schery, graduate ap- 


prentice at the Garden. 


Recent visitors to the Garden include: Dr. Henry A. Moe, Sec- 
retary John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, New York; Dr. 
Julian A, Steyermark, Assistant Curator of the Herbarium, Field 
Museum of Natural History, Chicago; Dr. S. J. Record, Dean of 
the Yale School of Forestry, New Haven, Conn.; Miss Bernice 
Schubert, Technical Assistant, Gray Herbarium of Harvard Uni- 
versity, Cambridge, Mass. 

The May Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club contains a 
symposium on “The Concept of the Genus,” the second part (67: 
363-369) being a discussion by Dr. Edgar Anderson, Geneticist 
to the Garden, on “A Survey of Modern Opinion’; and the third 
part (67: 371-374) by Dr. J. M. Greenman, Taxonomist to the 
Garden, on “Genera from the Standpoint of Morphology.” 


STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR APRIL, 1940 


GARDEN ATTENDANCE: 

Total number of visitors......0. 0.0.0... 0.00. ccc eee eee eee 20,661 
PLANT ACCESSIONS: 

Total number of plants and seed packets received as gifts.... 1,683 
liprary ACCESSIONS: 

Total number of books and pamphlets bought................ 32 

Total number of books and pamphlets donated. ............. 182 


110 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Herpartum Accerssions: 
By Purchase— 
Cooke, William Bridge—*Mycobiota of North America”..... 
Edwards, Mary ‘Taylor—Plants of Mexico............ 50.555 


Field Museum of Natural History—Photographs of type 


specimens of NKrameria, Bumelia, and Bignoniaceae....... 
By Gift— 
Clark, Robert—Plants of Illinois.........0.........00 20005. 
Clark, Robert—Plants of horticulture........0.000.000 00446: 
Cutler, Hugh C.—Plants of Oklahoma...........0...0.50065 
Epling, Carl C.—HIllustrations of Salvia. ........... 
Greenman, J. M.—Plants of Illinois...................40.5. 
Hubricht, Leslie—Plants of Illinois..................0.205- 
James, Leslie—Plants of Alabama..........00..00..2055 : 
Lodewyks, Maude C.—FMorestiera acuminata Poir, from Ilinois 
Seibert, Russell J.—Plants of Florida...................44. 
Seibert, Russell J—Plants of horticulture............ 
Smith, A. C.—Plants of Bolivia.............. ae Sasa ete 
U. S. National Herbarium—Plants of Colombia........ 
By Exchange— 
Field Museum of Natural History—Photographs of type 


specimens of Asclepiadaceae............-.-.0seseeeeeeee 

University of Kentucky by F. ‘T. McFarland—Plants of Ken- 

tUCKY 4.26. sie cet we abetages Sauk aren susaa Oud teen ails WIEG IE Gis ase goto 
OLA Gs cu.snhan sa asgip hte a bed-bs tau ates 


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STAFF 
_OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE GARDEN, 2315 TOWER GROVE AVENUE, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 
Grorae T. Moors, 


Director 
. HERMANN VON SCHRENK, Ep@ar ANDERSON, 
Pathologist Geneticist 
Rosert E. Woopson, JR., 
Jesse M. GREENMAN, Assistant Curator of 
Curator of Herbarium Herbarium 
Neti C. Horner, 
Carrot W. Donar, Librarian and Editor of 
Mycologist Publications 
Grorce H. Prine, 
Superintendent 
JoHN Noyss, Paut A. Kounn, 
Consulting Landscape Architect Floriculturist 
WitiiaM F. Lanean;, Aveust P. BrrnMANN, 
Chief Engineer Arboriculturist 
JOSEPH LANGEN, Davin C. Farreurn, 
Assistant Engineer Horticulturist 
ALBERT PEARSON, JosEPH CUTAK, 
Painter In charge of Exotics 


LapIsLaus CurakK, 
In charge of Succulents 


THE ARBORETUM, GRAY SUMMIT, MISSOURI 


Lars P. JENSEN, 
; ‘ Manager 
Roy E. Kissrck, Davip Minurr, 
Engineer — : Orchid Grower 


REPRESENTATIVE IN THE TROPICS 


Pau H. Auten, 
Balboa, Canal Zone 


REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE 


Gurney Wixson, F. L. §., 
Hove, Sussex, England 


NOTICE 


ATTENTION is called to the recently issued “Spring 
Flora of Missouri” by J. A. Steyermark. About 
fourteen hundred plants blooming in Missouri 
and adjoining states are described and most of 
them illustrated. Designed primarily for nature- 
lovers, scouts, amateur botanists, etc.., emphasis is 
placed on the common-name; also, an attempt is 
made to write the descriptions in simple untechni- 
cal language so that, with the help of the keys 
and the illustrations, identification of spring- 
blooming flowers should not be difficult. The book 
_is cloth-bound and comprises 590 pages, 163 
plates, and 444 line drawings. For sale by the 
Missouri Botanical Garden. Price $3.00. 


Missouri BOTANICAL 
GARDEN BULLETIN 


Vol.. XXVIII JUNE, 1940 No. 6 


CONTENTS 

; ‘Page 
The Bald ‘Cypress asa Shadé Tree > 2002) 2 os 01 
A New Pygmy Water-lily .. . ; 114 

Identification and :Control of Soinenpik Plant Pests. 
Plant Pest No. 5—Scale Insects... 9... >. AMT 
Colchicine to Aidthe Plant Breeder. . . 119 
Notes from the Missouri Botanical Garden Mc bocetien 120 
Notes. 7 4iy ot: MRCS vane ES Srey a Re eke ge Ne 92 
Statistical Tnigtmatisn x dee aS SI Sa ee GP tA Os BPR <5 


Office of Publication: 1201-5 Bluff Street, Fulton, Mo. 

Editorial Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue, 
St. Louis, Mo. 

Published monthly except in July ‘ahd August by ‘the Board of Trustees 
of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 

Entered as second-class matter February 23, 1937, at the’ post-office at 
Fulton, Mo., under the Act of March 3, 1879, 


SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: ONE. DOLLAR A YEAR 


NS 


BOARD OF TRUSTEES | 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS WERE DESIGNATED IN MR, SHAW’S WILL 
AND THE BOARD SO CONSTITUTED, EXCLUSIVE OF THE 
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS, IS SELF-PERPETUATING 


\ 


President 
Grorce C. Hirrcucook 


/ Vice-President 
Dante K. Catnr 


Second Vice-President 
Tuomas 8. Marrirr 


L. Ray CARTER GrorGeE T. Moore ‘ 
Samuzn OC. Davis : Evanye PEertus 


Dupiry FRENCH te A. Wessel SHAPLEIGH 


Erman A. H. SHEPLEY 


EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS 


Grorce.R. THROOP, Wriir1am ScARLerr, . 
Chancellor of Washington Uni- Bishop of the Diocese of: Missouri 
versity 
Bernarp’ F. DirckMANN, A. H. Timmerman, 


Mayor of the City of St. Louis "President of The Academy of Sci- 
; .- enee of St. Louis 


Marx D. Eacueron 
President of the Board of Education of St. Lonia 


Secretary 
Geranp Unrict 


SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN 


The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr. 
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date to the death of Mr. Shaw, 
in 1889, the Garden was maintained under the personal direction of 
its founder, and while virtually a private garden it was, except at 
certain stated times, always open to the public. Although popularly 
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden 
was designated by Mr. Shaw as its official title and in his will and 
all of his writings he specifically referred to it as the “Missouri Bo- 
tanical Garden.” By a provision of Mr. Shaw’s will the Garden 
passed at his death into the hands of a Board of ‘Trustees. ‘The 
original members of the Board were designated in the will, and the 
Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members, is self- 
perpetuating. By a further provision of the will, the immediate di- 
rection of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by the 
Board of Trustees. The Garden receives no income from city or 
state, but is supported entirely from funds left by the founder. 

The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species 
of plants are growing. There is now in process of development a 
tract of land of over 1,600 acres outside the city limits which is to be 
devoted to (1) the propagation and growing of plants, trees, and 
shrubs, designed for showing either indoors or outside, at the city 
Garden, thus avoiding the existing difficulties of growing plants in 
the city atmosphere; (2) gradually establishing an arboretum as 
well as holding a certain area as a wild-flower reservation, with the 
idea that possibly at some future time this may become the new 
botanical garden. 

The Garden is open to the public every day in the year except 
New Year's Day and Christmas—week days from 8:00 a. m. until 
sunset; Sundays from 10:00 a. m. until sunset. The greenhouses are 
closed every day at 5:00 p.m. 

The main entrance to the Garden is located at Tower Grove Ave- 
nue and Flora Place, on the Sarah car line (No. 42). ‘Transfer south 


from all intersecting lines. 


“ll 


* 


— 

- 
te 42 > 
£2 

= 
- +. 


AVENUE OF 


1 


BALD CYPRESS, TOWER GROVE PARK, 
ST. LOUIS 


9 
GROUP OF BALD CYPRESS AT ALFRED AVENUE 
ENTRANCE OF THE GARDEN 


‘OI 


‘Log 


“T1ag auvy 


“IOA 


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OP6I ‘8 


aLVId 


9 
v 


Missourl Botanical 


Garden Bulletin 


Vol. XXVIII JUNE, 1940 No. 6 


THE BALD CYPRESS AS A SHADE TREE 


The bald cypress (T’axrodium distichum) was featured in the 
December, 1932, issue of the BULLETIN where it was called “The 
Most Interesting Tree in Missouri,’ and at other times it has 
been the subject of short articles. Some six years ago seed germi- 
nation and later growth tests were begun, and the information 
thus gathered seems worthy of attention. 


The bald cypress is one of only three conifers—and the only 
deciduous one—growing in Missouri. It is of a very ancient race 
of trees. Fragments found in the Far North and identified by 
paleobotanists indicate that it was once very common and of wide 
distribution. Some evidence indicates that it might have been 
the dominant tree some eons ago when the polar regions were much 
warmer. Seemingly the advancing cold and the glaciers gradually 
forced it farther and farther south. During these migrations the 
family became separated and developed what we recognize as three 
genera to-day: Sequoia (the redwoods) of the west coast, 
Glyptostrobus of the Chinese rice paddies, and Taxodium (the 
cypress) of the Mississippi Valley and the Gulf Coast. In its 
travels over half the western hemisphere the cypress has out- 
distanced and outlived most of its enemies. ‘To-day we find it rela- 
tively free of disease and not often attacked by insects. 

Aside from its botanical interest the bald cypress has played a 
very important part in the economics of the Mississippi Valley. As 
structural timber the wood is famous for resistance to decay when 
submerged, and the logging operations in the Delta country have 
furnished a livelihood for several generations. ‘To-day the land 


once occupied by forests of cypress has been drained and given 


(111) 


112 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


over to cotton farming, and only a few isolated stands in inacces- 
sible places remain to indicate the grandeur of this tree. 

Some of the finest specimens of bald cypress to be found any- 
where are growing in the Garden and in ‘Tower Grove Park, many 
of which were planted by Mr. Shaw. As an ornamental shade tree 
it has few equals. It is perhaps the most adaptable North Ameri- 
can tree. We find it growing to maturity in the deep well-drained 
soil within the city limits, and it does well in the shallower soils 
at Gray Summit. It grows in the dry arroyo near San Antonio, 
Texas, and the writer once saw a specimen within sight of the 
state capitol in Albany, New York. In short, it thrives and can 
attain maturity in any locality east of the Rockies where the rain- 
fall is about 30 inches, and as far north as the Great Lakes. A tree 
so well adapted to a wide variety of soils, so economical in its use 
of water, so resistant to disease and equally repugnant to insects 
should be more frequently planted as a shade tree. 

Usually the potentially “perfect” shade tree presents some 
peculiar propagation problem, otherwise it would be easily ob- 
tainable and not too expensive. In the case of the bald cypress— 
which is grown from seed—the chief difficulty seems to be in ob- 
taining seed, and secondly obtaining seed which germinates well 
and produces a vigorous plant. 

Since it was known that all cypress seed, especially those from 
the North, did not germinate well, some attempts were made in 
1934 to locate seed yielding a high percentage of plants with suf- 
ficient vigor to carry them through the critical first and second 
years. For this work seeds have been obtained from the follow- 
ing localities: Missouri: Florissant, St. Louis; Arkansas: Mari- 
anna, Marked Tree; dlabama: Livingston, Monroe County, Es- 
cambia County; North Carolina: Laurinburg, Columbus County; 
Louisiana: Lake Charles, Donner; Texas: Kerrville, Comfort, 
San Antonio, Waring; Florida: Barton, Palatka, Sebring, Olustee ; 
Mississippi: Hollandale; T'ennessee: Reelfoot Lake. 

When possible a thousand seeds were obtained for germinating 
each vear. They were collected in the fall and winter, and stored 
at room temperature in paper bags and boxes. In the spring they 
were sorted and counted and the obviously sterile and imperfect 
seeds discarded. Planting was done in temporary cold-frames— 
sometimes 50 feet long—to facilitate planting, counting, irriga- 


6? 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 113 


: | Number Number Per cent 

Source seeds planted germinated germinated 
Florissant, Mo. 160 5 3.1 
Marked Tree, Ark. 100 | 17 17 
Columbus Co., N. C. 400 37 9,2 
Columbus Co., N. C. 600 71 8.5 
Palatka, Fla. 1,000 24 2.4 
Barton, Fla. | 400 9 2.4 
Monroe Co., Ala. 1,000 12 Be 
Escambia Co., Ala. 800 | 15 5.6 
Covington Co., Ala. 1,000 50 5 
Donner, La. 4.00 48 12 
Lake Charles, La. 1,000 var Net 
Comfort, Tex. 1,000 58 5.8 
Center Point, Tex. 1,000 1 0.1 
Kerrville, Tex. | 717 6 0.8 


Polk Co., Fla. | 300 


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bo 


tion and weeding. Small cypress must be protected from the 
midday sun by lath shades. 

Transplanting cypress is difficult because even small seedlings 
have a tap-root considerably longer than the top is high. There- 
fore every nursery procedure should be directed toward produc- 
ing a fibrous root system. Cypress which have stood in the nurs- 
ery row for several years have a root system reaching downward 
as far as rock, hard pan or the water table, and become very dif- 
ficult to transplant. Annual transplanting of nursery stock is 
essential, and even then many secondary roots will be found 
growing straight down. One can plant cypress as a shade tree 
with the assurance that its roots will effectively anchor it against 
any wind. No one has ever seen a cypress uprooted by wind or 
washed out and carried away by flood water. 

Of course germination of the seeds is but a small part of the 
problem. When planting a cypress one is much more concerned 
about the possibility of growing it to maturity. If there are physi- 
ological races of cypress, then it follows that there will also be 
some marked differences in the adaptability and growth rate of 
the seedlings. A hasty glance at a nursery row of such plants 
shows striking differences in habit as well as rate of growth. It 
may be said that the cypress seed collected from trees growing 
near their northern limits are inferior in most respects. Those 


114 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLE'TIN 


from Louisiana and Texas are superior in rate of growth and 
ability to stand transplanting. The Texas trees are the farthest 
west outpost of Taxodium and are separated from other cypress 
by several hundred miles of country not suited for ‘Taxodium. 
The West Texas types are distinct; they grow very rapidly, 
germinate well and are so resinous that rabbits, usually very 
fond of young cypress, leave them alone. Seed collected in Louisi- 
ana germinate well and produce a fast-growing very symmetrical 
plant entirely suitable for shade-tree use. There is some objection 
to northern seed; the germination percentage is rather low and 
becomes lower as one goes north, and usually the seedlings are 
more difficult to transplant. All types have proven hardy regard- 
less of their origin; those from San Antonio planted at Gray Sum- 
mit have not been injured by cold. 7, Ome aa > 


A NEW PYGMY WATER-LILY 
(Nymphaea colorata ) 


The seeds of this pygmy water-lily were received from Africa 
by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, and from there 
they were sent to the Garden by Mr. R. S. ‘Trickett, in March, 
1938. Immediately on arrival they were sown in the greenhouse 
propagating tanks, and the resulting four plants were planted 
later in the outside pools. When the first flowers opened in July 
the plant immediately suggested itself as a very charming sub- 
ject for small garden pools. ‘The color of the petals is an attrac- 
tive blue-violet. The stamens are originally purple, but on the 
second day the bases turn bright vellow which is enhanced by 
the normal reflexing of the outer whorls. The anthers, which are 
at first purple, turn decidedly reddish, with the tips blue. The 
sepals are white, flecked with light blue. 

When grown in the greenhouse the plants produce only single 
crowns, resulting in fewer and larger flowers. However, grown 
outside under more normal conditions, three or four crowns soon 
develop laterally from the original vertical tuber. During August, 
upwards of one hundred leaves measuring from four to six inches 
across will radiate from the center of the plant. When young, the 
under-sides of the leaves are purple, but with age they turn dark 


7 


PLATE 


28, 1940 


Mo. Bor. Garp. BULL., VOL. 


A NEW PYGMY WATER LILY (Nymphaea colorata) 


116 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


brown with green venation. The petioles also change in color, 
from light green to brownish-green. The number of flowers open 
at one time will vary from eight to ten, sometimes twelve, on a 
plant. 

Two new water-lilies were described in 1928 by A. Peter 
(“Wasserpflanzen und sumpfgewichse in Deutsch-Ostafrika,” in 
Ges. d. Wiss. z. Gottingen, math.-phys. Kl. Abhandl. n.f, 13°: 1— 
128), under the names Nymphaea colorata and N. polychroma. At 
first it was a question in which species to place the four plants 
raised at the Garden, and the following season thirty plants were 


erown as a check for variability. After careful study, the key dif 


Q0¢ 


SePAL PETALS STAMENS 


Nymphaea colorata (natural size). 


ference between the two species was found in the horizontal rhi- 
zomes of N. polychroma. Young plants flowering in the green- 
house answered to the description of N. colorata whereas those 
grown outside to either N. colorata or N. polychroma, The fol 
lowing description is from fully developed plants observed at the 
Garden, growing both in the greenhouse and in the outside pools 
during August. The color terms are according to Ridgway’s 
“Color Standards and Color Nomenclature.” 

Flowers 3—4 inches across, 8-10 opening at one time, bud 
ovoid, light green; sepals lanceolate-acuminate, 11 inches long, 
4, inch wide, light green suffused with blue towards the apex, 


8-10 nerves (5-6 in the greenhouse plants); petals 14-16 (10— 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 117 


12 in the greenhouse) in two rows, pale violet fading with age, 
light yellow at the base; stamens 90-95 (36-38 in the green- 
house), litho-purple, lighter towards the apex; appendages prim- 
rose-yellow, outermost row 1 inch long, innermost 1% inch long; 
carpels 18-20 (in the greenhouse 12-14) with primrose-yellow 
styles; stigmatic surface more or less flat; fruit subglobose, 1 
inch in diameter, containing many fertile seeds; mature leaves sub- 
orbicular-sagittate, irregularly undulate-sinuate, about 6 inches in 
diameter, lobes overlapping one-third from the center, above dark 
green, below purple turning greenish-brown (in the greenhouse 
the purple does not change); mature plants bearing 100 leaves 
radiating from community crowns; rootstock erect, branching 
laterally within four weeks after planting outside, and produc- 
ing nests of 8-12 small nut-like tubers in September, these soon 


drying up during winter storage. Cee s Oe oP 


IDENTIFICATION AND CONTROL OF COMMON 
PLANT PESTS 
PLANT PEST NO. 5—SCALE INSECTS 

Certain kinds of house plants such as ferns, palms, oleanders, 
ivies. rubber plants and orchids are subject to attack by various 
types of scale insects. Injury by scale progresses slowly com- 
pared to that by aphids, mealy bugs, red spiders and white-flies, 
but the results are usually serious. These insects suck the vital 
cell sap out of the leaves and stems, causing the host plant to turn 
yellow and lose its normal vigor. 

Seale insects, for the most part, are rather inconspicuous and 
may become well established before detected. They come in a 
number of different shapes, sizes and colors. Some are round 
and flat. others have a convex surface, and there are pear-shaped 
as well as hemispherical varieties. They range from the size of 
a pin point up to about that of a kernel of wheat. The colors are 
vellow, brown, red or greenish-black. The males are often white. 
Like turtles, the insects hide under a protective shell or scale 
where they can feed and multiply in comparative safety. The 
females do little moving around. The males have wings and are 


118 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


more active, but do not injure the plants as much as the females. 
Eggs or living young are produced under the mother scales. and 
the voungsters soon crawl away to establish themselves in new 
quarters. 

Seale on ferns should not be confused with spore cases on the 
under-sides of the leaves. ‘These cases contain spores which are on 
the order of seeds and used to propagate the ferns. They occur 
in definite patterns on the leaves whereas scale is scattered ir- 
regularly on the stems and leaves. 

Plants badly infested with scale generally are not worth saving. 


The pests may be hard to destroy and the plants too weak to re- 


Scale insects: A, on fern leaf (« 12); B, young stage (« 25); C, mature stage 
(x 8); D, old stage (* 5). 


cuperate. If only a few leaves are heavily infested, they can be 
cut off and burned. Syringing the plants with water under pres- 
sure Is sometimes effective. Ferns may be dipped in a pail con- 
taining 40 per cent nicotine sulphate (at the rate of one ounce to 
three gallons of water with three ounces of laundry soap added), 
or if too large to dip they can be sprayed with this same solution. 
In either case they should be rinsed with clear water about two 
hours afterward, Continue the treatment at weekly intervals 
until the pests disappear. Palms and oleanders may be sprayed 
with miscible oil or fish-oil soap, but do not use this with ferns 
or orchids in flower. Nicotine also discolors flowers. D. C.F. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 119 
COLCHICINE TO AID THE PLANT BREEDER 


The work of plant breeders up to date has been remarkable in 
the production of more useful and varied plants from the stocks 
available. As these stocks are limited and becoming widely ex- 
ploited by hybridizers, a new development is obviously needed 
if progress is to continue at its present rate. An introduction that 
promises fair to become an important aid to the plant breeder is 
the chemical, colchicine. 

This chemical, a complex narcotic similar to morphine and 
codeine. is found in the roots of Colchicum autumnale, the meadow- 
saffron. It is a very potent and very poisonous substance whose 
immediate effect on growing tissue is to produce stunting and dis- 
tortion. Until recently, colchicine has been used only in the medi- 
cal profession as a remedy for gout. 

In normal plants the cells pull apart when they divide. The 
effect of colchicine on the individual plant cells is to cause a 
doubling of the chromosomes by more or less drugging the mech- 
anism. Chromosomes are the minute units in any cell of an or- 
ganism that make it what it is, and each plant has a definite group 
of chromosomes different from that of other plants. By doubling 
the number of these units in each cell the plant is changed, but not 
radically, so that it still resembles its original self yet is usually 
improved. 

From the above discussion one can see that this chemical must 
be applied to growing tissue so that it may act upon cells which 
are in the process of dividing. Colchicine treatment may be given 
by spraying or injecting the plants with the solution or immersing 
them in it. 

In spraying the plants care must be taken to keep the solution 
from the soil. The resulting roughening or crumpling of the 
leaves is caused by the unequal growth of the cells under the new 
conditions. From the affected areas a new type of growth emerges 
if the treatment has not been too severe. This new growth is sim- 
ilar in appearance to that of the original plant, yet it should pro- 
duce rather different flowers and fruits. Applying the chemical in 
a lanolin paste is a neat and effective way of producing the same 
effect. 

Injecting growing plants with solutions is practiced with some 


120 MISSOURT BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


varieties but many plants do not react well to this treatment. 
Moreover, as injection is rather difficult this method is seldom 
used, 

Soaking seeds or young seedlings in colchicine solutions is the 
best method of producing doubled chromosomes, for when a seed 
is affected the resulting plant is completely of the new type of 
tissue; whereas, when a plant is sprayed, only certain portions of 
the plant are altered. The main difficulty is to obtain seeds with 
enough tissue affected so that a new type of stem will be produced, 
yet not so severely affected that the root fails to develop. 

Colchicine is a water-soluble chemical obtainable at most drug- 
gists or from chemical concerns; its solutions are unaffected by 
light or by standing and the same solution may be used repeatedly. 
Concentrations used may range from 0.01 to 0.8 per cent with 
those below 0.2 per cent giving more consistent results. Immer- 
sions may last from six hours to ten days, depending upon the 
plant treated. There has been too little work done to date with 
this chemical to give the optimum concentration and length of 
treatment for more than a very few plants. A little experimenting, 
however, soon indicates the optimum for the plant you happen to 
be working with. 

The ultimate effect of chromosome doubling is the production 
of larger, more vigorous plants bearing larger flowers and fruits 
but resembling those of the original untreated plants. The pro- 
duction of an increased size of flowers is the most useful end to 
be attained because most fruits thus produced are of an inferior 
grade. Other effects predicted by some breeders from the use 
of this chemical, but not yet attained, are the changing of annuals 
to perennials, increased disease resistance, and the production of 
hybrids between rather widely separated species of plants. 

STANLEY Berroney. 


NOTES FROM THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL 
GARDEN ARBORETUM 
ALTERNATE FLOWERING OF Echinacea pallida.—For six years 
the purple cone flowers on the glades in the wild-flower garden 
have flowered heavily every other year. In the odd-numbered 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 121 


years, 1935, 1937, and 1939, there have been so many blooms that 
they showed in the distance as a patch of rose-purple. In the 
even-numbered years, 1936, 1938, and 1940, flowers were so few 
that one had to hunt to find them and two or more were seldom 
found near together. It seems probable therefore that the purple 
cone flower, like many other plants (as, for instance, some vari- 
eties of apples), tends to flower heavily in alternate years. 


THE PURPLE ROCKET, Jodanthus pinnatifidus.—For a short time 
in late May and early June the purple rocket is one of the daintiest 
and loveliest of our native wild flowers. Growing in damp and 
shady spots in flood-plain woodlands it is seldom noticed even by 
people interested in wild flowers because it blooms after the Mer- 
tensias and other early spring flowers have gone to seed and the 
woods are dank and “‘mosquitoey.”” The flowers are a very pale 
rosy-purple, almost white, and are borne in long delicate racemes. 
If it proves easy to grow from seed it may perhaps make an at- 


tractive flower for shady perennial borders. E. A. 


NOTES 

Dr. David C. Fairburn, Horticulturist to the Garden, gave a 
talk before the St. Clair Garden Club, Belleville, Ill... June 4, on 
“Garden Soil.” 

Mr. A. B. Beilmann, Arboriculturist to the Garden, gave an il- 
lustrated talk, June 3, before the Building Officials Conference of 
America, on “The Tree as a Living Organism.” 

Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of succulents at the Garden, 
gave an illustrated lecture, “Camera Clicks in Old Mexico,” June 
21, before the Married Men’s Sodality of St. Anthony Church, 

Mr. Paul A. Kohl, Floriculturist to the Garden, showed two 
reels of colored motion pictures depicting “Spring and Summer 
in the Missouri Botanical Garden,” before the Neighborhood As- 
sociation, May 16. 

Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, gave the 
graduating address at the Lindenwood Public School, June 11. On 
June 13 he spoke to the Optimists Club of Granite City, IIl.. on 
“The Romance of Plant Life.” 


122 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Mr. Russell J. Seibert, graduate student at the Garden, spoke 
at a meeting of the North St. Louis Real Estate Salesmen’s As- 
sociation, June 5, on “Panama.” His talk was illustrated with 


natural-color slides. 


Mr. L. P. Jensen, Manager of the Garden Arboretum, gave a 
talk before the Bourbouse Council, Boy Scouts of America, at 
Union, Mo., April 16, on “Nature Study and the Sccut’; and 
before the Garden gardening classes, May 10, on “Recent Ac- 


tivities in the Development of the Arboretum.” 


The number of schools from a distance which come to the Gar- 
den is constantly increasing. During the month of May over 1,600 
pupils from schools or colleges in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and 
Oklahoma visited the Garden, the majority arriving in chartered 
buses. The largest representation was from Sedalia, Missouri, 


with 600 in the party. 


The seventh annual convention of the Missouri State Federa- 
tion of Garden Clubs was opened on the morning of May 23 at 
the Arboretum, with the Sullivan Garden Club as hostess. More 
than 300 ladies registered at the Gateway Lodge, after which they 
were conducted through the grounds, visiting the pinetum, one of 
the trails in the wild garden, and the orchid houses. In spite of the 
incomplete condition of the roads and bridges and much of the 
planting. a good idea of the future possibilities of the Arboretum 


was obtained. 


Recent visitors to the Garden library include: Prof. O. S. 
Aamodt, of the U. S. Dept. Agr., Washington, D. C.; Dr. Cath- 
arine Lieneman, assistant professor of botany, Wisconsin State 
Teachers College, River Falls; Mr. C. J. Gould, instructor in 
botany, lowa State College, Ames; Dr. Harold Morrison, of the 
bureau of entomology and plant quarantine, U. S. Dept. Agr., 
Washington, D. C.; the Hon. George D. Aiken, Governor of Ver- 
mont and an authority on horticultural subjects; Dr. Julian F. 
Smith, Associate Director Hooker Scientific Library, Central Col- 
lege, Favette, Mo.; Mr. H. A. Stevenson, of the U. S. Soil Con- 
servation Service, Elsberry, Mo.; Dr. George J. Goodman, assist- 


ant professor of botany, Iowa State College, Ames. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 123 


The following articles by members of the Garden staff and 
students have recently appeared in gardening or botanical publi- 
cations: “The Gladiolus in St. Louis Gardens.” in the June num- 
ber of Garden Life (13: 45-46), “Ridding the Garden of Moles,” 
reprinted from Garden BuLLETIN, in the June Garden Digest (12: 
53-54), by Dr. David C. Fairburn; “The White Pygmy Water- 
Lily.” by Mr. G. H. Pring, in the June Flower Grower (27: 27 ®)-3 
“Shading New Transplants with Brush,” by Dr. Edgar Anderson, 
in Real Gardening (3: 20-21.); “Suggestions to Clubs on Road- 
side Development,” in the March number of Garden Forum (2: 
11). by Mr. L. P. Jensen; “The Chromosome Complement of 
Bumelia lanuginosa,” by Mr. William L. Brown and Mr. Robert 
B. Clark, inthe April American Journal of Botany (27: 237-238). 


STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR MAY, 1940 


GARDEN ATTENDANCE: 
Total number of visitors......0..000.0.0..00 000 cece cee eee. 42,255 
Prianr AccrEssions: 
Total number of plants and seed packets received as gifts. ... 873 
Taiprary ACCESSIONS: 
Total number of books bought........................2222. 15 
Total number of books and pamphlets donated...... 
Herpartum Accrsstons: 
By Gift— 


Ammerman, Elizabeth—Plants of Texas.................... 60 
Anderson, E.—Plants of central United States........ er 2 
Andrews, Henry N. Jr., and George TI. Johnson—Plants of 

the southern United States.................cc.000000055, 173 
Bailey, L. H.—Astianthus viminalis (HBK.) Baill. from 

Mexico Ge, «phases Mena els ce a 4-8 hos ais dene ane 4 Goh eames: ake J 
Beilmann, A. P.—Plants of horticulture.................... 2 
Henson, Dorothy—Plants of Oklahoma................ 5 
Hubricht, Leslie—Plants of Illinois.................... 6 
Massey, A. B.—Plants of Virginia......................... 2 
Parks, H. B.—Plants of Texas .... 0.20. cecccccccuceucs. 8 
Peebles, R. H.—-Plants of Arizona.............. .......... 11 
Seibert, Russell J.—Plants of Florida and of horticulture... . 74 
Seibert, Russell J.— Photographs of types and authentic speci- 

mens of Bignoniaceae.. 2. 0..0..0 2.0.02. ce ee ee ee eee 37 
Stitt, L. I.—Plants of Arizona........ fe eases. case dee 6 
von Schrenk, Hermann—Plants of Texas... ................ 115 
von Schrenk, Hermann—Plants of horticultuce...... 2 


124 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


By Exchange— 
Bureau of Plant Industry—U. S. Department of Agricul- 


ture—Plants of western United States and Mexico........ 1,470 
Field Museum of Natural History—Photographs of type 
specimens of Marantaceae and Zingiberaceae............. 150 
Field Museum of Natural History—Plants of Costa Rica. 643 
Gray Herbarium, Harvard U niversity— Plants of North and 
South Carolina.... 2.00... ce cee ce cece tet t eee e eee 949 
State College of W “ashington—Plants of northwestern United 
States i+ ieee axe Se Wk. “asn- <a Gia Fane be a biegeae oye a7 oe 149 
By Field Work— 
Woodson. Robert E., Jr-—Plants of Panama, estimated at .. 3,500 


OER) sic. ws, Kane Gae, GeCE, “54 ee yag bee ak ee ee es 7375 


BLL AE Vt AE RET zgs AC Ga 


OF THE MISSOURI serk dovwimnsc GARDEN 


THE GARDEN, 2315 TOWER GROVE AVENUE, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 
Grorae T. Moore, ) 


HERMANN VON SCHRENK, 
Pathologist 


Jesse M. GREENMAN, 
Curator of Herbarium | 


Carrot. W. Dover, » 
Mycologist 


my, 


Epear ANDERSON, 
Geneticist 


Rosert E, Woonson, JR.y 


Assistant Curator of 
Herbarium 


Nett C. Horner, 


Librarian and Hditor of 
PUbheaone 


sian +i, Paya; 


Joun Novzs, 


Consulting Landscape Architect 


Winuram F. LANGAN, 
Chief Engineer ; 


JosEPH LANGEN, 
Assistant Engineer 


Apert PEARSON, 
Painter 


Superintendent 


Pav A. Kout, 
Floriculturist 


Aveust P. BrrumMann, 
Arboriculturist 


Davin C. FArrBurn, 
Horticulturist 


JosepH CurAK, 
In charge of Exotics 


Fiadeunace Curak, 
In charge of Succulents 


THE iene dacs ha GRAY SUMMIT, MISSOURI 


t 


Roy E. Kissrox, 


Engineer 


Lars P. JENSEN, 


Davip Mruer, | 


Orchid Grower 


REPRESENTATIVE IN THE TROPICS. 


Paut H. ALLEN, 
. Balboa; Canal Zone 


REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE. 


Gurney Witson, F. L. S., 
Hove, Sussex, England 


i} 


| ie 
oy 


NOTICE 


ATTENTION is called to the recently issued “Spring 


Flora of Missouri” by J. A. Steyermark. About 


~ fourteen hundred’ plants blooming in Missouri 


and adjoining states are described and. most of 


them illustrated. Designed primarily for nature- 


lovers, scouts, amateur botanists, etc., emphasis is 
placed on the common name; also, an attempt is 
made to write the descriptions in simple untechni- 
cal language so that, with the help of the keys 
and the illustrations, identification of .spring- 
blooming flowers should not be difficult. The book 
is cloth-bound and. comprises 590 pages, 163 
plates, and 444 line drawings. For sale by the 
Missouri Botanical Garden. Price $3.00. 


} 


Mussour! BOTANICAL 
GARDEN BULLETIN 


Vol. XXVIII | SEPTEMBER, 1940 No. 7 


CONTENTS 

LAWNS AND LAWN GRASSES.FOR ST. LOUIS 
: Page 
Introduction—The Lawn Grass Problem ... . . 125 
Grasses and Weeds of St. Louis Lawns . . ..' . +... 127 
. Lawn Behavior .-° .: Saree a 
~ Preliminary Results of Experimental Work... 146 
os A a ig Pee I gee rate hed, amc eeeee eC mms res oe 
Raking... a; Wc SOMA SE ON PbS eee OMS 
Blue Grass Improvement SR LR A ek OG at Oe RSS wl GEO 
Chemical, Weed Control is iO fae ay SS 
Recommendations for St. Louis ree ees ee, Sy LOO 
Average Lawng 3538 6 eee Bi ese he ie! dee 
Superior. Lawn ca Be Ais NE ora nie kw 


Office of Publication: 1201-5 Bluff Street, Fulton, Mo. 
Editorial Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue, 
St. Louis, Mo. 
* Published monthly except in July and Ta uaruiitt by the Board of Trustees 
of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 
Entered as .sécond-class matter February 23, 1937, at the post-office at 
Fulton, Mo,, under the Act of March 3,:1879. 


SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
SPECIAL NUMBER: TWENTY-FIVE CENTS 


4 a 


We BOARD OF TRUSTEES 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


| THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS WERE DESIGNATED IN MR, SHAW’S WILL 


“AND THE BOARD SO CONSTITUTED, EXCLUSIVE OF THE 
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS, IS SELF-PERPETUATING 


President 
GrorGE C. Hireucock 
Vice-President ff | RR <f 
Dante, K: Caturm | 


L. Ray CARTER GrorcEe T. Moore 
Samuen C. Davia : . Evaene Pertus 


Dupiry Frencn | A. Wessex, SHAPLEIGH 


Erwan A. H. SHEPLEY 


EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS 


Grorce R. THroor, WILLIAM Scartert, 
“ Chaincellor of Washington Uni- Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri 
versity 
Bernakp F, Dickmann, A. H. if idaho 
Mayor of the City of St. Louis President of The onder sy of Sci- 


ence of St. Louis 
Marx D. EAGLeton 
President of the Board of Education of St. Louis 


Secretary 
Grratp Uricr 


SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN 


The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr. 
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date to the death of Mr. Shaw, 
in 1889, the Garden was maintained under the personal direction of 
its founder, and while virtually a private garden it was, except at 
certain stated times, always open to the public, Although popularly 
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden 
was designated by Mr. Shaw as its official title and in his will and 
all of his writings he specifically referred to it as the “Missouri Bo- 
tanical Garden.” By a provision of Mr. Shaw’s will the Garden 
passed at his death into the hands of a Board of Trustees. The 
original members of the Board were designated in the will, and the 
Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members, is self- 
perpetuating. By a further provison of the will, the immediate di- 
rection of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by the 
Board of Trustees. The Garden receives no income from city or 
state, but is supported entirely from funds left by the founder. 

The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species 
of plants are growing. There is now in process of development a 
tract of land of over 1,600 acres outside the city limits which is to be 
devoted to (1) the propagation and growing of plants, trees, and 
shrubs, designed for showing either indoors or outside, at the city 
Garden, thus avoiding the existing difficulties of growing plants in 
the city atmosphere; (2) gradually establishing an arboretum as 
well as holding a certain area as a wild-flower reservation, with the 
idea that possibly at some future time this may become the new 
botanical garden. 

The Garden is open to the public every day in the year except 
New Year’s Day and Christmas—week days from 8:00 a, m. until 
sunset; Sundays from 10:00 a. m. until sunset. The greenhouses are 
closed every day at 5:00 p.m. 

The main entrance to the Garden is located at Tower Grove Ave- 
nue and Flora Place, on the Sarah car line (No. 42). Transfer south 


from all intersecting lines. 


Mo. Bor. Garp. Butu., Vou. 28, 1940 PLATE 8 


me 


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KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS, WIDE-LEAVED STRAIN, SHOWING THE 
VARIOUS PARTS OF THE PLANT 


Missourl Botanical 


Garden Bulletin 


Vol. XXVIII SEPTEMBER, 1940 No. 


“I 


LAWNS AND LAWN GRASSES FOR ST. LOUIS 
INTRODUCTION—THE LAWN GRASS PROBLEM 


Considering the fact that almost every St. Louisan grows a 
little grass, if he grows anything at all, it is surprising how little 
accurate information there is on the subject. Any local gardener 
who is interested in dahlias or irises or peonies can find excellent 
books about these plants and can fairly easily get in touch with 
people who make a specialty of them and know their particular 
needs in this difficult climate. But if a St. Louis gardener wants a 
good lawn there has been practically no one he could turn to. To 
supply this lack, the Missouri Botanical Garden began, three 
years ago, a comprehensive study of the lawn problem in this 
area. That study is being continued and will be continued until 
the problem is solved as nearly as possible. 

The following account is a summary of some of the more im- 
portant facts which have been found out in these three years. By 
themselves they will not enable all St. Louisans to have good 
lawns, but they will make it possible for any intelligent gardener 
to grow a better lawn than before or to grow a lawn with less 
effort. Take, for example, the matter of spring raking. It is 
recommended by the books and by many professional gardeners. 
But the books were written in the North and East, and many of 
the gardeners received their training in that area where blue 
grass, properly cared for, makes a lush heavy turf. It is true that, 
under such conditions, raking out the old grass in the early spring 
improves the lawn, or at least does it no harm. But in St. Louis 
the old dead grass, nine times out of ten, is not blue grass but 


(125) 


126 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


crab grass, a very different kind of plant which dies each fall with 
the first heavy frost and starts from seed late the following spring. 
Raking it out does not remove the seeds; it merely helps to plant 
them all the better. Worse than that, unless it is very carefully 
done, raking may dig out a good deal of blue grass. It would 
naturally seem, then, that in St. Louis the best thing for the aver- 
age gardener who is not actually rebuilding his lawn would be to 
leave the dead crab grass as a kind of natural mulch. For three 
years a small grass plot at the Missouri Botanical Garden has 
been raked every spring on the west side and left unraked on the 
east. At the beginning of the experiment the two halves of turf 
were essentially alike. Each year has seen the unraked half ap- 
pear just a little better until now the balance is distinctly in its 
favor. Experiments on a few lawns in South St. Louis have given 
similar results. It is our preliminary conclusion, therefore, that 
in metropolitan St. Louis, spring raking does no good to the lawn 
and may actually make it worse instead of better. 

One simple fact leads to the misinformation about lawns of 
which the above is a typical example and makes the study of lawns 
a special problem. Let us print it in capital letters for its im- 
portance cannot be over-emphasized: NEARLY ALL GRASSES 
LOOK ALIKE. The average successful lawn, which makes a 
carpet of green from early spring until late fall, is a mixture of 
different kinds of grasses and is as complex in its entirety as a per- 
ennial border. It is a battleground where competing grasses ad- 
vance and retreat and form new alliances to advance again. If 
blue grass were really blue and redtop were red, and if all our 
other grasses had each its distinctive color, we would under- 
stand how the make-up of a lawn changes from season to season 
and from year to year. We would see the crab grass advance with 
the onset of hot weather, watch the Kentucky blue grass spring 
into new life in the fall, and understand the role of annual blue 
grass in early spring. 

Anyone who has managed a_ perennial border successfully 
knows that it cannot be treated as a whole. The irises must be 
grown as irises, the peonies treated as peonies, and the Korean 
chrysanthemums given the proper care for Korean chrysanthe- 
mums. If they were all treated alike the perennial border would 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 127 


soon be a sorry mess. That is essentially what is wrong with St. 
Louis lawns. They are being considered merely as if they were 
just grass. Not until a considerable number of real gardeners in 
this area have learned to distinguish our main lawn grasses and 
have learned by experience how these very different lawn ma- 
terials react under various combinations of soils and changing 
seasons will we be able to manage our lawns as intelligently as 


we do the rest of our gardens. 
GRASSES AND WEEDS OF ST. LOUIS LAWNS 


As we have found to our sorrow, it is no easy matter to learn 
to distinguish the grasses growing in an average lawn. Books on 
the subject are of little or no help. Specialists on the identification 
of grasses have been too busy to go into details about the com- 
mon every-day appearance of ordinary lawn grass. Faced with 
the gigantic task of cataloguing the world’s grasses, they have 
contented themselves with precise keys and descriptions for 
grasses which have grown up and gone to seed. Consequently, if 
one wished to identify the materials in his lawn and to do it ac- 
curately he would, like us, have had to let selected bits of lawn go 
to seed in order to use the books on the subject. 

Having spent several years in learning just what grasses are 
growing in St. Louis anyway, we have tried to write descriptions 
of them as they grow in the lawn and to provide illustrations 
showing them in that condition. All lawn grasses tend to look 
very much alike, and no gardener is going to be able to identify 
them by reading our descriptions and looking at the accompany- 
ing diagrams. But if he will study them in his lawn throughout a 
season we believe that our discussion will enable him to under- 
stand, at the end of the season, what grasses are there and what 
they are doing. 

Brive Grasses.—Three blue grasses are commonly found in St. 
Louis: Kentucky blue grass, Canada blue grass, and annual blue 
grass; and from our preliminary trials it would seem that our 
native woods blue grass, Poa sylvestris (fig. 4), might also find a 
place here. All of these species tend to be a darkish green and 
to start into growth very early in the spring, commonly by the 
first week in March. Like most blue grasses, they have a distine- 


128 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLE'TIN 


tive leaf tip, which is often referred to as boat-shaped (fig. 1B). 
“Boat-shaped” is perhaps not the best word unless one is think- 
ing of the prow of a viking ship. If the prow of a boat had a 
shape like the tip of a blade of redtop it might float on a quiet 
mill pond but it would not cut through the waves effectively on 
a stormy sea. It is easy, however, to imagine a seaworthy boat 
shaped in front very much like the tip of a blue-grass leaf, which 


———e 


2 
_\"\n72 
A — \ 

Qi“ \ y 


Fig. 1. Kentucky blue grass, Poa pratensis. A, habit (* 12); 
B, leaf tip (* 2). 


would cut through the water without letting in the waves. The 
distinctive shape can sometimes be felt when the grass blade is 
pulled between the thumb and forefinger, even though it may be 
too small to distinguish with the naked eve; and with a little 
experience this is probably the easiest means of recognizing the 
blue grasses. The early spring growth and the boat-shape tip 
will distinguish the blue grasses as a whole, but to tell the various 
blue grasses apart we shall have to study other details. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 129 


KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS (Poa _ pratensis ).—If Kentucky blue 
grass were a well-behaved species and varied no more than do silver 
maples, for instance, it would be easy to write a precise descrip- 
tion of it. Unfortunately, it is one of the most variable species 
in our flora. When we first began to study the grasses in the 
lawns of St. Louis several of those which seemed distinct turned 
out to be just another variation of Poa pratensis, for it is an intri- 
‘ate complex of species, subspecies, races, varieties, and forms. 
In a lawn the variation in leaf width is the most conspicuous 
difference, and a gardener who sets out to study Kentucky blue 
grass should expect to find some strains of the species with the 
widest grass leaves in his lawn and others with the narrowest. 

Kentucky blue grass, by the way, is not really blue, and only 
at certain times of year and in certain situations does it even 
have a bluish cast to the foliage. The easiest way to recognize it 
in the field is by the bunched way in which it grows. If a small 
sample is pulled up from the lawn and gently teased apart into 
its smallest units it will be found that the leaves and stems do not 
arise singly. but are in tight little bunches, like vegetables which 
have been tied up for the market. In an old, well-established sod 
the withered remains of last vear’s leaves will be conspicuous at 
the base of each little bunch. Kentucky blue grass may also have 
long under-ground runners which creep out and give rise to new 
bunches of leaves and stems (note pl. 8). 

This growth habit is characteristic of Kentucky blue grass and 
‘an be used to diagnose the species at any time of the year. In 
general aspect, however, it goes through a series of changes with 
the season. It is the second of our grasses to begin growth in the 
spring. following closely after the annual blue grass, Poa annua. 
It first shows as richly dark green leaves among the dead remains 
of last year’s turf. While it looks something like annual blue grass 
at this stage, the leaves are darker green and harder and wirier. 
For the first week or so they stay close to the ground and do not 
build up rapidly into little mats as do those of the annual blue 
grass. As the season advances there is usually a sudden burst of 
activity, and the Kentucky blue grass shoots up to a height of six 
inches or more. In some years it seems as if it had appeared over 
night and a healthy blue grass lawn becomes almost a meadow in 


130 MISSOURT BO'TANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


the course of a few days. In early May it starts to flower, produc- 
ing a profusely branched tassel-like top, and at this stage is pop- 
ularly referred to as “June Grass.” If it is not mowed the tassel 
has a bluish or purplish cast which gives an interesting play of 
color to meadows, pastures, and roadsides. With the onset of 
real hot weather in late May or June, the grass appears to die 
down very quickly. It does not really die (if it is in good health) 
for it is one of those intelligent plants which have learned to lie 
dormant or semi-dormant through the scorching heat of a St. 
Louis summer. Unless the summer is unusually cool and moist, 
or unless the lawn is watered intelligently, it remains through- 
out the summer as a dry, wiry, bluish-green turf, the leaves more 
or less browned and singed-looking, until September brings cool 
nights again. Then it starts into growth, slowly if the autumn is 
a dry one, rapidly if there is moisture, and by the first heavy frost 
it is again a carpet of green, and remains so until the ground 


freezes. 


ANNUAL BLUE GRAss ( Poa annua ).—To one who knows Kentucky 
blue grass, Poa annua could be described as being much lower, 
much earlier and annual rather than perennial. It is the first grass 
in St. Louis to green up in the spring, in most years showing 
color by the first week in March. The plant begins as a chunky 
little rosette, with leaves much like those of Kentucky Blue grass, 
but shorter, lighter-colored, and much more succulent (fig. 2). In 
sunny lawns it is rather rare and will be found only along a walk, 
or next to buildings, but in shady situations it may carpet the 
ground solidly over several square yards. Long before the other 
blue grasses have even thought of flowering, its tiny, green tassels 
appear among the leaves and (unlike the other blue grasses) con- 
tinue to bloom even if the lawn is closely clipped. The plant is so 
low, however, that its flowering may pass unnoticed, for even when 
mature it is seldom over three or four inches high and in a lawn 
it is often much shorter. It reaches the height of its flowering sea- 
son in late April, and from then until the end of May it becomes 
progressively vellower and more dried-up until at the onset of 
hot weather it disappears completely. By this time its seeds have 
been sown, and they remain dormant through the summer and 


autumn and germinate during the winter. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 131 


CANADA BLUE Grass ( Poa compressa ).—Canada blue grass is the 
only one of the three blue grasses which is really blue. Compared 
to Kentucky blue grass it is a bluer green at all times of the year, 
somewhat smaller, much more slender, and more stemmy and less 
leafy (fig. 3). When pulled up out of the lawn or pasture it looks 


Fig. 2. Annual blue grass, Poa annua (x 32). 


much like Kentucky blue grass but has longer runners and the 
flowering stems arise singly rather than in little bunches. In the 
early spring its flattened stem is characteristic, though this is 
less noticeable as the season advances. At this time of year the 
stem and leaf bases are often shaded with dark red, and the com- 
bination of blue-green and dark red in the turf is one of the most 


132 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLE'TIN 


noticeable early spring differences between it and Kentucky blue 
grass. Canada blue grass flowers a little later than Kentucky 
blue grass and does not dry up so much during the hot weather. 
The flowering tassel is smaller and is proportionately narrower. 


Fig. 3. Canadian blue grass, Poa compressa. A, habit 
when just coming into flower (x 15); B, inflorescence much 


later (« 1). 
During the summer Canada blue grass makes a sparse ragged 
gray-blue-green turf, usually on poor dry soil in places where 
Kentucky blue grass will not succeed. 
CRAB GRASS OR WATER GRASS ( Digitaria spp.).—There are really 
two species of crab grass in St. Louis, Digitaria sanguinalis and 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 133 


D. Ischaemum, but since the differences between them are 
slight and highly technical they may be considered under a single 
heading. Crab grass is a summer annual, germinating late in the 
spring, growing rapidly during the hot weather, and dying with 
the first heavy frost. It first begins to show just before blue grass 
comes into flower, about the second week in May in the average 


Fig. 4. Woods grass, Poa sylvestris. A, habit (= 12); B, inflorescence (x 14). 
A native species that shows promise as a ground cover in dense shade. 
spring. At this time it has only one or two leaves and the lawn 
must be examined carefully to find it, but it is easily recognized 
even at this early stage. The leaves are broad for their length 
and are a much yellower green than those of blue grass or even 
redtop. With the beginning of hot weather it grows rapidly, 
branching at nearly every joint, as shown in figure 5. It does not, 
however, rise up straight but makes a mat-like growth, all the 


134 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLE'TIN 


Fig. 5. Crab grass, Digitaria sanguinalis (« 12). A, young plant; B, older 
plant; C, mature inflorescence; D, young inflorescence. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 135 


stems going back to one central root system. In midsummer it 
begins to flower and looks more unsightly. The flowering tassels 
stay down within the turf, if the lawn is mowed, and appear as 
darker bundles of wiry stems covered with tiny seeds. The tassel 
is branched, often in three parts, in a characteristic “crow-foot”’ 
pattern (fig. 5). In the late summer crab grass reddens slightly 
and with the first heavy frost most of it dies, showing up im- 
mediately in a mixed turf as patches of dirty brown. The lawn re- 
mains dead and withered-looking throughout the winter until it is 
covered with new grass the following spring. In the middle of a 


Fig. 6. Redtop, Agrostis alba (x 12). 


hot summer, when other grasses are not doing well, crab grass 
with its lush growth and pleasant vellow-green color is a fairly 
attractive lawn, though rather coarse. However, from the time of 
the first cold weather until late the following spring it is very 
unsightly and for this reason is not to be recommended. It is, in 
fact, the worst weed in St. Louis lawns, and the chief aim in 
managing a good lawn should be to encourage the desirable grasses 
without encouraging crab grass. 

reptoe (Agrostis alba).—A well-developed plant of redtop 
would never be confused with any of the other lawn grasses in 


136 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


St. Louis but recognizing it with certainty in the turf at all times 
of year is somewhat more difficult. Its outstanding characteristics 
are its wide leaf, with a spear-shaped tip, its vellow-green color, 
and its sprawly growth habit. It begins growth much later in the 
spring than blue grass and grows even more rapidly, soon mak- 
ing large spreading rosettes of lighter green in the blue-grass 
turf. The leaves do not rise up straight, like those of blue grass, 
but reach out at an angle, displaying their broad yellow-green 
blades conspicuously (fig. 6). Redtop grows quickly from seed 
and it is often used in St. Louis to give a “quick” effect, but if the 
grass succeeds it is a perennial and will be much coarser the second 
year. While it has its use in shady areas and on sourer soils it 
is too coarse and bunchy for the best turf. 

In grasses there is a sort of miniature circular gutter at the point 
where the leaf is wrapped around the stem, known technically as 
the ligule. Redtop has a distinctively long ligule as compared 
with blue grass, a fact which is often helpful in identifying small 
or closely clipped plants. It is closely related to the creeping 
bents, as can be seen when an entire plant is pulled up out of the 
turf. Like them, it has the ability to creep along the surface of 
the ground, occasionally rooting at the joints, though this habit 
is nowhere nearly so well developed as in the creeping bent 


grasses. 


Sporobolus vaginiforus.— Within the first month of our study 
of the lawn problem in St. Louis we found a small, fine-textured 
grass on dry sunny banks which we had great difficulty in identify- 
ing. Even the experts could not recognize it until it flowered. 
Although it is one of the commonest grasses in St. Louis it is not 
mentioned in any book on lawn grasses. Because of its delicate 
leaves and small wiry stems it is often mistaken for a fescue or 
even a bent grass. It is distinguished from both of these, however, 
by its upright growth, by being an annual, and by the tiny 
“whiskers” at the point where the leaf joins the stem (fig. 7). 

Though it should be listed with the weed grasses, Sporobolus 
is not unattractive. It makes a fine though wiry turf and is not 
aggressive, mainly limiting itself to those spots which are too hot, 
or too dry, or too sunny for other grasses to do well. As a matter 
of fact, if it would only begin growth in March instead of May it 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 137 


might be recommended and deliberately planted in many such 
situations in the St. Louis area. 


RYE GRASS (Lolium spp.).—Two species of rye grass are found 
in St. Louis lawns, Lolium perenne and L. multiflorum. Lolium 
perenne is perennial and L. multiforum annual, but other dif- 
ferences between the two are technical and for our purposes the 
following description will apply equally well to either. The rye 
grasses resemble Kentucky blue grass in that they occur in the 


Fig. 7. Sporobolus vaginiflorus (* 14). 


lawn in small bunches, but in other respects the two grasses are 
very different. By the following two characters they may be 
classified in the turf even when their flowers are absent. Their 
leaves are strikingly glossy when seen in the sunlight and _ the 
nodes (joints) of the stem are swollen so that they are almost one- 
third larger than the portions of the stem between the nodes (fig. 
8). The plants do not have underground runners; the leaves are 
spear-shaped at the tip (not boat-shaped); and the tassel is very 
narrow and. spike-like, with the individual spikelets pressed 


138 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLE'TIN 


Fig. 8. Perennial rye grass, Loliwm perenne. 
A, habit (x 2/5); B, joint (« 4/5). 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 139 


closely against two sides of the stem. The leaves contain large 
amounts of silica which makes cutting them with a lawn-mower 
difficult. Rye grass begins growth in the spring about the same 
time as redtop. When the weather becomes hot the leaves tend 
to curl up and turn somewhat brown. With cool weather the 
plants resume growth and by the latter part of September they 
again form a glossy, dark green turf. 

BERMUDA Grass (Cynodon Dactylon).—Bermuda grass is so 
very different from all other grasses found in St. Louis lawns that 
it should never be mistaken for anything else. The stems, instead 


Fig. 9. Shepherd’s purse, Capsella Bursa-pastoris (x 1). 


of growing up into the air, creep along the surface of the ground. 
If one of them is removed from the turf it is found to possess a 
Joint at about every 114 inches along its length, with smaller leafy 
stems sticking up at each joint. The leaves are dark green, nar- 
row, and usually not more than one inch in length. The stem 
arches between each joint, giving a definite scalloped effect when 
viewed as a whole. Roots are often found on the under-side of the 
joints. When in flower the tassel of Bermuda grass resembles that 
of a miniature crab grass. The plant is a perennial but it is of 
southern origin and sometimes freezes out in St. Louis during the 
winter. In summer months it forms a dark green turf, but with the 
first frost its leaves turn brown and remain so until late the fol- 


140 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


lowing spring, when it begins to green up just before the ap- 
pearance of crab grass, about the latter part of May. 


LAWN WEEDS.—Many kinds of plants other than grasses may be 
found in St. Louis lawns but only three, knotweed, chickweed, 
and shepherd’s purse, are small enough and occur with such 
frequency as to be considered a regular feature of the lawn. 
Since they are not grasses, they are casy to tell apart and their 
distinguishing characteristics are well shown in figs. 9, 10 and 
11. Chickweed and shepherd’s purse are more apt to be met with 
in the spring, particularly the early spring, while knotweed 
reaches a maximum in late summer. Knotweed flowers are in- 


Fig. 10. Knotweed, Polygonum avicu- Fig. 11. Chickweed, Stellaria 
lare (x 19). media (x 12). 


conspicuous but the weed can be recognized by the curious tissue- 
paper sheaths which occur at the joints of the stem. 


LAWN BEHAVIOR 


After one is able to distinguish the various grasses and weeds 
found in the average lawn the next most important step in suc- 
cessful turf management is a knowledge of the periodic behavior 
of the individual plants composing the sward. It is obvious that if 
we are to aid plants in their growth and development we must first 
familiarize ourselves with their natural inclinations. 

Grasses, like all groups of plants, follow very definite and pre- 
cise growth patterns and rhythms. These do not change within 
species but for two different kinds of grass they are always de- 
cidedly different. As an illustration let us take the common Ken- 
tucky blue grass, Poa pratensis, and consider it as being made up 


MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 141 


of culms (stems), leaves, rhizomes, roots, and inflorescences (see 
frontispiece). If such a plant is removed from the soil in early 
March and carefully examined it is found that the roots and 
rhizomes are developing very rapidly while the leaves are show- 
ing only slight growth and the flowering culms have not yet ap 
peared. If the same plant is examined the latter part of April one 


tinds leaf growth to be very rapid. The rhizomes will be develop 


100 


9. Bare 


8. Kentucky 
plue grass 


7. Redtop 


6. Clover 


5. Crab grass 


4. Annual 
blue grass 


3. Sporobolus 


Chickweed 


1. Knotweed 


0 T T T T T T 
Mar. Apr. May June July Auge Sept. Oct. 


Fig. 12. Showing seasonal changes among grasses of an average St. Louis 
lawn. Note percentage differences of the same grasses at different months 
during growing season. 


ing but their growth is not as vigorous as it was in early March. 
When the plant is studied in July or August most of its organs are 
found in a state of semi-dormancy. In September or October the 
plant revives and growth at this time simulates that which oc- 
curred in early spring. 

For a thorough understanding of lawn behavior and as a basis 
for lawn improvement it is necessary that we have this type of 
information on all the more important turf grasses and weeds. An 
attempt to obtain such at the Missouri Botanical Garden was first 


142 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


made in 1938. At that time a series of nine quadrats, each one 
yard square, was laid out in nine very different situations in the 
Garden. Beginning the first week in March these were mapped 
at weekly intervals until fall. At the end of the season the maps 
gave us a fairly good idea of what plants were in the quadrats 
(fig. 12) but the information most needed—what the various 
species were doing week by week throughout the season—was not 
available. Beginning in March, 1939, the growth of the various 
organs composing the more important turf plants was recorded 
week by week. For example, the rhizomes of blue grass were given 
a score of 0, 1, 2 or 3, according to their rapidity of develop- 
ment. The same was done for roots, leaves, stems, and inflores- 
cences, not only of blue grass but also of redtop, crab grass, Sporo- 
bolus, white clover, chickweed and knotweed. At the end of the 
growing season the data presented a rather definite and precise 
picture (fig. 13) of the behavior of the grasses and weeds. It 
should be remembered that this data can be applied only to 1939, 
Grasses do not always behave in the same way, year after year, 
and if the plants were scored another year the picture would un- 
doubtedly vary somewhat from that which we have presented. 

The 1939 data on grass development have been summarized pic- 
torially in figure 13. The horizontal lines represent stolon or 
rhizome growth, the rate of growth being indi ‘ated by the width 
of the line (a broken line indicates that growth was at a stand- 
still). The leaves of the plants are represented in the diagram as 
V’s. The absence of a V means that there was no noticeable leat 
development during that particular week. The vertical lines rep- 
resent stems, and the height of the lines show the relative rate of 
development. Flowering is represented by circles. 

As shown in figure 13, in March, 1939, Kentucky blue grass, 
annual blue grass, and chickweed are already showing rapid 
growth while redtop has just started to develop. Annual blue grass 
has begun to flower; neither crab grass nor Sporobolus has yet 
appeared; and white clover is still dormant except for some stolon 
activity. During the month of April leaves and rhizomes of 
blue grass continue to develop very rapidly. Chickweed is near- 
ing the height of its vegetative development and has already 
started to flower. Redtop also shows a marked vegetative in- 
crease while crab grass and Sporobolus are still not noticeable. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 143 


May finds the blue grasses flowering, and this is accompanied by 
a decrease in vegetative activity. At this time redtop is very 
conspicuous since its leaf growth rate is now at a maximum. 
Chickweed is still going strong and small crab grass seedlings 
are beginning to appear for the first time. In June the appearance 
of an average lawn changes very rapidly. One of the most con- 
spicuous features is the flowering stems of redtop, some of which 
always escape the mower. Light yellow patches begin to show up 
in the turf, a result of the dying annual blue grass. At this time 
crab grass springs forth with a sudden burst of activity and prac- 
tically dominates the lawn within the period of one month. If 
clover is present it will also show up since it is at the height of its 
flowering period. Sporobolus also makes its appearance during 
June but remains more or less inconspicuous during its first month 
of growth. With the approach of hot weather in July there are 
decided changes in the behavior of the turf. Blue grass now enters 
a period of semi-dormancy which is compensated by increased ac- 
tivity on the part of crab grass. The growth of redtop is also 
retarded but not to the same extent as that of blue grass. Sporo- 
bolus is at about the height of its development, and chickweed has 
practically disappeared. If moisure is present, clover will still 
show considerable activity; otherwise it becomes an inconspicuous 
feature of the lawn. From now until the middle of September only 
minor changes take place among the lawn constituents, but at the 
beginning of fall there is again a decided change in their behavior. 
As cool weather approaches the activity of crab grass and Sporo- 
bolus increases and with the first heavy frost they are killed, 
leaving large brown patches. However, surrounding the brown 
patches and springing up among the dead leaves will be noticed 
the new shoots of blue grass. These become very active as the 
weather becomes cooler and if present in considerable amounts 
they will produce a dark green turf well into the winter. Redtop 
also starts new growth in the fall but it is not so pronounced as 
is that of blue grass. Thus we see that the lawn as a whole under- 
goes a series of complicated changes in the course of one growing 
season, and whether or not we want to eliminate some elements, 
encourage others, or merely assist the lawn in its struggle, our suc- 
cess is dependent upon a knowledge of what is taking place 


throughout the season. 


144 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Figure 13 is an attempt to summarize in a single diagram what 
eight of our most important lawn grasses and lawn weeds are 
doing throughout the growing season. 

The facts on which the diagram is based were gathered during 
1939; every week of that year a record was made of the activity of 
rhizome, leaf, stem and flower for these species. They have been 
combined into a kind of picture of the development of each plant. 
In the case of white clover, redtop, and Kentucky blue grass, the 
lines across the page represent rhizome growth (the thicker the 
line the more active were the rhizomes, while a dotted line means 
little or no rhizome growth). The upright V’s represent the leaves 
(the higher the V, the more vigorous were the leaves). In the 
same way the upright lines show what the stems were doing, and 
the black circles the flowers. Small circles, of course, mean that 
the plants were flowering a little and the bigger circles mean more 
active flowering. 

The months are listed at the bottom of the figure, and all of 
the plants are diagrammed to the same scale of weeks. It is in- 
teresting to see how some of our common grasses and lawn weeds 
fit together into a lawn. Chickweed dies down just as crab grass is 
coming on; the summer pest taking the place of the spring pest, so 
to speak. Kentucky blue grass is seen to have its period of greatest 
activity just prior to the appearance of the crab grasses. ‘To 
those who are interested in why St. Louis lawns act the way they 
do, this figure is worthy of a good deal of study. From it one may 
learn the way in which the grasses and weeds of a lawn fit their 
activities together, like a jig-saw puzzle, the pieces of which are 
changing their shapes and sizes from day to day and week to week. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


ui! 


i | l T T T 
CHICKWEED 


“WWW 


SPOROBOLUS 


OtVrrenn 


WHITE CLOVER 


T 


lll ata 
aa 
a! i HH 


ANNUAL BLUE GRASS 


Wy sunlit LW 


CRAB GRASS 


KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS, NARROW-LEAVED STRAIN 


bf 
WiWWyy vy veeveuyys 


maR| APR | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUG | SEPT | ocT 
KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS, WIDE-LEAVED STRAIN 


" Vi 


Fig. 138. See explanation on opposite page. 


146 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTAL WORK 


Fertilizers—The types and amounts of fertilizers best suited 
for lawns in St. Louis will be discussed later on in the paper. How- 
ever, at this point some mention should be made of the preliminary 
results of the few fertilizer experiments now in progress at the 
Garden. The first of these concern ammonium sulphate. This 
fertilizer is extensively used and highly recommended as a source 
of nitrogen. It does contain approximately 20 per cent nitrogen 
and brings about very rapid results if applied to grasses in either 
spring or fall. New vigorous green growth can often be observed 
in a lawn ten days after it has received an application of am- 
monium sulphate. Obvious stimulation of growth continues for 
a month or six weeks, after which the fertilizer seems to become 
exhausted just as rapidly as it became available. It is known that 
continued use of ammonium sulphate may bring about an acid 
condition in the soil, but with this exception little information is 
available on the effect in succeeding years. 

In order to gain some information on ammonium sulphate a 
fertilizing experiment was started at the Garden three years ago. 
A plot of turf consisting of blue grass, redtop, crab grass, and 
some white clover was selected and divided in halves. ‘To one half 
of the plot ammonium sulphate was applied each spring (the first 
week in April) at the rate of 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square 
feet. The other half received, each spring, a light top dressing of 
peat moss. Three weeks after the first treatment the plot receiv- 
ing the ammonium sulphate exhibited a lush green growth of 
grass which appeared much more vigorous than that receiving only 
peat. After two months, however, the differences in growth be- 
came very slight and throughout the remainder of the season the 
two plots behaved in an almost identical manner. The early re- 
sults, following the second treatment, simulated very closely those 
of the first year. Vigorous growth followed the application of 
ammonium sulphate for about two months, after which differences 
began to be manifest in the turf. The blue grass in the plot re- 
ceiving only peat moss maintained active growth for a longer 
period during the summer than did that which had been treated 
with ammonium sulphate. Also more crab grass appeared in the 
plot treated with ammonium sulphate than in the one receiving 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 147 


only peat. These effects were still more pronounced following the 
third treatment until at the present time the ammonium-sulphate 
plot contains about 75 per cent crab grass while blue grass has 
increased considerably in the plot receiving no treatment other 
than a light annual top dressing of peat moss. On the basis of 
these results it would seem that ammonium sulphate, when used 
alone, has a somewhat harmful after-effect on blue grass turf. 
What the effect would be if it were used in combination with lime 
or with other fertilizers is not known. The experiment is still 
in progress and will be much more conclusive after several more 
vears. 

Further experiments, designed primarily to determine the prac- 
ticability of using sewage sludge as a source of nitrogen for lawns, 
have been running for two years. Sewage sludge is available at 
small costs and in relatively large amounts in the vicinity of St. 
Louis. It has been used considerably in growing greenhouse 
plants but its effect on lawn grasses is not yet known. ‘Two 
years ago an experiment, designed to show the comparative effects 
of sewage sludge, complete fertilizer, and lime, was started at the 
Garden. The complete fertilizer (analysis 10-5-3) and sludge 
were applied in September at the rate of 2 pounds of nitrogen 
per 1000 square feet. Lime was added at the rate of 20 pounds 
per 1000 square feet. After the first treatment the following ef- 
fects were observed: Differences in the behavior of the turf receiv- 
ing the two fertilizer treatments were slight, but the time at which 
these differences occurred was marked. The plots receiving 
sludge showed a decided increase in growth three weeks after 
treatment. This difference was noticeable for about one month, 
after which it disappeared entirely. The plots receiving complete 
fertilizer responded more slowly, and growth increases were not 
evident until about five weeks after treatment. However, the 
stimulating effects of the fertilizer were noticeable throughout the 
fall growing season and also showed up in the early growth the 
following spring. During the first year no differences were ob- 
served in the grasses of those plots receiving lime and those re- 
ceiving no treatment at all. 

Results of a second treatment were somewhat different from 
those of the first. Again the grass responded very quickly to the 


148 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


sludge, but this time the response continued to be apparent over 
a much longer period than that following the first application. In 
fact, the greatest growth increases were observed in the spring 
following treatment the previous fall, and these effects continued 
to be noticeable throughout most of the summer. Grasses in those 
plots receiving complete fertilizer behaved in the same manner 
as they did following the first application. An increase in the 
number of weeds in those plots treated with lime two years in suc- 
cession was significant, but no marked differences were observed 
in the behavior of the grass in these plots and those untreated. 
Although these experiments will have to be continued over a 
number of years before any definite conclusions can be drawn, our 
preliminary conclusions are that sewage sludge may have a place 
in St. Louis as a lawn fertilizer. The primary objection to it at 
present is the mechanical difficulty involved in handling. If used 
in the liquid state it is necessary to have a tank equipped with a 
centrifugal pump for transporting and distributing it. How- 
ever, if it does prove to be superior to commercial fertilizer (or 
even a good substitute), the differences in cost between it and 
commercial fertilizers would perhaps justify the expense of a 
tank. If a number of gardeners cooperated in such a project the 
individual cost would be slight. Another objection to its use is 
that the lawn is unsightly immediately following its application. 
If applied in the late fall, however, the sludge is conspicuous 
for only three weeks following its application, and by the fol- 
lowing spring it has disappeared from the surface entirely. 


Raking.—In our opinion raking is one of the more important 
and perhaps the most abused cultural practice applied to St. Louis 
lawns. 

If the above statement were based on mere opinion it would have 
little if any significance, but experiments in progress at the Gar- 
den during the past three vears indicate that spring raking is not 
beneficial and in some cases at least it actually harms the turf. In 
the spring of 1938 a plot of turf containing a mixture of blue grass 
and redtop, along with some crab grass, was chosen for a raking 
experiment. So far as one could judge from observation the turf 
was homogeneous throughout the plot. The plot was divided in 
half and each April one half was raked and the other left unraked. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 149 


At the end of the first year the unraked half appeared to be 
slightly better than the raked one in that it contained less crab 
grass and more of the desirable grass species. The differences 
between the two were not great but they were detectable. At the 
end of the second year they were more pronounced, and after a 
third treatment the unraked half of the plot appears to be de- 
cidedly superior to the raked half in that it contains less crab grass 
and more blue grass and redtop. 

The fact that many lawns contain a large amount of crab grass 
is perhaps the reason that spring raking is so common. After the 
crab grass turns brown gardeners generally lose little time in get- 
ting rid of it by vigorous raking. Perhaps some believe that by re- 
moving the dead grass the crab grass will be checked or eliminated. 
Others rake it with the hope that its removal will help the ap- 
pearances of the lawn. If it were possible to remove all the 
ripened seed along with the dead leaves and stems, no doubt 
raking would be justified since crab grass is an annual and re- 
turns each year from seed and not from the previous year’s plant. 
This, however, is not possible. Very few crab grass seeds are re- 
moved by raking—they are merely threshed and a good number 
are undoubtedly well planted by the raking process. 

Let us consider our turf as it would be if it were not raked. 
Assuming that some crab grass were present, after it has died in 
the fall a number of more or less unsightly brown patches result. 
However, it is not likely that these will be more unsightly than 
equally large patches of bare ground, and the presence of dead ma- 
terial on such spots can be taken advantage of in reseeding. If, in 
September or October, seed is sown among the patches of dead 
grass and then worked down onto the surface of the ground with 
the back of a rake it has the advantage of having over it a moisture- 
conserving mulch which will aid in germination and protection 
during the coming winter. By the time rapid growth starts the fol- 
lowing spring the dead crab grass plants will have almost dis- 
integrated and the soil will undoubtedly profit from the addition 
of the resulting organic matter even though it be in small amounts. 
It is our conclusion, therefore, that unless a lawn is to be rebuilt 
from scratch the annual removal of dead crab grass by raking has 
no beneficial effect and is perhaps even harmful. 


150 MISSOURLT BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Blue Grass Improvement.—In our opinion Kentucky blue grass 
is still the most important lawn grass in St. Louis. Though a 
European grass which has been in America only a few hundred 
years, it is nevertheless peculiarly adapted to our soils and cli- 
mates and the better pastures in the countryside near St. Louis 
will be found to have fine natural stands of it. A census of grasses 
in St. Louis lawns showed us that it was the most important non- 
weed grass in the city, even in areas where other grasses have been 
planted. A series of experiments has been undertaken to learn 
what fertilizers offer the most encouragement to Kentucky blue 
grass under city conditions and in what ways blue grass might 
be improved. 

The corn, tobacco, and various other crops grown by the early 
settlers in this country would hardly be recognized as such by 
present-day farmers. Blue grass, on the other hand, looks to-day 
just as it did hundreds of years ago. The reason for this is of 
course apparent. Most crop plants have been greatly improved 
while the lawn grasses, with few exceptions, have received no at- 
tention from the plant breeder. This does not mean that lawn 
grasses cannot be improved; it merely means that up until the 
present they have been neglected. 

When a careful study of blue grass was begun at the Missouri 
Botanical Garden it was almost immediately apparent that, as a 
whole, it is an amazingly variable species. It includes wide-leaved 
races and narrow-leaved ones, tall “hay” types, and spready “‘pas- 
ture” types. Any old pasture where blue grass has been growing 
for a number of years is a collection from which one can gather 
many different sorts of grass, but all of them blue grass. When 
one buys blue grass seed for his lawn, however, he does not ob- 
tain any such collection. The reason for this is obvious. The 
seed is raised on large farms, just as any other crop, and _ is 
stripped, then threshed, like wheat or oats. Ever since this has 
been going on there has been an unconscious selection of “hay”’ 
types, and the low-growing spready sorts have been eliminated. 
Yet the latter are the types of blue grass which would do the 
best as a lawn grass. We have, in other words, been selecting 
seed for sod where we should have been selecting sod for seed. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 151 


Fig. 14. Two promising selected strains of Kentucky blue grass: above, 
upright narrow-leaved strain; below, low-spreading wide-leaved strain. 


152 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


During the past three years a collection of blue grass plants has 
been made at the Garden from the old pastures and lawns in Mis- 
souri and neighboring states. These represent different strains. 
many of which have the advantage of having undergone long 
periods of natural selection under climatic conditions very similar 
to those under which we are attempting to grow lawns. Plants 
which showed promise as lawn grasses were selected from the col- 
lection, planted in turf plots, and treated in the same manner 
as lawns in general. Throughout the year they were frequently 
checked to determine their resistance or susceptibility to disease. 
heat, drought, and cold. Emphasis was also placed on their 
ability to propagate vegetatively, this being an important factor 
in the maintenance of a dense weed-free turf. 

At present two selected strains (fig. 14), both of which differ 
decidedly from ordinary “market” blue grass, show considerable 
promise. However, as they have been tested in the lawn for only 
one year few definite statements can be made concerning them. 
Nevertheless, they do seem superior to ordinary Kentucky blue 
grass in the following ways: (1) Increased vigor. (2) More 
rapid vegetative propagation through rhizome development. (3) 
Growth starts earlier in the spring. (4+) Greater resistance to high 
temperatures. (5) One of the two strains seems to maintain 
growth throughout the summer instead of assuming a semi- 
dormant state during July and August. The leaves of these new 
plants are considerably wider than those of ordinary blue grass. 
This may be considered as objectionable by some persons, but for 
lawns in general it would probably be expedient to sacrifice nar- 
row leaves for increased vigor. 

The propagation of desirable local strains of blue grass has also 
been in progress for three years. Seed of promising strains are 
selected each summer and harvested at the Garden Arboretum at 
Gray Summit. In the fall these are sown in plots along side com- 
mercial seed and the resulting crops compared. At present these 
plantings total approximately twenty acres and with few excep- 
tions the native strain has proved superior to that produced from 
commercial seed. 


The above discussion is intended to give the gardener some 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 153 


idea as to what is being done in the way of developing superior 
strains of lawn grass. It should be emphasized that before selected 
seed is available to the public, extensive tests and certification 
are necessary, all of which require considerable time. We feel. 
however, that before many years the St. Louis gardener will be 
able to purchase lawn-grass seed that has been selected and de- 
veloped for his particular needs, just as the farmer has now 
available corn varieties whose yields have been doubled during 
the past twenty-five years. 

Chemical weed control.—In 1939 two experiments were started 
at the Garden. The first of these was designed to test the effective- 
ness of sodium chlorate and ammonium sulphate in controlling 
chickweed. Test plots were laid out in a blue grass-redtop lawn 
which at that time was heavily infested with chickweed. Both 
chemicals were applied in solution the second week in March, the 
following concentrations being used: sodium chlorate 114, 2, 
14, 1, and 2 


and 3 oz. per gallon of water; ammonium sulphate 
lbs. per gallon of water. Ten days following the first treatment 
a second application was given the same plots, this time the 
concentrations being reduced to half the original amounts. Chick- 
weed was killed 100 per cent in those plots treated with sodium 
chlorate in concentrations of 3 oz. per gallon. At the same time, 
however, 50 per cent of the grasses were killed and those remain- 
ing were seriously damaged. ‘The 2-ounce treatment killed ap- 
proximately 70 per cent of the chickweed. Only a small per cent 
of the grasses were killed but their growth was seriously retarded 
for a period of six weeks. Concentration of 114 oz. eliminated 
35 to 50 per cent of the chickweed and the grasses became slightly 
brown for about ten days, after which they resumed normal 
growth. The results with ammonium sulphate were negative. 
Concentrations of one pound per gallon merely stimulated the 
growth of all vegetation in the plots. One and one-half pounds 
caused slight burning but none of the plants were killed. Two 
pounds killed a small percentage of the chickweed, but that which 
remained developed more rapidly after it had recovered from 
the first shock. The plan of another experiment started at the 


same time as this one is shown on the opposite page. 


154 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


8 


i; 


6 


10 


9 


~I 


0 


9 


6 


3 


OL, AL w 


0; 10 


9 


8 


6 


Sal 


Chart showing layout of plots for 


O—Sodium chlorate, 11 
1—Ammonium sulphate, 1 1b. per 


Ammonium sulphate, 


2— » Iron sulphate, 


Sand, 
3 


4—Arsenate of lead, 114 lbs. per gallon. 


hy OZ. 


per 


Tron sulphate, 4 0z. per gallon. 


gallon. 
gallon. 
3 parts. 
I part. 


20 parts. 


5—Sodium arsenate, 3 oz. per gallon. 


esi sulphate, 
6— 


Ammonium sulphate, 


| Sand, 


7—Sulphur, 14 lb. per 100 sq. ft. 
8—Complete fertilizer (12-6-4), 10 Ibs. per 100 sq. ft. 


9 


10—Control. 


Aluminum sulphate, 


3 parts. 
I part. 


20 parts. 


2 0z. per gallon. 


chemical weed control. 


In this layout ten chemicals were used, each being replicated 
five times. Unfortunately the experiment had to be discontinued 


at the end of one year, and as a result no definite conclusions can 
be drawn regarding the effectiveness of any of the materials used. 


However, some differences were observed between treatments. 


The application of complete fertilizer, ammonium sulphate, and 


ammonium sulphate and iron sulphate in combination resulted in 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 155 


an increased vigor in the turf grasses which tended to crowd out 
such weeds as knotweed and shepherd’s purse. Plantain and 
dandelions, however, profited from the fertilizer in the same man- 
ner as did the grasses. Some chickweed and shepherd’s purse were 
eliminated by the sodium chlorate and sodium arsenate treatments 
while plantain and dandelions were not affected except for slight 
retardation in growth. Both these treatments caused the grasses 
to brown slightly for a period of ten days, but they soon revived 
and resumed growth. 

Although the results of these experiments were for the most 
part negative, chemical weed control may still play some role in 
turf management. Within the past decade a great deal of advice 
has been offered the gardening public on the subject. Some of the 
recommendations that have appeared in the literature are sound 
and might well be taken advantage of; other are nothing more than 
advertising schemes. We feel, therefore, that the facts of modern 
chemical weed control should be made available to the amateur. 

The premise upon which chemical control is based limits con- 
siderably its extensive application. In other words, if chemicals 


are to be effective in the control of weeds they must be selective 


in their effect. No chemical is specific in its toxicity to plants—any 
one of them capable of killing crab grass is likewise capable of 
killing blue grass. However, under the best environmental con- 
ditions some plants, although injured, will survive chemical treat- 
ment while others will not. This may be due to differences in 
leaf area rather than to physiological factors, and it is such 
slight differences that make partial weed control by chemical 
means sometimes possible. On no account should one ever attempt 
to replace good cultural practices and hand weeding with the use 
of chemicals. Sometimes they may be applicable, but only as 
supplementary tools. 

Iron sulphate has been used effectively in controlling dandelions 
by what is known as “spot treatment.” By that is meant placing 
the chemical on each individual plant. If dandelions occur in great 
numbers this becomes an enormous task. However, if the plants 
are relatively few they can easily be eliminated by punching a hole 
with a sharp stick in the crown of each plant and then placing 
in the hole a teaspoon of iron sulphate. ‘This will kill not only 


156 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


the top of the plant but the root as well, and the chemical will 
not damage the surrounding grass. 

The elimination of weeds by means of other chemicals, without 
damaging the grass, isn’t nearly as simple a matter as is the 
above. However, arsenicals and sodium chlorate may partially 
control chickweed provided they are used in the correct concentra- 
tions and at the proper time of year. In this climate chickweed 
appears in February or March. If at this time it is treated with 
chemicals it can be partially checked without damaging the grass 
seriously, but under no circumstances should treatment be made 
during the summer. If arsenic acid or sodium arsenate is used 
the concentration should be 314 ounces per gallon of water. 
Sodium chlorate should be applied at the rate of 114 ounces per 
gallon of water. In all cases the solution should be applied with 
a pressure sprayer that delivers a fine mist. Approximately 5 gal- 
lons of spray will be necessary to cover 1000 square feet. After 
the first treatment one should wait about ten days and then give 
another application if needed, the concentration of which should 
be reduced one half. The arsenicals are of course deadly poisons, 
and sodium chlorate is highly inflammable after having once been 
in solution and must be handled with the utmost precaution. 

Crab grass seedlings appear at a time when it is impractical to 
use chemical means of control. If in the fall one wishes to kill all 
crab grass prior to rebuilding his lawn, this may be done with 
chemicals, and it is probable that treatment at this time may ren- 


der some crab grass seeds non-viable. 
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ST. LOUIS 


The term “lawn” is not taken to mean the same thing by all per- 
sons. Some consider it as that area in front or behind the house 
where the children play, or where the wash is hung to dry. Others 
think of the lawn as a thing of beauty, a green, well-kept carpet 
surrounding and intermingled with a properly landscaped garden. 
Obviously persons whose views differ so widely are not going to 
be interested in the same methods of upkeep or in the same types 
of lawns for that matter. As a result, it seems necessary to dis- 
tinguish between average and superior lawns and to suggest 
methods which are appropriate for the establishment and mainte- 
nance of each. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 157 
AVERAGE LAWNS 


Under this category we include that expanse of grass which 
ordinarily receives little treatment other than an occasional spring 
reseeding and the “daily sprinklings’” so common throughout 
metropolitan St. Louis. First, it should be said that nothing better 
than average lawns can result from such cultural treatments, but 
these can be slightly extended and modified to produce far better 
returns without an extensive outlay of either time or money. The 
time of year at which average lawns should be worked with is ex- 
tremely important and among home-owners this fact is almost uni- 
versally overlooked. Doing the right thing is fine but unless it is 
done at the right time it is only a waste of effort. Let us assume 
that we are in possession of an average lawn and are willing to 
make an effort toward improving it. The time to begin that work is 
not in the spring but in the fall, in September or October. If the 
lawn is average it will certainly contain crab grass along with some 
other weeds perhaps. The natural inclination is to rake off the 
dead crab grass and then sow on top of the bare ground the recom- 
mended seed mixtures. In the first place, the dead crab grass 
should not be raked off but allowed to remain on the ground and 
the grass seed sown through it. This acts as a natural mulch and 
a substitute for a cultivated seed-bed which is so necessary for 
germination of grass seed. The soil, at this time, will undoubtedly 
be benefited by the addition of some plant food. If it is applied a 
complete fertilizer of an analysis 10-5-3 or 12-6-4 should be 
used at the rate of 20-25 pounds per 1000 square feet. This will 
encourage the fall growth of desirable grasses at a time when 
they are not competing with crab grass and weeds. In order to 
work the seed and fertilizer into the turf the entire treated area 
should be raked lightly without removing the dead crab grass. 
The lawn should then be thoroughly watered and not until germi- 
nation is complete should the surface be allowed to become at all 
dry. This will require sprinkling at least twice daily. Again it 
should be emphasized that all this should be done in the fall of 
the year and not in the spring. 

A most important consideration is the kind of grass seed used 
for reseeding. Fortunately for the gardener most grass seed must 
by law meet with certain standards of purity and weight. That 


158 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLE'TIN 


does not mean, however, that all seed offered for sale will do well 
in any one particular lawn. Grasses, like other plants, have be- 
come adapted to certain rather specific conditions of soil, moisture. 
and temperature and unless those are present the plants will usu- 
ally not survive. Therefore, before buying grass seed it is neces- 
sary to consider the type of lawn upon which the seeds will be 
sown. Undoubtedly a none too fertile soil is one reason for having 
an average lawn, so it would hardly seem wise to purchase seed 
that thrives only on fertile soil and under the best cultural condi- 
tions. Actually only a few of the many available grass species will 
do well in our difficult climate, and unfortunately the “‘seed mix- 
tures” recommended by seedsmen often contain one or more species 
that have absolutely no chance of surviving. It is also these species 
that are largely responsible for the high cost of seed mixtures 
compounded for use under “special conditions.” For example, 
most mixtures prescribed for shade and semi-shade contain from 
20 to 50 per cent Poa trivialis. This grass makes a very desirable 
winter lawn but it will not survive St. Louis summers even in semi- 
shade. Poa trivialis seed is imported into this country and conse- 
quently its use in mixtures increases the price per lb. A number of 
species of fescue (fig. 15) are also often included in mixtures, re- 
sulting almost invariably in their increased cost. The fescues, 
although capable of forming a beautiful turf in the North and 
Northeast, are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to establish 
in St. Louis. To sow them here is merely to throw money away. 
It would seem therefore that it is the wise thing to avoid purchas- 
ing seed mixtures. If a mixture is desired, and it sometimes is, 
buy the various grasses separately and mix them to meet the spe- 
cific soil and climatic conditions under which they are to be used. 

In the average lawn a number of grasses which should never be 
used in superior lawns may be employed to advantage. ‘Two of 
these, rye grass and redtop, do fairly well under a rather wide 
range of soil and climatic conditions. Both germinate rapidly and 
neither requires the careful attention so necessary for the proper 
maintenance of other species. ‘These, along with Kentucky blue 
grass, should be used exclusively in reseeding average lawns. 
Whether these three grasses are used in combination or separately 
doesn’t make a great deal of difference since we are interested pri- 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 159 


marily in a green cover and not in a turf of quality. If they are 
used in combination a mixture of 50 per cent Kentucky blue grass, 
30 per cent redtop, and 20 per cent rye grass (by weight) is rec- 
ommended. It should be mentioned that rye grass and redtop, 


Fig. 15. Fescue, Festuca rubra. A, habit (« 12); B, 
cross-section of leaf (x 25). 


160 MISSOURI BO'TANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


whether used separately or in combination, will produce a “quick 
cover.” Blue grass, on the other hand, is more difficult to estab- 
lish, but will produce a more permanent turf once it is established. 
For reseeding an established turf 2 pounds of seed per 1000 square 
feet is sufficient. Generally speaking, this will amount to approxi- 
mately 4 pounds of seed for the average lawn. 

There are a number of other ways in which average lawns might 
be improved. For example, all lawns are mowed and for the most 
part rather regularly. Most gardeners, however, have always 
had a tendency to clip lawns as closely as the mower can be made 
to cut. This produces no serious results if done in early spring or 
late fall, but close clipping should always be avoided during mid- 
summer. ‘The average lawn-mower can be made to cut at a height 
of 2 or 214 inches merely by lowering the roller as far as it will go. 
Contrary to popular opinion, a lawn cut at this height will look 
just as well as one cut 34 of an inch, and a grass plant with a top 
growth of 2 inches has a much greater chance of surviving heat 
and drought than one with a top growth of 34 inch. Furthermore, 
grass maintained at a height of 2 or more inches is far more cap- 
able of competing successfully with weeds than that which is 
kept in a weakened condition by continued close clipping. 

Another, and in St. Louis a most important, problem facing the 
lawn owner is that of watering. There can be no doubt that during 
the average St. Louis summer lawns require some water in addi- 
tion to that supplied by rainfall. This fact, we believe, is appreci- 
ated by most St. Louisans but apparently the manner in which 
this water should be applied has been given little, if any, con- 
sideration. If, at about six o’clock on a summer evening, one chose 
to walk around a block in most any part of metropolitan St. Louis 
where lawns are to be found he would undoubtedly find at least 
75 per cent of the lawns receiving their daily sprinklings. The 
manner in which the water was being applied would vary little 
from house to house. It would be squirted on under full pressure 
through a nozzled hose. The person commanding the hose would, 
in many instances, be found at the height of a gossip session with 
the next-door neighbor, unmindful of the steam-rolling effect the 
well-meaning stream of water might be having on the few strag- 
gling grass plants that have just begun to recuperate from an 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 161 


identical beating received only 24 hours earlier. Lawns would 
be far better off without any water than to have it given in this 
fashion. Such applications never wet the ground to a depth of 
more than one inch and many times only the surface is dampened. 
Under this kind of treatment crab grass will thrive, since it is a 
shallow-rooted plant which utilizes only that water near the sur- 
face of the soil. The grasses one should be trying to encourage 
(blue grass, rye grass, etc.) are much deeper-rooted; neverthe- 
less, if water isn’t available at depths of six or eight inches but 
is available on the surface they will naturally send their roots there 
for it. Once near the surface they may get one drink before they 
are scorched by the hot sun—two or three days of scorching and 
they are done for. 

Undoubtedly most persons don’t think of this failure as a result 
of the daily dampenings. If they did they would certainly change 
their tactics, but if so, how? In the first place, water more 
thoroughly and less frequently. Soak the soil to a depth of at least 
six inches, eight will do no harm. There are a number of methods 
by which this may be done, all of which are based on the principle 
of applying water slowly over a long period of time. This may 
be done with a sprinkler, canvas hose, or merely by allowing the 
water to run slowly from the end of a hose. ‘The only disadvantage 
of the latter method is the length of time involved in covering a 
large area. If a sprinkler is used allow it to remain at one spot 
for about two hours. Then move it to an unsprinkled area for two 
hours, after which it should be returned to the original location 
for another two hours, and so on until the entire lawn is well 
soaked. This may require most of two days but once the soil is 
well soaked it will not, even in dry weather, need further watering 
for a week or ten days. There has always been a great deal of 
speculation, on the part of gardeners, as to the time of day one 
should or should not water grass. With the exception of bent grass. 
which will be discussed later, it is the authors’ opinion that the 
time of day is of little importance. It is true that under high tem- 
peratures evaporation will be high. This, however, does not indi- 
‘ate any injury to the lawn but merely a waste of water. 

As a summary we might briefly tabulate the several ways in 


which most average lawns could be improved: 


162 MISSOURI BO'TANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


1. Reseed in the fall (September or October) only. 

2. Avoid the use of expensive seed mixtures. 

3. Do not rake off dead crab grass. Scatter the seed through it. 

4. Apply fertilizer only in fall or early spring. 

5. Avoid light daily sprinklings during the summer months. 
Soak the soil. 

6. Increase height of cut to at least 244 inches during June, 
July and August. 


SUPERIOR LAWNS 


If superior lawns are to be superior they must receive treat- 
ment quite different from that given an average lawn. They do not 
just occur but must be built, and since the building must usually 
start at the very beginning we shall begin our discussion of it at 
that point. Let us assume that we are starting a lawn or that we are 
rebuilding it to replace a mediocre turf. The discussion which 
follows will apply equally well in either case. The first thing to 
consider is the grading. Since this is primarily a job for the land- 
scape gardener we merely mention here that the lawn should slope 
slightly away from the house in all directions, just enough to per- 
mit good drainage. If possible steep terraces should be avoided. 
Sometimes it is possible to begin building the lawn a year prior to 
the time the seed is to be sown, in which case the ideal thing is to 
sow the area that is to become a lawn in soy-beans. These are 
allowed to make a season’s growth and are then plowed under in 
late summer. If soy-beans have not been used the future lawn 
should, in August or early September, receive a dressing of at 
least two inches of well-rotted manure, after which it should be 
plowed or spaded to a depth of eight inches. After plowing, the 
ground should be thoroughly disked and then rolled or dragged. 
When this is completed the soil, if dry, should receive an occa- 
sional watering, but otherwise it should be allowed to lie idle until 
the second week of September or just prior to seeding time. 

About the middle of September any weeds that have appeared 
should be removed and the entire surface of the soil should be 
covered with a top dressing consisting of one part good top soil 
to one part peat, to a depth of two or three inches. Also 3 pounds 
of nitrogen, 1144 pounds of phosphorus, and a still smaller amount 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 163 


Fig. 16. Photograph of sod showing unsightly appearance of redtop among 
blue grass and white clover. Note the wide-leaved and sprawling habit of 
redtop as compared with surrounding blue grass. 


164 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLE'TIN 


of potash should be added per 1000 sq. ft. of soil area. Roughly 
this will amount to 20-30 pounds of complete fertilizer of an 
analysis of 10-5-3 or 12-6-4 per 1000 sq. ft. It is also wise to add 
to the soil some arsenate of lead as a means of protection against 
grubs and earthworms. This should be used at the rate of 15 
pounds per 1000 sq. ft., mixed with equal parts of sand. The soil is 
then ready for cultivation and the thoroughness with which this 
is done cannot be over-emphasized. A finely pulverized seed-bed is 
essential, and in order to do this correctly most of the work will 
have to be done by hand-raking at a time when the soil is in a good 
condition to be worked. All pieces of sod and stones near the 
surface should be removed and cultivation should be continued 
until a finely pulverized and perfectly smooth seed-bed is ob- 
tained. The soil should then be well watered, and after the surface 
has become dry it is ready for seeding, but we should first say 
something of the kinds of grass to be used in superior lawns. 

Only a very few of the several much talked-of lawn grasses 
have any place in the better lawns of St. Louis. For a permanent 
turf of superior quality redtop or rye grass should never be 
used. Redtop, recommended by many seedsmen and used far too 
often as a means of producing a “quick cover.’ soon becomes un 
sightly even in the most carefully tended lawn (fig. 16). For some 
unknown reason many gardeners think of redtop as an annual and 
consequently use it as a nurse crop. However, it is definitely 
perennial and becomes coarser and more vigorous each year, 
When sown in lawns it germinates very rapidly, usually within a 
week. The first season’s growth makes a rather desirable, fine- 
leaved, light green turf. Unfortunately, in the second season it be- 
comes a very different-looking plant with wide coarse leaves and 
long sprawling stems that are almost impossible to cut with a lawn- 
mower. Its light green color accentuates its shaggy appearance 
when grown in combination with blue grass. 

Rye grass also is too coarse to merit any place in a superior 
lawn and has still further drawbacks. Its wiry leaves and stems 
make cutting very difficult. In midsummer it has a tendency to 
curl up and turn brown no matter how much water is given it. 
While it may have a place in average lawns, particularly for re- 
seeding in the spring, it is not to be recommended for the superior 
lawn. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 165 


For several years Bermuda grass has been discussed as a pos- 
sible solution to the lawn-grass problem in St. Louis. Some 
gardeners use it consistently and seem to be satisfied with the re- 
sults obtained. Its chief advantage lies in its heat resistance, hot 
sun and prolonged temperatures of 90-100" having little, if any. 
harmful effect. However, it has many disadvantages. In the first 
place, it is a southern species, and despite the claims regarding its 
winter hardiness it will not survive low temperatures except in 
favorable locations. It turns brown with the first heavy frost. 
or about the time that crab grass loses its color, and does not green 
up early in the spring. In other words, a Bermuda grass lawn is 
brown from the first frost in the fall until late in the spring the 
following year. In this respect it behaves almost exactly like crab 
grass, and when used alone its only advantage over that species 
is that it has a finer leaf and a greener color. If one were a really 
skillful gardener it might be possible to reinforce Bermuda with 
other species and thereby produce a desirable turf. 

The use of Poa trivialis and the fescues was mentioned in the 
discussion of average lawns. No further comment need be made 
here except to say that P. trivialis may be used in dense shade but 
only in dense shade if it is expected to survive. 

The very nature of the several grasses discussed above pro- 
hibit their use in superior lawns in St. Louis, and only two 
grasses remain which are worthy of mention. These are Kentucky 
blue grass and the bent grasses. The only really superior lawns 
in St. Louis are made up of these grasses and they probably will 
continue to dominate the better lawns for some time to come. In 
a few instances satisfactory turf has resulted from the use of blue 
grass and bent in combination, but there seems to be no advantage 
in doing this and generally a better turf will be obtained by using 
pure blue grass or pure bent. 

Blue Grass Lawns.—Approximately 6 pounds of seed should 
be used per 1000 square feet of area. Before sowing, divide the 
seed into two equal parts and then mix each with an equal part of 
sand. This will increase the volume of the mixture and will re- 
sult in a more even distribution of seed. After the seed is divided 
broadcast one half of it in one direction only, being careful to get 
an even distribution. This should be followed by a rather vigorous 


166 MISSOURT BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


raking in two directions. The remaining half of the seed is then 
sown at right angles to the first seeding. The soil should then be 
raked lightly in one direction, after which the entire area should 
be firmly compacted by rolling. 

When the seed is in, the work is still far from complete, and it 
is at this point that a great many lawns fail. The soil should be 
watered as soon as the seed is sown and should never be allowed 
to become dry until an expanse of green entirely covers the bare 
ground. The manner in which the watering is done is extremely 
important. A very fine spray should be used with as little pressure 
as is possible; the surface of the soil should be moist but watering 
should never be so extensive that puddles will be formed. During 
warm weather this may mean that sprinkling will have to be done 
three or even four times daily, but the time spent will be well 
worth while. As soon as bare spots are noticeable they should be 
lightly raked and seeded. 

After the grass has reached a height of 214 or 3 inches it 
should be cut for the first time. The mower should be in a con- 
dition to cut cleanly and not pull the delicate plants from the 
ground. The clippings should be caught in a lawn-mower bag, or 
they should be raked off immediately after the mowing is com- 
pleted. The number of times the young grass is mowed during 
the fall will of course be determined by the season. It should not 
be allowed to reach a height of more than 21% or 3 inches and it 
should not go into the winter with more than 11% or 2 inches of 
top growth. The following spring the new grass should receive 
the same treatment as that recommended for the average lawn. 
It should be remembered that the grasses are still young and are 
not capable of competing with weeds as successfully as are older 
plants. Therefore as soon as any weeds appear they should be 
removed by hand. This may prove to be no small task during 
the first summer of the lawn’s development but it may save a 
potentially beautiful lawn which would be lost entirely if allowed 
to fight its own battles. 

It should also be remembered that in this climate a beautiful 
blue grass lawn has never been established in one year. Instead, 
it isa matter of building it up, little by little, year after vear, until 
this grass has reached a degree of vigor and density that will 
enable it to dominate its adversaries. This may be accomplished 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 167 


by starting the lawn properly and then following the cultural 
treatments as recommended for the improvement of average lawns, 
namely: use fertilizer only in fall and spring; during the summer 
months do not sprinkle but soak the soil to a depth of 6 inches 
when moisture is needed; maintain the turf at a height of 3 inches 
during June, July and August. 


Bent Grass Lawns.'—Various bent grasses, belonging to the 
genus Agrostis, are capable of producing more beautiful lawns 
than any other grass available in St. Louis at the present time. 
However, before deciding upon the establishment of a_bent- 
grass lawn, the gardener should consider these factors: Bent 
grass is expensive, including seed, stolons, and plugs. The plants 
are delicate and are not capable of withstanding adverse climatic 
conditions without careful nursing. To manage and care for a 
bent lawn of 3000 square feet or more will require practically all 
the time of one person. 

If one is to establish a lawn of bent grass the soil and seed- 
bed should be prepared according to the recommendations offered 
earlier under the heading “Superior Lawns,” p. 162. The type 
of bent grass to be used will determine the manner of establish- 
ing the lawn. There are on the market to-day a great many vari- 
eties of bent grass, for example, Astoria bent, black bent, brown 
bent, brown top, Colonial bent, Columbia bent, creeping bent, 
English bent, New Zealand bent, Metropolitan bent, Virginia 
bent, Washington bent, etc. For ordinary purposes all of these 
may be included in one of two categories. They are either Colonial 
bent (Agrostis tenuis or varieties of this species), or Washington 
bent (Agrostis palustris or its varieties). If a bent grass is avail- 
able as seed one may feel fairly sure that it belongs to the Colonial 
group; if it is available only in the form of plugs or stolons it is 
a Washington bent or one of its varieties. Although these two 
groups of bent grass are very much alike, they differ in some 
respects. Colonial bents are not as creeping as are the Washing- 
ton strains; they are somewhat deeper-rooted, and the leaves are 
wider and lighter green. The Washington strains produce long 
runners and are consequently known as creeping bents. The 
plants are very shallow-rooted; the leaves are soft and narrow 


1For a more detailed treatment of bent-grass lawns, see Mo. Bot. Gard, 
Bull. 16: 129-143. 1928, 


168 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


and of a characteristic dark green color. Since their leaves are 
narrow they produce a finer and more beautiful turf than do the 
Colonial strains. Since they are shallow-rooted they are not as 
heat-resistant as is Colonial bent and consequently they need 
more care. In selecting a bent grass, one should consider not 
only the difference in the quality of the turf but also the differ- 
ences in time required for the maintenance of each. 

If the turf is to be started from seed the same method as was 
suggested for seeding superior lawns should be followed, except 
that 3 pounds of bent grass seed per 1000 square feet is adequate. 
If seed is not used the lawn can be started either with plugs or 
sto!ons. No matter which method is followed the planting should 
be done in the fall, about the middle of September. Plugs are 
nothing more than pieces of turf that result from the separation 
of strips of sod, while stolons are runners that have been chopped 
up into short lengths. Stolons are sown just as one would sow 
seed. They are then pressed into the soil by rolling and covered 
with about 1 inch of good top soil, and the area again rolled. 
After the stolons are planted it is necessary to keep the top of the 
soil moist until a green cover appears. More time is required for 
plugging than for planting stolons but the first method has many 
advantages. Before plugging, the soil should be prepared just 
as it would be for seeding, after which small sprigs of turf (in- 


cluding some stolons) are, with the aid of a trowel, planted 6 


inches deep and 6 inches apart. The plugs need not be large- 
a piece of turf the size of two fingers is adequate. After plugging 
has been completed the soil should be watered and it should never 
be allowed to dry out during the first few months. The average 
gardener will often be somewhat discouraged with the growth of 
his bent-grass plugs during the fall and winter of the first season. 
They may even appear dead for quite some time after planting, but 
if they have been planted to a depth of 6 inches and well watered 
they will always survive. Growth begins early in the spring and 
from then on the plugs develop with unbelievable rapidity. By 
early summer the entire surface will be covered with a turf if it 
has been properly cared for. It is essential that the soil be kept 
perfectly weed-free until a turf is formed. This will require hand- 
weeding at least once and perhaps twice weekly, since the patches 


of bare ground between the plants are ideal for weed invasion. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 169 


After a dense turf has developed weed elimination becomes negli- 
gible. There are, nevertheless, other cultural practices that must 
be executed precisely if bent grass is to succeed, the more im- 


portant of which will be discussed briefly as follows: 


Watering.—Bent-grass lawns require more frequent water- 
ing than any other kind. The plants are shallow-rooted, and if the 
top soil is allowed to become dry they soon become withered and 
eventually die. During summer months watering may be neces- 
sary every day or at least every second day. Watering from an 
open hose is to be avoided; a sprinkler is very much better. The 
time of day at which bent grass should be watered is also impor- 
tant. A turf that is wet at night is much more susceptible to fungus 
diseases than a dry one. Therefore it is wise to water early in the 
day so that the surface of the turf will have dried off by evening. 


Top dressing.—The stolons (runners) of bent grass creep hori- 
zontally at or very near the surface of the soil. From these stolons 
new leaves and roots develop so that a mature sod is nothing more 
than a mass of roots, stolons, and leaves lying almost on top of 
the ground. The new stolons do not penetrate the soil as they 
develop, but for the most part creep on top of the existing mat. 
It is therefore essential that if they are to be protected from the 
sun’s rays they must frequently be covered with soil. Unless this 
is done they soon dry out and the lawn assumes a brown, withered 
appearance. A number of mixtures have been used as top dress- 
ing for bent grasses, but relatively weed-free top soil (if avail- 
able) is unexcelled for this purpose. The dressing should be ap- 
plied about four times during the year; in the spring the surface 
should be covered to a depth of about 14 inch; two lighter applica- 
tions of 14 inch should be added during the summer; and _ the 
heavy application repeated in the fall. The soil should be added 
just after the lawn has been mowed and it should always be worked 
well into the turf with a broom or fan-rake. If at any time during 
the season small spots show up in the turf which appear to need 
top dressing, they should be taken care of immediately. If soil 
is not available a mixture of three parts peat moss to one part 
sand may be used successfully. It should be emphasized that, 
more than any other one factor, frequent top dressings are re- 


sponsible for the outstanding beauty of good bent-grass lawns; 


170 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLE'TIN 


and in most instances the poor bent lawns are poor because of in- 
sufficient top dressing. 


Fertilizers —Aside from top dressings, bent grasses should 
receive an application of complete fertilizer semi-annually. A 
fertilizer with an approximate analysis of 10-5-3 should be ap- 
plied at the rate of 20 pounds per 1000 square feet during the lat- 
ter part of September and again in early March. While an analysis 
exactly as that given above is not necessary, it should have ap- 
proximately twice as much nitrogen as phosphorus and a lesser 
amount of potash. If the nitrogen content is greater or less than 
10 per cent the total amount of bulk applied should be adjusted 
so as to make available 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet. 


Diseases.—T wo fungus diseases are rather common in the bent 
grasses of the St. Louis area. These are commonly known as 
“brown patch” and ‘“‘dollar spot,” and both show up during the 
summer, particularly when the humidity is high. They first ap- 
pear as round, bluish-gray spots and after one or two days the 
grass becomes brown and dies. Unfortunately there are no means 
of preventing the occurrence of these diseases but they can be ef- 
fectively controlled through the use of arsenic-mercuric com- 
pounds. One which has proved satisfactory on several lawns is 
sold under the trade name of “Calo-Clor,” and directions for us- 


ing it are included with the container. 


Cutting.—Bent grass, unlike other lawn grasses, must be clipped 
rather short (114 to 134 inches) throughout its growing season. 
This may necessitate mowing once, twice, or even three times 
weekly, depending upon the growing conditions. Bent grasses will 
not survive being cut back after they have reached a height of 
three inches or more. Therefore, if one wants a grass that can 
be forgotten while he is on his vacation he should never consider 
the bents. 

Weeds.—The same weeds infest bent grass as other types of 
turf, and the only means of eliminating them is by hand. Chemical 
weed eradicators are disastrous to bent grass and should never 
be used. 

Wiriiam L. Brown, 
EpGar ANDERSON. 


(STAFF 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE GARDEN, 2315 TOWER GROVE AVENUE, ST, LOUIS, MISSOURI 
Grorce T. Moore, | 


f Director 

HERMANN VON SCHRENK, EpGar ANDERSON, 
Pathologist Geneticist 

y Rornert E. Woopson, Jr., 
ESSE M. GREENMAN, Assistant Curator of 
Curator of Herbarium ’ Herbarium 

| he | Newi C. Horner, 
_. Carrot. W..Dopar, ‘Librarian and Editor of 
Mycologist . . Publications 
Grorce H, Pring, - 
; Superintendent 
_Joun Noyres, | Pau. A. Kont,. 

Consulting Landscape Architect Floriculturist 

Winuiam F. Lancan, ' Avcust P. Brr~MAnn, 
Chief Engineer ? } Arboriculturist 

JoserH LANGEN; Davin C.’Farreurn, 
Assistant Engineer Horticulturist 

ALBERT PEARSON, | JosEPH CuTAK, 


Painter \4 In charge of Paar ni i 


bees Curak, 
In charge of Succulents 


_ THE ARBORETUM, GRAY SUMMIT, MISSOURI 
rL es : Lars P. Jensen, 
Manager 


Roy E. Kissecx, Davio MILER, 
Engineer . Orchid Grower 


REPRESENTATIVE IN THE TROPICS 


Pau H.’ Aven, 
Balboa, Canal Zone 


REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE 


Gurney Winson, F. L. S., 
Hove, Sussex, England 


Zi 


- NOTICE 


ATTENTION is called to the recently issued “Spring 


Flora of Missouri” by J. A. Steyermark. About 
fourteen hundred plants blooming in Missouri 
and adjoining states are described and most of 
them illustrated. ‘Designed primarily for nature- 
lovers, scouts, amateur botanists, etc., emphasis is 


: placed on the common name; also, an attempt is 


made to write the descriptions in simple untechni- 
cal language so that, with the help of the keys 
and ithe illustrations, identification of  spring- 
blooming flowers should not be difficult. .The book 
is dloth-bound and comprises 590) pages, 163 
plates, and 444 line drawings. For sale by the 

Missouri Botanical Garden. Price $3.00. 


x 
~ 


Missouri BoTANICAL 
GARDEN BULLETIN 


Vol. XXVIII OCTOBER, 1940 No. 8 


CONTENTS 


Page 
gt AAR Re ne EORTC Meanie SMa r Ome WTA fF | 


Two, Ozark Wild Flowers for the Fall Garden . . 180 
Beware the Drought. <3). 0 Fe ee 184 
1g GSPN oe METAS SSO Sule: NS ARO Va MD PR URE (OO A 
Ptatiatical Intormatian 2555 Se isi pp weg hy ee ADD 


r 


Office of Publication: 1201-5. Bluff. Street, Fulton, Mo. 


yur 5 Office: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2315 Tower Grove Avenue, 
t. Louis, o, 


Published monthly except in July ‘and August by the Board, of Trustees 
of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 


Entered as second-class matter February 23, 1937, at the post-office at 
Fulton, .Mo., under the Act of March 3, 1879. 


SUBSCRIPTION PRICE; ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 


BOARD OF TRUSTEES 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS WERE DESIGNATED IN MR, SHAW’S WILL 
AND THE BOARD SO CONSTITUTED, EXCLUSIVE OF THE 
. EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS, IS SELF-PERPETUATING 


President 
Grorcr C. Hrrencock 


Vice-President 
~ Danrex K. Catuin 


L. Ray CARTER _ Evaene Perrus 
Dupitey Frenca : A. Wrsset SHAPLEIGH 
GrorceE T. Moone . Eruan A.,H. SHeprey 


EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS | 


Grorce R, THRoop, WILiiaM SCARLETT, 
Chancellor of Washington Uni- Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri 
versity ‘ 
‘Bernarp F, Dickmann, A. H. TimMerMAN, 
Mayor of the City of St. Louis President of The Academy of Sci- 


ence of St, Louis 


Marx D. EaGirron, 
President of the Board of Education of St. Louis 


Secretary 
GERALD ULRICt 


SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN 


The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr. 
Henry Shaw about 1860, From that date to the death of Mr. Shaw, 
in 1889, the Garden was maintained under the personal direction of 
its founder, and while virtually a private garden it was, except at 
certain stated times, always open to the public. Although popularly 
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden 
was designated by Mr. Shaw as its official title and in his will and 
all of his writings he specifically referred to it as the “Missouri Bo- 
tanical Garden.” By a provision of Mr. Shaw’s will the Garden 
passed at his death into the hands of a Board of Trustees. ‘The 
original members of the Board were designated in the will, and the 
Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members, is self- 
perpetuating. By a further provison of the will, the immediate di- 
rection of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by the 
Board of Trustees. ‘The Garden receives no income from city or 
state, but is supported entirely from funds left by the founder, 

The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species 
of plants are growing. There is now in process of development a 
tract of land of over 1,600 acres outside the city limits which is to be 
devoted to (1) the propagation and growing of plants, trees, and 
shrubs, designed for showing either indoors or outside, at the city 
Garden, thus avoiding the existing difficulties of growing plants in 
the city atmosphere; (2) gradually establishing an arboretum as 
well as holding a certain area as a wild-flower reservation, with the 
idea that possibly at some future time this may become the new 
botanical garden. 

The Garden is open to the public every day in the year except 
New Year’s Day and Christmas—week days from 8:00 a, m. until 
sunset; Sundays from 10:00 a. m. until sunset. The greenhouses are 
closed every day at 5:00 p.m. 

The main entrance to the Garden is located at Tower Grove Ave- 
nue and Flora Place, on the Sarah car line (No. 42). Transfer south 


from all intersecting lines. 


Mo. Bor. Garp. Butu., Vou. 28, 1940 PLATE 9 


PEONIES IN THE GARDEN OF MRS. HAYWARD NIEDRINGHAUS 
2. PEONIES IN THE LANDSCAPE AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


Missourl Botanical 


Garden Bulletin 


Vol. XXVIII OCTOBER, 1940 No. 8 


PEONIES 


A flower border is not complete without some peonies. Few 
perennials are as colorful in May, yet remain in such good condi- 
tion throughout the year. Compare, if you will, the massive blooms 
of an oriental poppy with those of a peony. In splendor of color 
they are on a par in the spring, but the foliage of the poppy soon 
turns brown and disappears while the peony foliage provides a 
bold mass of rich green as a background for later flowers. Tastes 
differ and, although to some people the large peony flowers seem 
coarse, beauty and grace may be found in the peony species and 
in the single and Japanese varieties. There is not such a great deal 
of difference between the single and Japanese peonies for both 
have one or two rows of petals, but in the Japanese type the cen- 
tral cushion is composed of numerous tiny petals instead of 
stamens. 

This is the time of the year to transplant peonies and to acquire 
new varieties. After the plants become dormant in September 
they may be lifted, divided, and replanted. If, for some reason, 
this work cannot be done in the fall it may be done in March or 
early April, before the peonies have made much growth. Before 
planting, one must naturally consider the site, the soil, and the 
amount of space required. In time single peony clumps will aver- 
age four feet in diameter, and because of this large growth it is 
well to keep them to the rear of the flower border. The plants 
grow best in full sunlight but they will tolerate a little shade. If 
the flower border has been in existence for several years and the 
plants in it have been growing satisfactorily, there is no need to 
be too much concerned about the type of soil for the peonies. It 


should be borne in mind, however, that they remain in the same 


(171) 


172 MISSOURT BO'TANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


location for many years and a little extra effort in the preparation 
of the soil will insure good peonies for many years to come. A hole 
at least eighteen inches wide and deep is none too large for each 
plant. The top soil should be removed and the second layer thor- 
oughly broken up with a spading fork. If the clay is extremely 
gummy, about a pint of pulverized limestone should be added to 
each hill. Subsoil should have some humus mixed with it. For this 
purpose humus from the compost pile or peat moss may be used. 
Although the European supply of peat moss has been cut off, do- 
mestic peat is now becoming available. When the soil is returned 
to the hole it should be firmed so that when the peony roots are 
planted they will not settle. 

The moving of a large peony clump requires a lot of energy in 
digging and much patience and care in separating the roots. When 
first dug the large fleshy roots are extremely brittle but in a few 
hours they lose their rigidity and are more easily handled. The 
soil, which is so tightly held by the roots, is best dislodged with a 
stream of water from the hose, taking care not to bruise the peony 
eyes. ‘The wrong way to divide an old peony clump is to cut it in 
half or in quarters and then replant the parts without removing 
any of the large roots. Plants from such divisions depend upon 
the old roots for nourishment and seldom bloom. Cutting the 
clumps into smaller divisions and shortening the roots to four to 
six inches from the eyes forces the production of new roots. This 
is very stimulating and causes plants to grow much better than 
large clumps with all of the old roots intact. Many of the large 
roots may be removed with pruning shears before the plants are 
divided. An asparagus knife, which may be obtained from the 
seed stores, is an excellent tool for dividing the roots. It is long 
and slender and easily forced between the tightest roots. With a 
few taps of a hammer or mallet an opening may be made in a large 
clump, and once that is accomplished the pieces will separate 
easily. The roots of an old clump are sometimes so tight that it is 
necessary to split it before any good divisions may be obtained. 
Peony growers concede that a good division should have from three 
to five eyes and several good roots. 

Peonies should be planted with the eyes two inches beneath the 
surface of the soil. If the soil is loose the roots will settle with it 
and when they are too deep the plants fail to bloom. It is advisable 


Mo. Bor. Garp. BuLL., Vou. 28, 1940 PLATE 10 


TREE PEONIES 


1. Banski. 
2. Tama-jishi. 


Mo. Bor. Garp. Butv., Vou. 28, 1940 PLATE 11 


TYPES OF PEONY FLOWERS 
1. Single—The Bride. 2. Japanese—Mikado. 
3. Double—Myrtle Gentry. 4. Botanical—Paeonia tenuifolia. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 175 


to cover the peonies the first winter with a mulch of straw or coarse 
leaves. This mulch should be applied in late November and re- 
moved the latter part of March. 

Peony eyes begin pushing through the soil in early spring and 
grow very rapidly during April. At first the red and bronze stems 
appear as mere sticks but ten days later the leaves unfold, reveal- 
ing the tiny buds in the center of each stalk. By early May the 
plants have attained their maximum growth and from then on the 
flower buds develop. Just before the buds show color they are cov- 
ered with drops of sugar water, at least so the ants think, for they 
love it. This is the first worry of the novice for he is sure the ants 
are ruining his plants. He should not be alarmed, however, as the 
ants will do no harm and are only eating the sap. 

Most varieties of peonies produce lateral buds. When exhibi- 
tion flowers are desired, or when the flowers of the double varie- 
ties are sure to be weighted down if all are left to open, these side 
buds should be removed as soon as they can be handled. The ter- 
minal bud will then develop into an exceptionally fine flower. 
Single and semi-double varieties, or such as are used in the land- 
scape, may be left to grow naturally. 

Peonies may be fed in the spring before the plants grow too 
large. A handful of balanced fertilizer per plant is sufficient food 
for one season. The fertilizer is best applied in a ring around the 
plant, keeping it at least eight inches away from the stems. The 
stirring of the soil several times during the spring benefits the 
plants and permits the rains to penetrate. Later on the foliage be- 
comes so dense that light showers never moisten the soil beneath. 
During extremely dry weather the peonies should be thoroughly 
watered to prevent them from wilting. 

That portion of the peony above ground is seldom attacked by 
insects. However, in certain varieties the fibrous roots sometimes 
contain many small knots, or the larger roots may be swollen. 
This condition is the result of a tiny wire worm, called a nematode. 
Badly infested roots should be destroyed. If new peonies are to 
be planted in the region where the old ones grew, fresh soil should 
be used. On a strong root system nematodes seldom become so 
numerous as to cripple the plant and prevent it from blooming. 
When weak plants are lifted it may be found that the roots are 
badly decayed and covered with a black mould. This disease is 


176 MISSOURLT BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


termed root-rot. There is no known cure and no attempt should 
be made to salvage portions of such plants. When peonies are 
deeply planted in poorly drained soil troubles of this kind may be 
expected. Botrytis blight is another disease which attacks peony 
plants and is commonly recognized by the dark brown buds which 
fail to develop. When this disease is serious the plants should be 
sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or dusted with copper-lime dust. 
This should be done as soon as the shoots appear in the spring, 
with two or three successive applications at weekly intervals. Bor- 
deaux powder is easily obtained but copper-lime dust is only sold 
by a few dealers, particularly lily specialists. The disease spores 
remain in the old stems and leaves during the winter, and for that 
reason all peony stalks should be cut at the surface of the ground 
in October and burned. 

In peony catalogues the varieties are usually grouped under the 
headings of double, single, Japanese, hybrid, tree peonies and 
species. Prices range from fifty cents to several dollars. Varieties 
are listed as early, mid-season, or late, and frequently the rating 
of the American Peony Society is given. One naturally would 
suppose that a variety that rated 9.9 (10 being perfect) would be 
the finest peony to buy. This is not the case, however, as varieties 
do not grow uniformly well in all parts of the country and some 
ratings favor the exhibition table more than the garden. Late- 
blooming peonies should not be planted in this locality as varieties 
that are still in bud in late May fail to open properly. Some 
peonies have exceptionally beautiful and fragrant flowers but weak 
stems, and these are certainly not good garden plants. Some of 
the weak-stemmed, double varieties are perfect when they open in 
fair weather, but after one shower bend far over and never resume 
their original position. The single, Japanese, and the dwarf dou- 
ble varieties can stand wind and rain better than the tall double 
varieties and are to be preferred for garden and landscape use. 
Peony fanciers will want to grow many different kinds but they 
should be prepared to stake the weak ones. 

All of the afore-mentioned peonies are termed “‘herbaceous,” 
which means that they are not woody and die down to the ground 
‘ach fall. Tree peonies differ from the herbaceous kinds in that 
they have woody stems which grow very slowly and ultimately 


reach a height of from two to four feet. They shed their leaves 


Mo. Bor. Garp. BuLut., Vou. 28, 1940 PLaTE 12 


~~ 


— th ~ 


DIVIDING A PEONY CLUMP 


1. Roots and Soil. 2. Washing Roots. 
3. Dividing Roots With Asparagus Knife. 4. Three-Eye Division. 


Mo. Bor. Garp. Bu.Lu., Vor. 28, 1940 PuLaTeE 13 


1. ROOT-KNOT. 2. ROOT-ROT. 
3 and 4. BEFORE AND AFTER DISBUDDING. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 179 


each fall but the ends of the stems contain the buds which continue 
the growth the following year. The flowers are large and beautiful 
with a color range through white, pink, red, lavender, and rich 
yellow. Tree peonies propagate slowly and this accounts for their 
higher price. A good time to plant them is in the fall when they 
are dormant. The younger plants are grown in pots so it is pos- 
sible to plant them any time during the spring. Tree peonies were 
formerly imported from Europe and Japan, but now numerous 
varieties are being offered by American peony specialists. Mr. 
Josiah Whitnel, of Signal Hill, Illinois, has probably assembled 
the best collection of tree peonies in the Middle West. Most tree 
peonies bloom in late April and early May. They are perfectly 
hardy. The only time that they might be injured is during an April 
freeze. On April 9, 1938, a wet snow all but flattened the peonies 
in this region but somehow they survived the ordeal. Such cold 
snaps do not occur every year but a gardener does feel relieved 
when the capricious April weather has passed. 

The list of peonies which concludes this article is selected from 
the 160 varieties which have been grown and compared in our 
peony collection, It is not a large list but it will serve as a guide 
in selecting dependable peonies for this region. 


SINGLE PEONIES 


Harriet Olney—soft rose Perle Blanche—tall white, — stiff 

Krinkled White—follows Le Jour stems 

Le Jour—a very fine white President Lincoln—a fine tall, late 

L/ Etincelante—bright pink red 

Madeleine Gauthier—light flesh- Pride of Langport—pale, rose-pink 
pink Vera—dark maroon-crimson 


Marguerite Dessert—white, pow- 
dered with rose-pink dots 
JAPANESE PEONIES 
Ama-no-Sode—rose-pink Mikado—dark crimson. A good 
Departing Sun—light crimson landscape variety 
Isani Gidui—the finest white 


DOUBLE WHITE TO BLUSH-WHITE PEONIES 


Avalanche—a good late white Kelway’s Glorious 

Ball O’Cotton—medium height La Lorraine 

Baroness Schroeder—a late flesh- Le Cygne—good in some years 
white Mme. Jules Dessert—a late dwart 

Duchesse de Nemours white 

Festiva Maxima Myrtle Gentry 

Frances Shaylor Nymphaea 


Frances Willard 


180 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


DOUBLE PALE TO ROSE-PIN K PEONTES 


Albert Crousse—medium height Mary Woodbury Shaylor—dwarf 
Georgiana Shaylor—light rose-pink flesh-white 
Ginette—dwarf late pink Octavie Demay—pale pink, almost 
June Day white 
Lady Alexandra Duff President Wilson—tall, rose-pink 
La Perle—lavender-pink Reine Hortense 
Lillian Gumm—late Souvenir de Louis Bigot 
Mabel L.. Franklin—flesh-pink Venus—tall, rose-pink 
DOUBLE CRIMSON AND RED PEONTES 
Adolphe Rousseau Mary Brand—late 
Benjamin Franklin—tall Philippe Rivoire 
Felix Crousse William F. Turner—tall red 
Karl Rosenfield Winnifred Domme 


TWO OZARK WILD FLOWERS FOR THE FALL GARDEN 


Late September is a difficult period for many St. Louis gardens. 
Nights are beginning to be cool and the brilliant annuals which 
gave color in the first part of the month are drying up and slow- 
ing down for the winter. In St. Louis, though, the days are still 
warm, and plants which a little farther north are the glory of the 
fall garden do not feel at home here. Then, too, September is such 
a chancy month in St. Louis, one year bone-dry and the next one 
soaking wet, that few perennials can be depended upon year in 
and year out. To be sure, Sedum spectabile is available in several 
varieties but by rights it belongs to the first fortnight in September 
and cannot be counted on for good bloom after about the twentieth. 
The Korean chrysanthemums are nearly always excellent, if one 
knows how to care for them, but they seldom provide a really fine 
display before the tenth of October. 

If St. Louis gardeners did but know it, there are two native 
wild flowers which bloom at this time, wild flowers, moreover, 
which profit by being moved into the perennial border and show 
to even better advantage there than they did on the dry Ozark 
hillsides from which they came. They are so little known that 
neither has a common name but we shall remedy that omission by 
calling Aster anomalus “The Ozark Aster,” and speak of Allium 
stellatum as “The Rosy Allium,” leaving to those already in on 
the secret just exactly what scandal is indicated by the name of 


Allium. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 181 


THE ROSY ALLIUM 


The rosy allium grows from a bulb about the size of a small 
tulip bulb and gives rise in late spring to a sprawly rosette of 
leaves which are not too attractive in the garden but which can 
sasily be more or less hidden in a perennial border. These tend 
to die down during the summer, and in late August they are suc- 
ceeded by the flowers which rise in a little sunburst cluster, like 
an opening sky-rocket. They take on color as they unfold, chang- 
ing from a chalky white to a pinky silver, deepening to bright rose 
pink as the florets eventually open. Ridgway calls the color 
“mallow pink,” and technically it is very like the pink of certain 
mallows, but the texture of the flowers is so different that the name 
is not too appropriate. Mallows have a linen-like texture when 
seen in the garden, while alliums are waxy and their flowers have 
more the look of being made out of waterproof silk or rayon. A 
group of bulbs does not usually burst into bloom all at the same 
time and there is a pretty play of color between the lighter pink 
of the buds and the deeper tones of the fully opened flowers. 

The rosy allium is not at all choosy as to the soil in which it is 
grown. It does not like being overcrowded by other plants 
throughout the season but it does not mind spring bulbs (which 
are on the way out before it is on the way up), and if given decent 
‘are will grow and increase in either full sun or semi-shade. In 
the Ozarks it grows for the most part in very rocky places, at the 
side and along the base of cliffs, on dry rocky hillsides, particu- 
larly at the edges of bare spots where it has the shade at its back 
but full sun in front. In the Missouri Botanical Garden Arboretum 
at Gray Summit it grows in great abundance, and from late Au- 
gust to mid October its rosy pompons will be seen scattered here 
and there very generally along the woodland trails and massed by 
the thousands under the red cedars which line the glades. It could 
probably be raised from seeds in a year or so. It sets abundant 
crops in my garden if the flowers are not picked, and the distine- 
tive little hump-backed seedlings will often be found coming up in 
the garden in the early summer. It is already listed for sale by a 
few dealers in native plants and by rock-garden nurseries but it 
deserves much wider use. There is a great deal of variation in 
flower size and color from plant to plant, and it is quite probable 


182 MISSOURI BO'TTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


that with a little selection particularly beautiful garden varieties 
could be developed. 

One fact has probably contributed more than any other to the 
lack of appreciation of this really beautiful plant. The flowers 
have a rather attractive scent but if the foliage is crushed in the 
hand it will be found to smell strongly of onions, and botanists 
classify it in the same group with them and their garlicky kin. 
Few gardeners have the courage to grow onion blossoms in their 
perennial borders even if they like the flowers, so if by any chance 
you do grow the rosy allium in your flower border it is much better 
to call it by that name and let visitors judge it on its own merits 
as a garden flower. 


THE OZARK ASTER 


The Ozark aster is really well entitled to that name, since it is 
very commonly found on dry hillsides in southern Missouri but is 
unknown elsewhere except as it spills over into Oklahoma at one 
end of its range and spreads up to central Illinois at the other. 
When Dr. George Engelmann first described it he appropriately 
named it “Aster anomalus,” for there is no other species of Aster 
at all similar. It combines the large blooms and shaggy flower- 
heads of the New England asters with the long heart-shaped 
leaves which ordinarily go with the little misty gray-blue sorts. 
It has, in addition, a strange leathery texture, as do various other 
kinds of plants which are peculiar to these dry rocky hill-lands. 
The flowers are not only large but are of a beautiful and most ar- 
resting shade, a blue with an undertone of pink, or a pink which 
is almost a blue. It combines most attractively with the bright pink 
of the rosy Allium and keeps a clear fresh look in the fall garden. 
Ridgway defines the color as “light mauve,” which is a good name 
for it if one remembers that it is a clear mauve and not a muddy 
one. It is indeed the kind of mauve which Whistler said was “pink 
trying to be purple.” 

The Ozark aster is only one of around thirty species of that 
genus which are native to Missouri. However, it is of all these 
the one which is most satisfactory for the perennial border. There 
has been a great deal of nonsense in the horticultural press about 
the way in which our native asters have been neglected in America 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 183 


to become in England the glory of the fall garden and raised to 
the dignity of being “Michaelmas Daisies.” The unwarranted con- 
clusion is usually drawn that if we were only such good gardeners 
as the English we would have developed and appreciated these 
lovely flowers which are native to our own doorsteps. If these 
writers had tried to grow American asters in middle-western gar- 
dens, they would have written quite differently. At one time or 
another I have grown about twenty American species, as well as 
numerous English and American varieties, and have also grown 
a few of them in England. The truth of the matter is that as a 
group they are much more satisfactory flowers for English gardens 
than they are for American ones and are much easier to grow there 
than here. In the first place, like many flowers in the daisy fam- 
ily, their size varies with the latitude. When I first saw the same 
varieties in England which I had been raising in Missouri I did 
not recognize them because they were so much larger. I actually 
did not think that Aster tataricus was an aster at all. Its flower- 
heads were so very large that it looked like a new kind of tall 
chrysanthemum. In the second place, cultivated plants are nearly 
always easier to grow away from their wild relatives because 
then fewer pests and pestilences spread from the wild populations 
into the cultivated stands. Many Michaelmas daisies lose their 
lower leaves and in other ways look quite unkempt when grown 
in Missouri gardens. Even old reliable varieties like “Climax,” 
which can be grown with considerable success in New England, 
die out in a year or two in St. Louis unless they are very carefully 
handled. 

If we are to have many reliable varieties of Michaelmas daisies 
in St. Louis we must build them from the ground up and originate 
kinds which can stand hot summers, erratic autumns, and smoky 
winters. Several of our native species grow well when moved into 
a town garden, but few of them look as attractive there as they did 
in the woods. Aster patens, for instance, loses what little delicacy 
it possessed as a wild plant and becomes a criss-cross mess of in- 
terlacing branches. Aster turbinellus is fairly attractive and so 
are a few dwarf strains of Aster Drummondii, but the only native 
species which I have found to be generally reliable is Aster 
anomalus. Moved into the garden it retains its strange leathery 


184 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


texture but it becomes no more weedy in habit than in the oak- 
maple woodlands where it is native. It responds by being many 
times as floriferous, and instead of a few stray branches lined with 
blossoms there are great mounds of bloom. Anyone who has grown 
hardy chrysanthemums will know how to stimulate the plants to 
show to best advantage by pinching back the main stems in the 
very early summer to make them branch out, and repeating the 
process once or twice during the summer. Like chrysanthemums, 
the Ozark aster seems to be a strong feeder and does its best in the 
perennial border when reset about every second year. 

In the wild flower gardens at the Missouri Botanical Garden 
Arboretum and elsewhere in the Ozarks, there is a great deal of 
variation in Aster anomalus. Some of the plants have large flow- 
ers, some of them small ones, the ray-flowers may be straight, or 
wavy, or even fringed at the tip, and vary greatly in number. With 
a little patience it should be possible to develop a number of ex- 
cellent garden varieties. 


EK. A. 


BEWARE THE DROUGHT 


Almost annually since 1932 the BuLLETIN has discussed some 
phase of the drought problem. It might seem that such an annual 
warning is becoming a habit. At the same time we have but to re- 
‘all the many specimens of evergreens sent to the Garden last 
spring in which dry weather was diagnosed as either the primary 
or secondary cause of death. It is safe to assume that m: iny gar- 
deners receiving such information felt that it was incorrect. Most 
people had practiced some sort of irrigation, and eve ryone remem- 
bered the deep and lasting snow blanket of the past winter. How- 
ever, while the snow was deep it added little water to the soil 
when it began to melt. During some construction work at the 
Arboretum, when watching the slow evaporation of the snow, it 
was observed that, while the deep snow formed a grand mulch pro- 
tecting plants from the cold, most of the water ev aporated in the 
brilliant sunshine. 

Rainfall records show that there is an accumulated deficienc y 
of twelve inches as of September 1 for this year. But rainfall rec- 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 185 


ords are but one portion of the picture. The distribution of that 
rain is much more important. For instance, the shortage of rain 
toward fall is especially serious since it is at this time that trees 
store water against the future season. During late summer they 
also make much new root growth. There is considerable experi- 
mental evidence indicating that there is root activity so long as the 
soil temperature remains above 46° F., and freezing temperatures 
in the lower soils rarely occur in this region before mid-January. 

Newly transplanted trees and shrubs suffer most, since artifi- 
cial irrigation is rarely practiced long enough and there is seldom 
time or opportunity for the injured roots to heal and regain inti- 
mate contact with the soil. A transplanted tree will remain green 
only until it has exhausted the reserve of water within the trunk. 
Therefore, such trees look well until the first week of hot dry 
weather and then they seem to collapse almost over night. Irri- 
gation which is begun at that time is altogether too late. To be of 
any value to trees and shrubs, irrigation must wet the soil for 
about three feet, or deeper if many roots are found below that 
level. For instance, it was necessary to pump about five inches of 
water on to the Mausoleum enclosure at the Garden. The soil 
this area, and through most of the gardening regions of St. Louis 
and county, will hold approximately one inch of rain for each foot 
in depth of soil. If the soils are very deep and the roots extend 
some five or six feet down to rock or an impervious clay, it is ap- 
parent that “just letting the sprinkler run” will never supply a 
tree with water. Perhaps the most important time in which to sup- 
ply additional water is during the early fall and winter. 

A very heavy shedding of the older coniferous foliage, which is 
a common sight throughout the county at the present time, is due 
largely to the dry weather this fall. Dry weather is infrequently 
the sole cause of death in mature trees. Usually after a tree be- 
comes desiccated many otherwise harmless diseases and insects 
are able to gain a foothold. This, in a large measure, explains the 
startling increase in the number of wilt diseases found in elms, 
horse-chestnuts, and now making their appearance in the white 
oaks. 

The symptoms of arouse are not always easily detected. They 
are often confused with ‘“‘winter injury,” and there are usually 


186 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


other contributing factors. As a result of this past season’s 
drought, we may anticipate much injury from cold. The species 
and varieties which have proven hardy in other years may be killed 
back seriously. Very large trees, and especially the conifers, 
usually store within their trunks sufficient moisture to carry them 
over several dry seasons, but eventually insects and diseases gain 
a foothold and water alone will not remedy the situation. 


Aa Bi: 


NOTES 


In commemoration of the date of Henry Shaw’s death, a wreath 
of orchids was placed on his tomb, August 25. 


Dr. George 'T. Moore, Director of the Garden, in a broadcast 
over Station KWk, October 8, discussed “Orchids” in general 
and the Veiled Prophet Queen’s orchid bouquet in particular. 


Mr. Russell J. Seibert, Washington University Fellow in Bot- 
any, has been on an expedition of the U. S. Department of Agri- 
culture since July. He is expected to return in January. 


Mr. A. P. Beilmann, Arboriculturist to the Garden, was one of 
a small group who were invited to conduct a plant clinic during 
the National Shade Tree Conference, at Detroit, August 30. 


Mr. Russell J. Seibert, Washington University Fellow in Bot- 
any, is the author of a paper which appeared in the September 
number of Tropical Woods (No. 63, pp. 7-8), entitled “New 


Names in Cybistax and ‘Tabebuia.” 


Prof. Robert Stratton, Associate Professor of Botany and 
Plant Pathology, Oklahoma Agricultural & Mechanical College, 
Stillwater, spent the summer at the Garden library and herbarium, 
in a study of the Leguminosae. 


The August number of Gardeners’ Chronicle of America (44: 
237-239) contains an illustrated article, “A Cactus Hunt in Mex- 
ico,’ by Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of Succulents at the 
Garden. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 187 


Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of Succulents at the Garden, 
gave an illustrated lecture, “Plants of Old Mexico,” before the 
St. Louis Horticultural Society, October 4; and on “Cacti and 
Succulents,” before the Des Moines Garden Club, Des Moines, 
Iowa, October 10. 


Mr. L. P. Jensen, Manager of the Arboretum, gave a talk be- 
fore the members of the Tenth District of the Federated Garden 
Clubs of Missouri, at Meramec State Park, September 27, on 
“Roadside Development.” On this occasion he was presented with 
a life membership in the Federation. 


In the Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication No. 522, 
issued in June, 1940, Dr. Robert E. Woodson, Jr., Assistant Cu- 
rator of the Herbarium, has contributed “The Apocynaceae of the 
Yucatan Peninsula,” and Mr. Russell J. Seibert, Washington Uni- 
versity Fellow in Botany, “The Bignoniaceae of the Maya Area.” 


In addition to the newspaper reviews of Steyermark’s “Spring 
Flora of Missouri,” the following publications have recently re- 
viewed the book: Garden Forum, May, 1940; Garden Life, June, 
1940; Field Museum Notes, June, 1940; Rhodora, June, 1940; 
American Midland Naturalist, June, 1940; American Botanist, 
July, 1940; Missouri Historical Review, July, 1940; Scientific 
Monthly, September, 1940. 


The following articles from the Missourt BoranicaL GARDEN 
Butvetin by Dr. D. C. Fairburn, Horticulturist to the Garden, 
have been reprinted recently: “Mealy Bugs,” in the April number 
of The Shade Tree (Vol. 13, No. 4); “Some Common Plant Pests 
and Their Control,” in the August number of Real Gardening 
(3: 56-63); “Forcing Hardy Bulbs,” in the September Garden 
Digest (12: 19-23); “African Violets,’ in the October Garden 
Digest (12: 42-43). 


The October number of Real Gardening (3: 67-75) contains a 
digest of the Garden Butietin on “Chrysanthemums,” by Mr. 
Paul A. Kohl, Floriculturist to the Garden, the title having been 
changed to “Chrysanthemums from Start to Finish.” Mr. Kohl 
also has an article in the October number of Gardeners’ Chronicle 


188 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


of America (44: 307), entitled “Growing and Displaying Chrys- 
anthemums.”’ 


The September number of the ANNALS or THE Missourr Bo- 
TANICAL GARDEN was issued in September, and contains the fol- 
lowing papers: “Supplementary Notes on Salvia: Audibertia,” by 
Carl C. Epling; “Mertensia Drummondii (Lehm.) C. Don,” Louis 
O. Williams; ‘Contributions toward a Flora of Panama. IV. Mis- 
cellaneous Collections, chiefly by Paul H. Allen,” Robert E. 
Woodson, Jr., and Robert W. Schery; “An Attempt to Record 
Internal Tree-Trunk Pressures,’ August P. Beilmann. 


Early in August, Messrs. Joseph and Ladislaus Cutak, in 
charge of Exotics and Succulents at the Garden, respectively, 
made a tour of the southeastern states, spending a week in Florida 
where they visited commercial gardens, nurseries and private col- 
lections of orchids, cacti and other exotic plants. Such notable 
institutions as the McKee Jungle Gardens, the Florida Cypress 
Gardens, Fairchild Tropical Garden, U. S. Plant Introduction 
Garden, Florida State Agricultural Experiment Station, Colonel 
Robert Montgomery's Estate, Shore Acres Nurseries, St. Leo’s 
College, and many others were inspected. Some cacti and seeds 
were collected and an attempt will be made to establish these in 
the Garden. 


Among the visitors to the Garden during the last several months 
were: Mr. LeRoy H. Harvey, Research Assistant, Botanical Gar- 
dens, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Major W. Knaggs and 
Sir George F. Huggins, of Trinidad, British West Indies, both 
orchid fanciers; Mr. George B. Rossbach, graduate student, Le- 
land Stanford University, Calif.; Mr. John B. Lager, orchid 
grower, of Summit, N. J.; Dr. F. W. Pennell, Curator of Plants, 
Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa.; Mr. Lewis M. 
Abrahms, orchid grower, of Glencoe, Ill.; Mr. Julian F. Smith, 
Associate Director Hooker Scientific Library, Central College, 
Fayette, Mo.; Mr. Louis Fourt, graduate student in genetics, Uni- 
versity of Missouri, Columbia; Mr. Ralph Emerson, Instructor 
in Botany, University of California, Berkeley; Dr. F. A. Barkley, 
Instructor in Botany, University of Montana, Missoula; Dr. F. L. 
Wynd, Assistant Professor of Botany, University of Illinois, Ur- 
bana; Dr. Paul C. Mangelsdorf, Professor of Economic Botany, 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. BULLETIN 189 


Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.; Dr. Louis Wheeler, In- 
structor in Botany, American University, Washington, D. C.; Dr. 
Leon Grodsinsky, Division de Fitopatologia, Ministerio de Agri- 
cultura, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Dr. Robert W. Webb, Principal 
Cotton Technologist, Bureau of Agricultural Economies, U. S. 
Dept. Agr., Washington, D. C.; Dr. Maxine Larisey, Assistant 
Professor of Biology, Judson College, Marion, Alabama; Mr. 
Nelson M. Wells, Landscape Architect, Hastings-on-Hudson, 
N. Y.; Miss Rose B. Phelps, Associate in Library Science, Uni- 
versity of Illinois, Urbana; Dr. Carlos A. O’Donell, of the Insti- 
tuto Lillo, Tucuman, Argentina; Mrs. F. F. Davis, Botanist, 
U.S. Golf Association, Green Section, Washington, D. C.; Dr. 
Elazada U. Clover, Instructor in Botany, and Assistant Curator, 
Botanical Gardens, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Miss 
Lois Jotters, graduate student in botany, University of Michigan; 
Miss Helen Bartlett, Librarian Junior College & High School, 
Parsons, Kansas; Dr. George B. Happ, Assistant Professor of 
Biology, Principia College, Elsah, Ill.; Dr. Harry J. Fuller, As- 
sistant Professor of Botany, University of Illinois, Urbana; Mr. 
Stanley A. Watson, graduate student in plant physiology, Uni- 
versity of Illinois, Urbana. 


While visitors are not required to register at the Garden, some 
idea of the wide range of states from which tourists come may be 
obtained from licenses on cars parked near the entrance. 

On Sunday, September 1, and Monday, September 2 (Labor 
Day), a check was made during the afternoon and showed the 
following number of cars from twenty-three states. While many 
‘ars from Missouri, outside of St. Louis, were undoubtedly pres- 
ent, they were not included. 


MUIMOIS? Gara ee ge ee TOO: “Pennesseé. .: 577... enn tae 6 
LROTAN a soccer een ee es OSs CAMPOTNIG, «sche < ac, Skee ok ee 5 
Wentuck yy ets stunt: sae MONE SES mee Ws ge a. any ecg ss Te uy k 
KANSAS: 5242 Sects as 18 Wisconsin ....... 4 
Lowa wo ee eee 11 Louisiana .................. 3 
ATKanSAs) o oe 8 ot oer ce re 9 “Georgia ....., 2 
Alabama =... 8 fhe. dae et 8 Nebraska ............... 2 
Minnesota «...0............05. Bo New Perse 6.5 5843208 poets 2 
OO eed. paver rere One OM ORCCOM: 6 vidi kc, Mae Ia dss FOR 2 
Oklahoma. (344 .guendee eae 7 Colorado ae I 
New York ...... 6 West Virginia . 5a -ml 
NUCH an on. oe aon eee ac 6 


190 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR 
JUNE-SEPTEMBER, 1940 


GARDEN ATTENDANCE: 
Total number of visitors in June ............. 00 ee eee eens : 


Total number of visitors in July ...... 0.0.0 c eee eee ee 29,629 


Total number of visitors in August 
Total number of visitors in September 


PLant ACCESSIONS: 
Total number of plants and packets of seeds donated in June 
Total number of plants and packets of seeds donated in July 
Total number of plants donated in August 
Total number of plants and seeds donated in September 
Liprary ACCESSIONS: 
Total number of books and pamphlets bought in June........ 


Total number of books and pamphlets donated in June....... 
Total number of books bought in July..............-...0005- 
Total number of books and pamphlets donated in July........ 


Total number of books and pamphlets bought in August... . 
Total number of books and pamphlets donated in August 

Total number of books and pamphlets bought in September 
Total number of books and pamphlets donated in September 


Herpartum AccEssIons: 
JUNE 

By Purchase— 
Avenue Camera Store—Photographic prints of type specimens 
Bracelin, Mrs. H. P.—Plants of Mexico, collected by Mrs. 

Ves Wie xia. a 5.cc5-6:0 4a oc se hea isha eae, sh ae yee sree esa ea 

Degener, Otto—Plants of Hawaii................6 0.0 ee eee 
Eyerdam, Walter J.—Plants of Alaska...................45. 

By Gift— 
Anderson, E.—Plants of TexaS....... 0... cece eee e eee een eee 
Brown, William L.—Grasses...........0 0c eee eee eee eee eens 
Erwin, A. K.—Physalis sp. from Mexico. ... 0.0.6.0... eee eee 


Fraser, Rev. S. V.—Allium from Kansas... . 0... cee eee 
Hubricht, Leslie—Plants of Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Okla- 
Homa, and “LexAS: 6.3 5.5. et eb Seer ne Oa wees oe sine S48 


James, Leslie—Plants of Alabama...........6.. 5002422 

McCart, William L.—Plants of Texas... 2.0.00. .6 eee eee eee 

Seibert, Russell J.—Pithecoctenium sp. from horticulture.... 
By Exchange 

Field Museum of Natural History—Calathea sp. from Mexico 

Smarods, J.—Fungi of Latvia... 2.6.66 ee 

U. S. National Museum—Miscellaneous duplicates..........- 


By Transfer— 
Fairburn, D. C.-Stokesia cyanea 1/Herit. from horticulture. . 


OTA Long aonard wee abs be ec ate BIBRA bea EG Gos RA AS 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 191 


JULY 
By Purchase— 
Eyerdam, Walter J.—Plants of Alaska...............0eeeee- 80 
Skutch, Alexander F.—Plants of Costa Rica................. 254: 
Terry, Mins. Rh. Ac —Plants Of (Panama. oso ssccae » lous s pao 297 


By Gift— 
Clark, Robert Brown—Pistacia chinensis Bge. from horticul- 


MALE eects ens eras ste aren shots Cons ssa ns valle a 0'! Goa aralaie wpe caue ieee s MoA pee ate 3 
Field Museum of Natural History—Photographic prints of 

EVDO} SDE CIMEMIS tye rarer pey sts oer erat sn: 6, 9.0614 carcsvch ava po eae ts eee gene eis kets 2 
Greenman, J. M.—Photograph of type specimen of Senecio 

PUGCRUCANUS GTA aps. areas fale a! eis awed any a/elate a as tie oa lele ape tede one 1 
Helton, Kugene—Quercus sp. from Missouri................ 1 
Hubricht, Leslie—Plants of Illinois, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and 

OX EUS rare yarron snc ge ray elten ear a sree ses 66.35, 94.0410" dined oO etoy sve a roneronaie feat 99 
James, R. L.—Plants of Alabama..............0ccccceeveces 2 
Murrill, W. A.—Plants of Florida...............cc cee eens 1,100 
Stillwell, Mrs. Norman—Plant from Texas.................. 1 


By Exchange— 
Brooklyn Botanic Garden by H. K. Svenson—Plants of 'Ten- 


TICSS CO erry tei e terete ns a seat ina gins dada! Flea wale imide Bia adecayarees Pmt 210 
Field Museum of Natural History—Algae and bryophytes from 
VATIOUS SOCAIIEIES eres aren ete nica Grasse: Sod ta: Rial Bees deny aomees-avamemenate 42 


University of California—Plants of California and Alaska.. 621 


TU OU ea eeepc eee et sae, 5 (aaa bree eva satet oie eear base aeeteme eee 2,718 
AUGUST 
By Gift— 

Adam, H. A.—Convolvulus japonicus Thunb. from horticulture 1 
Carney, J. E.—Helianthus mollis Lam. from Missouri........ 1 

Degge, Jeanette H.—Platycodon grandifiorum A. DC. from 
OmeL@ Mi Guten are ee eet ee fos 6 ai ans 2484 6 8 ea are eee ] 
Featherly, H. I—I/va vanthifolia Nutt. from Oklahoma...... 1 
Greenman, J. M.—Photograph of type of Tabebuia sp....... 1 
Holtzen, E. E.—Plants of Missouri...............0.0 cee eeees 3 
Hubricht, Leslie—Plants of Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas.... 35 
Kilian, E. H— Photographs of Arisaema... ccc cee es 3 
Suits, Mrs. H. E—KHustoma sp. from Texas................. 1 

Von Schrenk, Hermann—-Trifolimm resupinatum L. trom St. 
Hous: County, MUSSOWEL 4.6 qua cu concen weed oe aoe ke Rae's 2 
ED GGG ecaiesena tetens ee doseage ast did whe eae eee eee eaeces 49 


SEPTEMBER 
By Purchase—— 

Lundell, C. I.-—Plants of Mexico and Central America ... 860 
By Gift— 

Anderson, E.—Plants of Phelps County, Missouri............ 

Anderson, E.— Plants of Missouri and ‘Texas oe ne ar 9 

Andrews, H. N. and G. 'T. Johnson—Fungi of southern United 

OCA LCS tee re rere ornare eee ee Ss Shed Rate care ese a 35 


192 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Clokey, Ira W.—Plants of Nevada |. . ; 4 
Cutler, Hugh C.—-Plants of Texas Lala Ea petee ¢ in aaek wee Ye 18 
Degener, Otto—Corms of /Hillebrandia sandwiche onsis Oliver, 

CTOUL LAWALL: acces ae cites ee he ok baat bone oe ome 1 
Hubricht, Leslie—Plants of pagan and Illinois oe gins 4 
Instituto Miguel Lillo, by R. KE. Woodson, Jr.— Asclepiadaceae 

of Argentina |... ua ah ta eee ae Vigeeacae » BOT 
Irish, H. C.—Plants of low en er ee ot Advice Baht ton a 88 
Johnson, G. T.—Coprinus cubornets B. & Cc. ete dde ba ees 6 
Leyendecker, P. J.—Tradescantia Wrightii Rose & Bush, from 

New Mexico ... 1 
Von Schrenk, Hermann— Plants of Ne Ww - Hampshire ree 6 


By Exchange-— 
Field Museum of Natural History—Photographs of type spec- 


imens of Panama plants 14 
Field Museum of Natural History—Plants of tropical America 195 
Gray Herbarium of Harvard University— Plants of Virginia 523 
Iowa see College—Plants of Iowa, ete. .0..00000000000..... 788 
Lundell, C. L.—Plants of Mexico and Central America. 50 
United sine. National Museum—Plants of Virginia....... 173 
University of California, by H. A. Mason—Fragments of type 

specimens 2. ...0.00..0.00., 7 

By Field Work— 
Anderson, E., R. O. Erickson, and S. Bettoney—Plants of 

Pennsylvania and Ohio oes , 8 

By 'Transfer— 
Cutak, Lad—Bunchosia biocellata Schlecht. from horticulture 1 


‘Total ; 2,625 


STAFF 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE GARDEN, 2315 TOWER GROVE AVENUE, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 
Grorce T. Moors, 


Director 
HERMANN VON SCHRENK; EpGar ANDERSON, 
Pathologist Geneticist 
Bn _ Rosert E. Woopson, Jr., 
Jesse M. GREENMAN, © Assistant Curator of 
Curator of Herbarium ; Herbarium ; 
: “Neur C. Horner, 
CarroLL W. Dopas, Librarian and Editor of 
Mycologist Publications 
Grorce H. Prine, 
Superintendent 
Joun Novss, - Pavn A. Kout, 
Consulting Landscape Architect ~ na Floriculturist 
Wri F. Langan, Aveust P, Bri~Mann, 
Chief Engineer ; . Arboriculturist 
JosEPH LANGEN, | Davip C. Farrsurn, 
Assistant Engineer Horticulturist 
ALBERT PEARSON, JOSEPH CUTAK, 


Painter : -» In charge of Exotics 


Lapisiaus. CuraKk, 
In charge of Succulents 


aes ARBORETUM, GRAY SUMMIT, MISSOURI 
Lars. P, JENSEN, 
Manager 


Roy E. Kissrck, Davin MILER, 
Engineer Orchid Grower 


_ REPRESENTATIVES IN THE TROPICS 
» Paut H. AntEn, 
Balboa, Canal Zone 


REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE 


Gurney Wison, F. L. S., 
Hove, Sussex, England 


k 


NOTICE 


ATTENTION is called to the recently issued ‘Spring 
Flora of Missouri” by J. A. Steyermark. About 
fourteen hundred plants blooming in Missouri 
and adjoining states are described and most of 
them illustrated. Designed. primarily for nature- 
lovers, scouts, amateur botanists, etc., emphasis is 
placed on the common name; also, an attempt is 
made to write the descriptions in simple untechni- 
cal language so that, with the help of the keys 
and the illustrations, identification of spring- 
blooming flowers should not be difficult. The book 
is cloth-bound and comprises 590 pages, 163 

plates, and 444 line drawings. For sale by the | 

Missouri Botanical Garden. Price $3.00. 


MussouRI BOTANICAL 
GARDEN BULLETIN 


Vol. XXVIII NOVEMBER, 1940 No. 9 


CONTENTS 
Page 
Hedge: Plants for St: Lowis: 6 ee 88 
Don't Burn the Leaves <6 <8 ee Sa OS be 199 
Winter Course in Gardening for Amateurs . . . . 204 
EPA ain Canin SU AN RAR Ur MIE NGN rg CRADLE: 
Statistical Information . (92's 6. ge 206 


Office of Publication: 1201-5 Bluff Street, Fulton, Mo. 


Editorial Office: Missouri Botanical (Garden, 2315. Tower Grove Avenue, 
St. Louis, Mo. 


Published monthly except in July and August by. the Board of Trustees 
of the Missouri Botanical Garden. eat 


Entered as second-class matter February 23, 1937, at the post-office at 
Fulton, Mo., under the Act of March 3, 1879, 


SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 


BOARD OF TRUSTEES 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 


\ 


THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS WERE DESIGNATED IN MR, SHAW’S WILL 
AND THE BOARD SO CONSTITUTED, EXCLUSIVE OF THE 
EX-OFFICIO. MEMBERS, IS SELF-PERPETUATING 


President 
Grorcre C. HircuHcock 


Vice-President 
Dantet K, Cavum 


L. Ray Carter EvuGene Pertus 
DupLeY FRENCH ; A. Wussrt SHAPLEIGH 
Grorce T. Moorr Eruan A. H. SHEPLEY 


t 


EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS 


GrorGe R. THRoop, Witi1Am SCARLETT, 
Chancellor of. Washington Uni- Bishop of. the Diocese of Missouri 
versity 
Bernarp F. Dickmann, A. H. TIMMERMAN, 
Mayor of the City of St. Louis President of The Academy of Sci- 


. ence of St. Louis 


Mark PD. EaGieron, 
President of the Board of Education of St. Toute 


Secretary 
GeraLtp ULRicr 


SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN 


The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr. 
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date to the death of Mr. Shaw, 
in 1889, the Garden was maintained under the personal direction of 
its founder, and while virtually a private garden it was, except at 
certain stated times, always open to the public. Although popularly 
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden 
was designated by Mr. Shaw as its official title and in his will and 
all of his writings he specifically referred to it as the “Missouri Bo- 
tanical Garden.” By a provision of Mr, Shaw’s will the Garden 
passed at his death into the hands of a Board of Trustees. The 
original members of the Board were designated in the will, and the 
Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members, is self- 
perpetuating. By a further provison of the will, the immediate di- 
rection of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by the 
Board of Trustees. The Garden receives no income from city or 
state, but is supported entirely from funds left by the founder. 

The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species 
of plants are growing. There is now in process of development a 
tract of land of over 1,600 acres outside the city limits which is to be 
devoted to (1) the propagation and growing of plants, trees, and 
shrubs, designed for showing either indoors or outside, at the city 
Garden, thus avoiding the existing difficulties of growing plants in 
the city atmosphere; (2) gradually establishing an arboretum as 
well as holding a certain area as a wild-flower reservation, with the 
idea that possibly at some future time this may become the new 
botanical garden. 

The Garden is open to the public every day in the year except 
New Year’s Day and Christmas—week days from 8:00 a. m. until 
sunset; Sundays from 10:00 a, m, until sunset. The greenhouses are 
closed every day at 5:00 p.m. 

The main entrance to the Garden is located at Tower Grove Ave- 
nue and Flora Place, on the Sarah car line (No. 42). Transfer south 


from all intersecting lines. 


Mo. Bor. Garp. BuLL., Vou. 28, 1940 PLATE 14 


HEDGES AT THE GARDEN 


1. Screen planting of Ulmus pumila. 2. Rhamnus Frangula. 3. Physocarpus 
intermedius parvifolius and P. monogynus. 


Missourl Botanical 


Garden Bulletin 


Vol. XXVIII NOVEMBER, 1940 No. 9 


HEDGE PLANTS FOR ST. LOUIS 


If one were to take a census to determine which hedge plants 
are used in the St. Louis metropolitan area the conclusion would 
soon be reached that there are only two, California privet and 
Japanese barberry. The reason is obvious. When a person decides 
to plant a hedge he is interested in the price and in plants that will 
grow with a minimum of attention. California privet has filled 
the bill for many years because it is the cheapest hedge plant, is 
easily handled, and will grow in almost every kind of soil and 
situation. It is semi-evergreen in this region and will retain its 
rich, dark green leaves as long as the temperature does not ap- 
proach zero. What the average home-owner does not know is that 
this hedge freezes to the ground in severe winters, about every 
tive to seven years. Barberry is the second choice because, in ad- 
dition to its many good qualities, it may be used when there is need 
for a thorny hedge to stop trespassing. 

There are many kinds of shrubs that may be closely planted to 
form a hedge, but some respond to clipping better than others. A 
hedge may be employed as a screen for privacy, as a barrier 
against intrusion, in boundary planting, as a background for 
flower borders, to form the architectural lines and divisions in 
the formal garden, or as an edging for flower-beds. In selecting 
a hedge for any of these purposes thought must be directed to 
the habit of growth, the texture and color of the foliage, and its 
adaptability to this climate. Some plants require more sh saring 
than others if formal lines are to be preserved, and this is a con- 
sideration of major importance where a great deal of hedge is 


used. 


(193) 


194 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


A hedge grows best in the open where it receives a maximum 
amount of light. When planted under trees it suffers for lack of 
light and moisture, and this is very noticeable in dry years, Since 
a hedge remains in the same location for many years the soil should 
be put in good condition before any plants are set. Young plants, 
two to three years old, make the best hedges, and since they are 
planted rather close together it is better to make a trench instead 
of digging a separate hole for each plant. However, this is only 
necessary with larger plants that are spaced two or more feet 
apart or when the roots are surrounded with a ball of soil, as in 
evergreens. A formal hedge row must be straight, and this is best 
accomplished by stretching a line and placing stakes at regular 
intervals. The line is then removed, as it interferes with the plant- 
ing. The ultimate height of the hedge will govern the placing of 
the plants. The taller the hedge, the broader the base will be after 
several years of training. A five-foot hedge will be about four 
feet wide, so the plants should be set at least two feet back from 
the boundary line. The distance between plants depends on the 
height of the hedge and the kind of plant. The plants in a dwart 
border would be spaced six to ten inches apart, those in an eight- 
een-inch hedge a foot apart; stronger-growing plants for a taller 
hedge would be planted at least eighteen inches apart and some- 
times two to four feet for large shrubs and trees. 

Deciduous hedges may be planted in the fall after they have 
lost their leaves, or inthe spring. If the plants are purchased from 
reliable nurseries and shielded from the wind and the sun betore 
they are set there should be few, if any, losses. A thorough water- 
ing after the hedge is set will settle the soil around the roots and 
will prevent any damage from dryness at the time of planting. A 
newly planted hedge should be cut back hard to induce a bushy 
growth at the base. This refers particularly to plants with growth 
habits similar to the privets and barberrics. Six inches is not too 
low for such plants ; taller plants, or such as have a distinct leader, 
should be cut back to about a foot in height. As the hedge develops 
it should be carefully clipped until it finally assumes its true 
shape. Hedges up to three feet in height may be clipped square, 
but tall hedges should be narrow at the top and broad at the base 
in order that light may reach to the bottom. In the first few years 
the hedge can be shaped in early spring before the leaves develop. 


Mo. Bor. Garp. Butu., Vou. 28, 1940 PLATE 15 


ATW ges 
* ae 


" 


st pee: 


{.? 7 
-- uit sp pists 
(ein oo ae 


a 


TOP—HEDGE OF CALIFORNIA PRIVET (Ligustrum ovalifolium) IN ITALIAN 
GARDEN. 


BOTTOM—BARBERRY HEDGES IN HEDGE-DEMONSTRATION PLOT: 
1. Berberis mentorensis, 2. B. Thunbergii, 3. B. Thunbergii minor, 4. B. Thunbergii 
erecta. 


196 MISSOURI BO'TANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
It must be sheared from three to four times during the summer to 
keep it in good condition. 

A dwarf box hedge is the border plant we would like to have in 
our gardens. Attempts in the past to grow it (Buarus semper- 
virens) were discouraging because many young plants were 
frozen. Extensive experiments on different species and varieties 
of Buxus are now under way at the Arboretum and the results thus 
far seem to indicate that a perfectly hardy box may be obtained 
for St. Louis and vicinity. A subsequent bulletin will be devoted 
to this subject. 

Teucrium Chamaedrys, the germander, has dark, glossy green 
leaves and when closely planted and sheared makes an excellent 
substitute for the box hedge. It retains its leaves well into the 
winter, or until the temperature drops to ten degrees above zero. 
In some years it is necessary to cut it to the ground in the spring 
but it soon assumes its normal shape. 

It is possible to fashion a dwarf hedge out of Kuonymus radi- 
cans. If closely planted and supported on each side by a low wire 
fence it makes a dense growth which soon hides the wire. It must 
be protected against winter injury and rabbits. 

Acer Ginnala, the Amur maple, makes a good clipped hedge. 
The leaves turn red in October, and it is the most brilliantly 
colored hedge which can be grown under city conditions. 

A barberry under the name of truehedge columnberry ( Ber- 
beris Thunbergii erecta ) is a very promising hedge. It grows very 
straight and needs little shearing. The past winter was an ex- 
cellent test for its hardiness. In the fall the leaves turn red and 
remain on the plants longer than those of the Japanese barberry. 
Since its introduction in 1934 Berberis mentorensis has proved 
to be an excellent hedge plant. Unlike the other barberries it re- 
tains its dark green foliage well into the fall and early winter. 
Japanese barberry, Berberis Thunbergii, is the second most pop- 
ular hedge. The colorful leaves in autumn and the red berries in 
winter make it particularly attractive, and its thorniness fre- 
quently helps to keep out trespassers. The box barberry, Berberis 
Thunbergii minor, has very small leaves and may be clipped quite 
low. It is not so colorful in the fall as the other barberries. 

Carpinus Betulus, the European hornbeam, makes a dense 
hedge. It holds most of its brown leaves throughout the winter, 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 197 


the new leaves appearing in April. This is a good but rather ex- 
pensive hedge plant. 

Cotoneasters are being recommended for hedges, and the Peking 
cotoneaster, Cotoneaster acutifolia, and C. lucida have been grown 
in the hedge plot at the Garden. Their leaves are glossy green. 
The plants make a dense growth and are perfectly hardy but, un- 
fortunately, are subject to leaf rollers and scale insects. 

Since hawthorns grow so well in this region they make excel- 
lent screen plantings. The cockspur thorn, Crataegus Crus-galli, 
is a good plant for this purpose. The smaller-leaved English 
thorn, C. Oxyacantha, forms a fine close-clipped hedge. Haw- 
thorns are subject to scale insects and aphis and for that reason 
should be examined each year lest these pests become serious. 

The Russian olive, Klaeagnus angustifolia, grows tall and 
makes an excellent background where a silvery gray color is de- 
sired. This cannot be considered a long-lived hedge. 

Ligustrum ovalifolium, the California privet, is the hedge most 
commonly planted. Where other plants might be damaged by the 
intense heat when planted near the base of a building, this privet 
retains its rich green color. For twenty-five vears California 
privet has been grown in the Italian Garden, during which time 
very few plants have had to be replaced. It makes a fine dense 
hedge when closely sheared but in time this constant clipping pro- 
duces a stubby growth. If the hedge freezes to the ground once 
in five years it is really helped in that a new clipping surface is 
produced, Although it must be cut down after it is frozen, it soon 
recovers and by the end of June is at least fifteen inches high. For 
a low formal hedge this is a good plant to use. A strong-growing 
privet that closely resembles L. ovalifolium is the Ibolium privet. 
It stands shearing well, or it may be left to grow naturally to 
form a background or screen ten feet high. Only once, in the se- 
vere winter of 1933-34, was this hedge frozen to the ground. The 
Regel privet, L. obtusifolium Regelianum, is not affected by cold. 
It is distinct from the other privets in its horizontal branching and 
its longer but not glossy green leaves. 

Two other privets in the hedge-demonstration plot have faults 
which should be mentioned. When the lodense privet was intro- 
duced in the early twenties it seemed a promising hedge for the 
Italian Garden and several thousand plants were propagated. 


198 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


However, a twig blight developed in the nursery rows and for 
that reason this privet was never used. In recent years it has been 
grown at the Gray Summit Arboretum, with no evidence of twig 
blight so far. This same disease appeared in the European privet 
(Ligustrum vulgare), and the plant has been discarded as un- 
desirable. It was replaced with the Amur privet, L. amurense, 
which is reputed to be the hardiest of the privets. However, it has 
not been in the collection long enough to judge. 

The white belle honeysuckle, Lonicera bella albida, makes a 
large hedge in a comparatively short time. It grows faster than 
any of the privets. The leaves are almost a blue-green and are 
just as fresh in the fall as in the spring. In early April this is 
the greenest hedge and very attractive. Probably its only draw- 
back is that it needs frequent shearing if grown as a formal hedge. 
Lonicera Xylosteum, the European fly honeysuckle, has attractive 
foliage in spring but in summer it becomes very rusty. 

Physocarpus intermedius parvifolius (the dwarf ninebark) 
and P. monogynus are two of the densest hedge shrubs. The leaves 
are small, barely three-fourths of an inch long, the general color 
effect being a yellow-green. The foliage does not color in the fall 
and drops soon after frost. These plants stand shearing well. 
Aphis attack the young shoots and must be sprayed with a con- 
tact spray in early summer. 

Prunus tomentosa, the Nanking cherry, is one of the taller 
hedges. It blooms in spring even though it has been clipped. Un- 
fortunately, the leaves become gray-green towards fall due to the 
numerous leaf hoppers. 

Rhamnus Frangula, the glossy buckthorn, is an attractive hedge. 
It is the cold-climate counterpart of the beautiful cherry-laurel 
hedges, Prunus Laurocerasus, of milder climates. The foliage re- 
mains free from insects and diseases and retains its rich, dark, 
glossy green leaves until November. A hedge that also has laurel- 
like leaves is Quercus imbricaria, the shingle oak. This is a native 
tree which had to be collected as very few nurserymen grow it. 

The syringas or lilacs are sometimes used in hedges and if left 
unclipped, as in the common lilac, are beautiful when in bloom. 
The Hungarian lilac, Syringa Josikaea, may be clipped into a for- 
mal hedge. Lilac foliage mildews in late summer. Unless a flower- 
ing hedge is wanted there is not much reason for using lilacs, 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 199 


Ulmus pumila, the dwarf Asiatic elm, may be used as a tall 
hedge or as a screen. It grows rapidly and if sheared makes a 
dense growth. If used as a screen it will need at least two clip- 
pings a season to maintain its shape. 

Viburnum Lantana, the wayfaring tree, forms a tall hedge that 
is always well clothed with leaves. It is hardy and is not bothered 
by insects, and if the foliage were more attractive it would be con- 
sidered one of the best hedges. 

Other hedges have been given a trial but have been discarded 
because of some fault. It was hoped that the shiny-leaf honey- 
suckle (Lonicera nitida) could be used as a hedge, since it is 
such a compact and attractive little plant. However, with or with- 
out protection it looked poor in the spring and during the winter 
many of the branches were completely frozen. It is being given 
a second trial in which it will be treated as a tender perennial and 
protected in a cold-frame during the winter. 

Salix pentandra, the laurel willow, was also tried with the hope 
that it would be a good substitute for the tender cherry-laurel 
hedge. As a hedge plant it was a failure for it suffered from dry 
weather, numerous poplar beetles disfigured the foliage, and some 
of the plants died from a crown gall at the base of each plant. 

Ribes alpinum, the mountain currant, had to be removed from 
the hedge garden because the leaves were badly sunburned. The 
plants are now growing in the shade and are doing much better. 

Other plants on trial, but from which comments are withheld 
until more data are available are: Acer campestre, Bumelia lanug- 
imosa, Cotoneaster horizontalis perpusilla, Euonymus alata com- 
pacta, Huonymus patens, Taxus cuspidata capitata and Thuya 
occidentalis. 

All but three of the plants described in this article are growing 
in the hedge-demonstration plot in the Economic Garden, which 
contains thirty-five kinds of hedges. P.Da 


DON’T BURN THE LEAVES 


A fire in the woods at night is spectacular but it does so much 
harm that every forester and every agency concerned in the grow- 
ing of trees devotes an appreciable portion of its annual budget of 
both time and money to the prevention and control of forest fires. 


200 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


The very common custom of setting the woods on fire has a 
parallel in our city gardens. The fires are less spectacular, how- 
ever, since metropolitan fire departments rarely permit even a 
grass fire to make much headway. Just the same, almost every 
city garden will be “burned over’ when the leaves are raked and 
burned. The damage will be exactly as great as with a woodland 
fire but we won't find charred fence-posts and blackened build- 
ings about the city. The forest fire is so serious because it reduces 
the growth rate of trees, kills off seedlings needed to restock the 
region, permits noxious weeds to grow on the bare soil, reduces 
the quality and sometimes totally destroys the value of the wood- 
lot as marketable timber. It accelerates erosion, since the leaf- 
mold is destroyed, and exposes soil to much more rapid drying. 
Most city gardens will be no better off than the blackened wood- 
land after the fall clean-up. It is the rotting leaf-mold of the 
woodland that checks drying, controls erosion, furnishes food and 
proper conditions for seedling growth, and these are exactly the 
requirements for good growth of trees and shrubs in the city. 

Expert gardeners often feel of the soil and say that it seems 
“dead.” While it would be difficult to explain exactly how a “dead” 
soil feels and looks, the description is accurate. The loss of humus 
through the raking and burning of leaves finally reduces the or- 
ganic matter to the point where it will no longer support the 
myriads of bacteria so essential to plant nutrition, and a soil with- 
out humus is actually dead. 

We can overcome and avoid these troubles if we simply DON’T 
BURN THE LEAVES. The very best trees and shrubs are 
often found in out-of-the-way places, far from the kind atten- 
tion of a gardener. Certainly no leaves are raked from around such 
plants, and this is the very reason why they flourish. Let's do 
more lazy gardening. Let's sweep the leaves off the lawn and into 
the shrubbery bed or around the trees and leave them to rot. If 
there are more than enough for this purpose, then compost them. 

It is not difficult to compost leaves and produce leaf mold sat- 
isfactory for gardening purposes. Simply place them in a pile 
when they are damp, or add water if they are very dry. They 
may be placed in a wooden bin, in a bin having concrete sides and 
bottom, or just enclosed in wire netting strung on fence posts. 
To hasten decomposition they must be compacted, and this is most 


Mo. Bor. Garp. BuLu., Vou. 28, 1940 PLATE 16 


COVERED BINS FILLED WITH SHREDDED LEAVES AND 
SHREDDED COMPOST 


202 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


easily done by turning a garden hose on them after all have been 
gathered. Even a well-compacted compost pile will shrink one- 
half or one-third in height during the first few months, so make 
the pile so high that it will not dry out during the summer. Any 
kind of leaves can be turned into leaf-mold, although oak leaves 
decompose more slowly unless other leaves are mixed with them. 
To accelerate the process a commercial fertilizer might be added, 
and the final product might be made as valuable as rotted stable 
manure, 

Since oak leaves are more difficult to compost they were made 
the subject of a special study; eight lots were gathered in Floris- 
sant and brought to the Garden, where they were treated differ- 
ently to determine the best way to hasten decay. Each lot con- 
tained nine and one-half bushels of dry red-oak leaves and was 
placed in a chicken-wire bin measuring three feet by three feet. 
They were treated in the following manner: 


(1) 914 bu. leaves covered with 6 bu. oak sawdust. 

(2) 914 bu. leaves mixed with 5 bu. sawdust when placed in 
the bin. 

(3) 914 bu. leaves used as a check-—no treatment. 

(4) 914 bu. leaves mixed with 4 bu. of soil. 

(5) 914 bu. leaves mixed with 21% bu. peat. 

(6) 914 bu. leaves mixed with 8 bu. manure in alternate layers. 

(7) 915 bu. leaves mixed with 20 Ibs. of commercial 10-8-6 
fertilizer. 

(8) 914 bu. leaves passed through a shredder. 


While there was some difference in the speed of decomposition due 
to the different treatment, actually any one could have been used 
as leaf-mold in the making of a new garden, after one year’s time. 
Oak leaves therefore can be converted into leaf-mold, and if other 
leaves are added, as would be the case in most gardens, a usable 
material will be produced if the pile is turned once during the 
year. 

Leaf-mold which is one year old is sufficiently decomposed and 
may be used anywhere, except as a top-dressing for lawns. Usu- 
ally in the process of raking, piling, compacting and turning, 
many weed seeds are gathered and some germinate so that there 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 203 


is a valid objection to the use of such material on turf. For the 
past several years, all the leaves within the Garden have been 
swept into the nearest shrubbery beds, and while this at times 
may appear somewhat unsightly or may be criticized as lazy gar- 
dening, the thick layer of leaves will do for the shrubbery exactly 
what leaf-mold does for the woodland. It has been interesting to 
observe the germination, in these beds, of acorns and walnuts 
planted by the squirrels. Without the leaf mulch conditions would 
not be suitable for the growth of seedlings, and dry weather would 
do much more harm to the plants. 

In addition to the leaves swept into the shrubbery beds, others 
are formed into great piles for compost; many loads come from 
the city streets. These are usually very wet, and have often under- 
gone some mechanical injury by passing trafic, but they become 
very acceptable leaf-mold when passed through the shredder. A 
shredder is some form of power-driven machine having a spinning 
rotor, and fitted with knives which break up the leaves. The model 
built and in use at the Garden is also capable of separating gravel, 
cinders, tin-cans and bricks from the leaves, and turning out a 
very satisfactory product from very rough material. Most gar- 
dens are too small for the use of a mechanical shredder. Its chief 
advantage is that it speeds up the process of decomposition and 
makes it possible to use any leaves within the period of a year. 

Ordinarily, surplus leaves are formed into piles 150 feet long 
and are left just as they are placed with a dump truck. If time 
permits, these piles are turned by hand once during the year; if 
there is no opportunity to do this, they are hauled directly to the 
shredder and after passing through the machine are deposited in 
a covered bin holding about forty cubic yards. They remain under 
cover until used, which may be but three weeks or perhaps three 
months. The bin is again filled from the stock pile, which, despite 
its size, rarely lasts longer than a year. 

Since it is customary to rake leaves each fall it would require 
little more effort to compost them than it takes now to burn them, 
and the advantages to the garden will far outweigh the extra 
labor involved. The formula then, for growing vigorous, drought- 
resistant trees and shrubs is simply DON’T BURN THE 
LEAVES. A FCs 


204 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
WINTER COURSE IN GARDENING FOR AMATEURS 


The elementary course in various phases of gardening for ama- 
teurs, which has been conducted at the Garden for the past few 
years, will be omitted in 1941. However, a course in gardening 
for amateurs, calculated to give the students as much practical 
work as possible, will start in February, 1941. The classes will 
be held in the experimental greenhouses, Wednesdays and Fridays, 
10:00 to 12:00 a.m. Due to the large enrollment it will be neces- 
sary to divide the class into two sections, one group meeting 
on Wednesday and the other on Friday. Students may elect either 
one of the two days. The course will be in a charge of Dr. Fair- 
burn. 


Reaisrrarion: It is desirable that registration be made by let- 
ter, with check enclosed payable to the Missouri Botanical Gar- 
den, as soon after January 1 as possible. ‘Tickets will be 
ready for distribution on day of first lecture. 

Free: The registration fee is $10.00 per student, and tickets are 
not transferable. 


February 5 and 7—The selection and care of house plants, How to force 
bulbs. 

February 12 and 14—The preparation of fertile garden soil, Soil testing. 

February 19 and 21—How to improve soils by the use of fertilizers. 

February 26 and 28—Identification and control of comman garden in- 
sects and diseases. 

March 5 and 7—April 2 and 4—Plant propagation, Five class periods 
will be devoted to this subject in order that the students may become 
familiar with a variety of plants and how to raise them from seeds and 
cuttings. 

April 9 and 11—Potting of plants raised from seeds, 

April 16 and 18—Potting of plants raised from cuttings, 

April 28 and 25—Landseaping the home grounds. Lawns. 

April 80 and May 2—Garden work demonstrated: 

Pruning trees and shrubs. 

Application of lime and fertilizers. 

Cultivating. 

Digging and preparing flower beds. 

Planting annuals and perennials. 

Transplanting trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials. 

May 7 and 9—Trip to the Garden Arboretum at Gray Summit where the 
students will have opportunity to see the large collection of orchids, 
the pinetum and many native plants. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 205 
NOTES 


Dr. David C. Fairburn, Horticulturist to the Garden, has an 
article, “The Winter Storage of Tender Bulbous Plants,” in the 


November number of Real Gardening (3: 37-42). 


Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of Succulents at the Garden, 
gave an illustrated talk, “Hunting Cacti in Mexico,” before the 
Cooperative Club, at the Hotel Statler, November 13. 


Dr. Edgar Anderson, Geneticist to the Garden, and Mr. Leslie 
Hubricht are the authors of a paper in the November number 
of Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club (67: 639-648), entitled 
“A Method for Describing and Comparing Blooming-Seasons.” 


Mr. L. P. Jensen, Manager of the Garden Arboretum, has been 
re-elected president of the Gray Summit Garden Club, and he has 
been appointed a member of the standing committee on arboricul- 
ture of the American Institute of Park Executives. 


Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, has been 
appointed a special member of the committee to judge the silver- 
leaf maples given last spring by Mr. John S. Swift to the school 
children of St. Louis. Prizes are to be awarded to those having 
the best-grown trees. 

Mr. L. P. Jensen, Manager of the Garden Arboretum, gave a 
talk before the St. Louis Naturalists’ Club, October 12, on “Old 
Herbals” and “Naturalists I Have Known”; before the Wright 
Garden Club of St. Louis County, October 16, on “The Missouri 
Botanical Garden Arboretum’; and before the Missouri Valley 
chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, October 
19, on ““The Missouri Botanical Garden Arboretum” and ‘The 
Henry Shaw Gardenway.” 

The following out-of-town members of the Missouri Valley 
chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects visited 
the Garden Arboretum on October 19: Mr. S. Herbert Hare. 
Mr. Donald W. Busch, Mr. C. V. Cooper, and Mr. H. G. Whiffen, 
of Hare & Hare, Landscape Architects, Kansas City, Mo., Mr. 
Herbert Brackney, of the State Park Board, Jefferson City, and 
Mr. E. H. Dormann, of the Alton Park Department, Alton, III. 


206 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Recent visitors to the Garden include: Dr. Albert J. Mangels- 
dorf, Chief Geneticist, Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association, 
Honolulu; Mr. Robert Pyle, of the Conard Pyle Co., Rose Grow- 
ers, West Grove, Pa.; Dr. Louis M. Massey, president of the 
American Rose Society; Mr. ‘Thurman Wilkins, of the Hunting- 
ton Gardens, San Marino, Calif.; Mr. William F. Wight, of the 
Division Horticultural Crops and Diseases, U. S. Department of 
Agriculture, Palo Alto, Calif.; Dr. John B. Routien, Instructor 
in Botany, and Mr. Howard Harris, graduate student, both of 
the University of Missouri, Columbia. 


Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, has given 
the following talks recently: October 15, “The Missouri Botani- 
cal Garden,” before the Coterie Club, at the Hotel Kingsway; 
October 24, “Conservation,” before the Marguerite Krueger Con- 
servation Club; November 7, “Jungle Experiences in the Andes 
of South America,” before the Parent-Teachers’ Association of 
the Twillman School; November 13, “Floral Displays 'Through- 
out the Year,” before the Granite City Community High School; 
November 16, ‘Collecting Orchids in the Andes of South 
America.” before the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity of the University of 


Illinois, Urbana. 


STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR OCTOBER, 1940 


GarDEN ATTENDANCE: 
‘Total number of visitors er 36,297 
PiLant ACCESSIONS: 
Total number of plants and seed packets received as gifts 142 
Lisrary ACCESSIONS: 
Total number of books and pamphlets bought |... racinteae 3 11 
Total number of books and pamphlets donated ........ . 219 
Herpartum ACCESSIONS: 
By Purchase— 
Gentry, Howard Scott—Plants of Mexico ... 980 
Moldenke, Harold N.—Plants of eastern United States ... 865 
By Gift— 
Anderson, Edgar—Photographic enlargements of buds of 
Fravinus a 29 
Bartlet, H. J.—Psychotria dispersa Stand], from Panama 1 
Bennett, F. L.—Glyceria grandis 8S. Wats. from South Dakota 2 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 207 


Brenner, Louis G., Jr.—Plants of Mississippi and ‘Tennessee 7 
Clemens, Mrs. Joseph—Hymenophyllum sp. from Borneo ..... 2 
Ehlers, J. H.—Plants of Colorado ............ a nen 11 
Erickson, R. O.—Plants of Illinois ..................... 2 
Erwin, A. cee of horticulture Se ee 2 
Featherly, H. Plant of Oklahoma ................ 1 
Greenman, J. i and EF. C. Berry—IWolfiella sp. from Ilinois 1 
Heising, C oe Plants of New Mexico 2 
Hubricht, Leslie—Wolffiella floridana (J. D. Sm.) Thomp. 
PLOMUPUUMINOWS ee ara ee ee ee de x sce oh eine ee eee 1 
Kammerer, Alfred L —Baptisia linctoria (.): Re Br: from 
PEnnSYIV ANIA es oie oe 2 gs Sts end 2 sls DESO eel I 
Kearney, T. H. and R. H. Peebles—Plants of Arizona ey ae 4 
Murrill, W. A.—Plants of Florida ............. ......... a 17 
Parks, H. B.—Plants of Texas .... Pe ee ee Soe 12 
Porsild, Neo n lee Ere aes of Greenland ; ere 32 
Sperry, ¢ | er 5 
Turner, J. pea pe sina Giaiioite 8 (C av.) B. & i. nats 4s 6 
By Exchange— 
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden—Plants of California - 29 
Schallert, P. O.—Plants of North Carolina |... ere arene Oy 
United States National Museum, W ashington, D. C.— Plants 
Of RETUy ee ae gage a Ae PAE cist <ig 22s. anh cet Scat, dune nee eee eee 10 
By Field Work— 
Woodson, R. E., Jr.—Plants of Panama |... our 8 


Total a ; = 2,087 


: STAFF | 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE GARDEN, 2318 TOWER GROVE AVENUE, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI | 
Grorce T. Moore, 


Director. 

HERMANN VON sore be _.  Ep¢ar Anperson, 

, Pathologist Geneticist 

. -\ Ropert E. Woopson, JRr., 

Jusse M. GREENMAN, | Assistant Curator of 

Curator of Herbarium Herbarium 

a rate Netz C. Horner, 

Carrot W. Dope, : Librarian and Editor of 

‘Mycologist ‘ Publications 

Grorce H. Prive, 
; purer ean 

JoHN Noyss, o> Paut A. Konn, 

Consulting Landscape Architect Floriculturist 
Witt F. Lanean, , Aveust P. BEILMANN, 

Chief Engineer 4 _ Arboriculturist 
JosePH LANGEN, Davin C. Famsurn; 

Assistant Engineer _. Horticulturist 
ALBERT PEARSON, JOSEPH CuTAK, 

Painter In charge of Exotics 


LaDISLAUS CuTaK, 
In charge of Succulents 


THE ARBORETUM, GRAY SUMMIT, MISSOURI 
Lars P. Jensen, 
Manager 


ARoy E, eared Davin Miter, 
Engineer Orchid Grower 


REPRESENTATIVE IN. THE TROPICS 


Paut H. Auten, 
Balboa, Canal Zone 


REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE. 
Gurney Wison, F. L. S., 


Hove, Sussex, England 


NOTICE 


ATTENTION is called to the recently issued “Spring 
Flora of Missouri” by J. A: Steyermark. About 
fourteen hundred plants blooming in Missouri 
and adjoining states are described and most of 
them illustrated. Designed primarily for nature- 
 Jovers, scouts, amateur botanists, etc., emphasis is 
placed on the common name; also, an attempt is 
made to write the descriptions in simple untechni- 
cal language so that, with the help of the keys 
and the illustrations, identification of spring- 
blooming flowers should not be difficult. The book 
is cloth-bound and comprises 590 pages, 163 
plates, and 444 line drawings. For sale by the 
Missouri Botanical Garden. Price $3.00. 


Missouri BoTaNIcAL 
GARDEN BULLETIN 


Vol. XXVIII. DECEMBER, 1940 No. 10 


CONTENTS 
; p Page 
- The Intriguing Bryophyllum . .-. . ..) s+.) 207 
‘gnthing end “Tree: ih sO ES iy ne 208 
A Hardy Woody Plant New to Horticulture . . . 216 
PCM iY rat ar eR a holy, i aa tes EIA oe 
Metitistiog tntormation vie Ss Dae 
Index to Illustrations of Volume XXVIII... .  . +225 


General Index to Volume XXVIII. . 2 se. 227 


Office of Publication: 1201-5 Bluff Street, Fulton, *Mo. 
Editorial. Office: Missouri Botanical. Garden, 2315 Tower \Grove Avenue, 
St. Louis, Mo. ts 


Published monthly except in July. and, August by the Board of Trustees 
of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 


Entered ds second-class. matter February’ 23, 1937, at the post-office at 
Fulton, Mo., under the Act of March 3, 1879. 


SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 


Datong Rabat, 3 “BOARD OF TRUSTEES 
_OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS WERE DESIGNATED IN MR. SHAW’S WILL 
AND THE BOARD SO CONSTITUTED, EXCLUSIVE OF THE 
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS, IS SELF-PERPETUATING 


President 
ri Grorce C. HircHcock 


Vice-President 
Danret K, Catiiv 


L. Ray Carter : » Buerne Perrvs 
Dupiry FrencH A. WESSEL SHAPLEIGH 
Grorce T. Moorr Brnan A. H. SHEPLEY 


EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS 


Gxrorer R. THRoop, . Witt1AmM SCARLETT, 


Chancellor of Washington Uni- Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri 
versity 
Brrnarp F. Dickmann, A. H. Timmerman, . 
Mayor of the City of St. Louis resident of. The Academy of Sci- 


ence of St. Louis 


Max G. Baron . 
President of the Board of Education of St. Louis 


Secretary 
Geratp ULricr 


SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN 


The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr. 
Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date to the death of Mr. Shaw, 
in 1889, the Garden was maintained under the personal direction of 
its founder, and while virtually a private garden it was, except at 
certain stated times, always open to the public. Although popularly 
known as “Shaw’s Garden” the name Missouri Botanical Garden 
was designated by Mr. Shaw as its official title and in his will and 
all of his writings he specifically referred to it as the “Missouri Bo- 
tanical Garden.” By a provision of Mr. Shaw’s will the Garden 
passed at his death into the hands of a Board of ‘Trustees. The 
original members of the Board were designated in the will, and the 
Board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members, is self- 
perpetuating. By a further provison of the will, the immediate di- 
rection of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by the 
Board of Trustees. The Garden receives no income from city or 
state, but is supported entirely from funds left by the founder. 

The city Garden comprises 75 acres, where about 12,000 species 
of plants are growing. There is now in process of development a 
tract of land of over 1,600 acres outside the city limits which is to be 
devoted to (1) the propagation and growing of plants, trees, and 
shrubs, designed for showing either indoors or outside, at the city 
Garden, thus avoiding the existing difficulties of growing plants in 
the city atmosphere; (2) gradually establishing an arboretum as 
well as holding a certain area as a wild-flower reservation, with the 
idea that possibly at some future time this may become the new 
botanical garden. 

The Garden is open to the public every day in the year except 
New Year’s Day and Christmas—week days from 8:00 a. m. until 
sunset; Sundays from 10:00 a, m. until sunset. The greenhouses are 
closed every day at 5:00 p,m. 

The main entrance to the Garden is located at Tower Grove Ave- 
nue and Flora Place, on the Sarah car line (No. 42). Transfer south 


from all intersecting lines, 


Mo. Bot. Garp. BULL., VoL. 28, 1940 


PAGODA PLANT 


(Bryophyllum daigremontianum) 


Missour! Botanical 


Garden Bulletin 


Vol. XXVIII DECEMBER, 1940 No. 10 


THE INTRIGUING BRYOPHYLLUM 


During a conversation with Mr. Charles F. Swingle, of the 
United States Department of Agriculture, when he was at the 
Garden several years ago, he related some of his experiences in 
the Madagascan hinterland. With Professor Humbert, of the 
Paris Museum, he had been sent to that large island in search of 
Euphorbia Intisy, a plant yielding an exceptionally high quality 
of rubber. “Although the botanist will find much of interest in 
any part of Madagascar,” he said, “it is the desert region that 
holds a strange fascination. Much of the southern part from 
Tulear on the Mozambique Channel to Fort Dauphin on the 
Indian Ocean is a flat country, and because of the scarcity of rain, 
only plants that are able to utilize moisture from the air or to 
store enough water within themselves are able to live success- 
fully.”” Then he described the xerophytic plant life as being so 
abundant in many places that it was impossible to penetrate the 
dense thickets. “The beauty of the ornamental plants was in 
striking contrast to the severity of their surroundings,” he con- 
tinued, “‘and the succulent multicolored leaves of kalanchoids— 
and of others—all did their best to soften the harshness of the 
desert plains.”’ 

On the mention of kalanchoids I was doubly interested since 
this group of the Crassulaceae contains some of the most out- 
standing members of the family. In its floral construction the 
group is characterized by a four-parted, more or less tubular 
flower with the petals united except at the tips. The genera 
Kalanchoe, Bryophyllum and Kitchingia constitute this assem- 


(207) 


208 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


blage of succulent herbs and sub-shrubs, but sometimes they are 
all found under the one name Kalanchoe. 

The genus Bryophyllum does not represent a large number of 
species but many of them are established as universal favorites. 
They grow with the greatest of ease and may even become a nui- 
sance because many of them reproduce viviparously; by that is 
meant that tiny baby plants sprout all along the serrated margins 
of the leaves, even while these are still attached to the mother 
plant. An enterprising dealer has hit upon the idea of selling the 
leaves of Bryophyllum pinnatum as a good-luck charm. Single 
leaves are wrapped in cellophane and marketed at ten cents apiece. 
This isn’t the first time that this peculiar Bryophyllum has had a 
superstitious significance. Among the West Indians of the Pan- 
ama Canal Zone a favorite method of testing the fidelity of a 
sweetheart is to place a leaf of this plant above the lover's door. If 
anew plant is produced at each notch, her faithfulness can not be 
questioned, As a remedy for headache the savages used to rub the 
leaves over their heads and the juice was used in earache and as a 
lather for shaving. 

The Bryophyllums, for the most part, are natives of Madagas- 
‘ar, but one of them, Bryophyllum pinnatum, has become cosmo- 
politan, being found in all the more or less tropical portions of the 
‘arth. In Bermuda it grows on walls, in thickets, woodlands and 
waste grounds. In Ceylon it is a common plant on bare rocky 
places throughout the lower mountain country, and has all the 
earmarks of a native. In the West Indian Islands and in Central 
America it is often planted for ornament or as a curiosity, and in 
many localities has become thoroughly naturalized. In Florida 
it finds its place in foundation plantings on the rich estates. In 
Mexico I came across this plant in the most unbelievable location, 
While scouting around in the vicinity of Cordoba, the very heart 
of the coffee-producing region in the State of Vera Cruz, I fought 
my way through a thick growth of the jungle and beside an inky 
pool, shaded by the lacy fronds of the fern Cibotium Schiedei, I 
espied a dense colony of Bryophyllum pinnatum. And this plant, 
xerophytic in habit, evidently was drenched with moisture, yet it 
grew luxuriously. 

The Bryophyllums require only simple care, such as would be 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 209 


given to an Aspidistra or Sansevieria, and many species make ex- 
cellent house plants. There is enough diversity among the score 
of species to please everyone. Most of them are robust growers, 
even in the window, and the leaves of some varieties become highly 
colored. Propagation can be accomplished from leaves or from 
cuttings and offshoots. It is necessary only to place a leaf upon 
moist soil and several new plants will appear within a short time. 
Life is so strong in these plants that new growth will appear even 
when attempting to dry a specimen for herbarium use. 

The best-known Bryophyllums are numbered among the fol- 
lowing: B. pinnatum, as stated previously, is a universal favorite. 
You will find it listed often as B. calycinum in the various Floras. 
It has very fleshy leaves, bright green in color, and large panicles 
of flowers, lantern-like in appearance. It is commonly called 
“chandelier plant.” B. daigremontianum possesses large, broadly 
ovate to acutely triangular succulent leaves, which are in two 
colors and marked with scattered splotches on the under-sides. 
The flowers are rose-purple and bloom profusely. The plant is 
referred to as the “pagoda plant” on account of its striking re- 
semblance in shape to a Buddhist temple. B. tubsflorum is im- 
mensely interesting, because the slender, straight stems are beset 
with mottled tubular leaves. Thick bunches of pinkish, tube- 
shaped flowers grace the slender stalks. An interesting hybrid 
between B. daigremontianum and B. tubiflorum was produced 
by the late Dr. A. D. Houghton, which is already creating quite 
a stir among Bryophyllum enthusiasts. B. Fedtschenkoi is an- 
other beauty, a compact grower with grey-blue leaves turning a 
rich lilae when deprived of water and grown in full sun. All the 
above are free-flowering types and worthy of inclusion in a choice 


selection of house plants. ibe Ge 


LIGHTNING AND TREES 


Lightning, the most spectacular, if not the most powerful man- 
ifestation of Nature, intrigued man for centuries before Benjamin 
Franklin began experimenting with thunderstorms. Poets and 
writers have often made use of the phenomenon; the witches in 
Hamlet are ushered onto the stage on a clap of thunder. 


210 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Although much of the supernaturalness has disappeared, we 
are still impressed when we have an opportunity to examine a 
tree struck by lightning and see the effect of the tremendous 
energy that is so suddenly released. 

The literature dealing with the effects of lightning on trees is 
somewhat overwhelming. In 1664 Sir John Evelyn suggested the 
pruning of lightning-injured trees in March, and as a prophy- 
lactic, “the burning of straw and aromatic leaves in suspicious 
weather to prevent entrance of insects and diseases.” The ‘Philo- 
sophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London,” in 1732, 
contains two items of interest. The first, “The Effects of Thunder 
on Trees,” by Sir John Clark, describes the injury to two huge 
oaks, one of which had a “piece cut out of the tree’ 3 inches wide 
and 2 inches deep from top to bottom, and another in which the 
same kind of injury produced a “spiral band,” making three turns 
about the tree before entering the ground. The second article, 
“Concerning Some Extraordinary Effects of Lightning,” by 
Rt. Hon. Robert James, describes two large oaks 40 to 50 feet 
apart. One of them was shattered and split, and the bolt enter- 
ing the ground made a hole 6 or 7 inches in diameter and over a 
foot deep. The other oak was not shattered, had no broken 
branches, and the path of the lightning could be traced only by 
the strip of bark which had been torn away. This strip was 5 
inches wide and began 40 feet from the ground, encircling the 
trunk just once. The surface of the bark on both trees, however, 
appeared to have been peppered with bird shot. 

Prof. Pleinger, in 1851, describes an ‘explosive action” (ap- 
parently the first use of this term), in which a bolt striking an 
oak, 80 to 90 feet high, ripped away all the bark and reduced the 
bole of the tree to matchwood. He noted that the trunk appeared 
to have spread open during the instant of the stroke since small 
slivers fell inside and became wedged there; while a fragment, 
6 feet long and weighing 25 pounds, was thrown over a neighbor- 
ing beech and landed 250 feet away. Pleinger appears to have 
been among the first to use the term ‘‘fluid electricity’’ and ex- 
pressly distinguishes between “heat strokes,” which might set a 
tree on fire, and the “explosive stroke,” just described. This last 
type he ascribes to a sudden mixing of warm and cold air. Four 


PLATE 18 


Mo. Bor. Garp. BuLt., Vout. 28, 1940 


EFFECT OF LIGHTNING 


A stroke which immediately killed the top of a red oak and 
left a few live branches lower down. 


“Explosive” stroke. 


Total destruction of a white oak. 


212 MISSOURT BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


years later he wrote of a “mysterious lightning” in which two 
oaks were struck at the same time. The first one was hit at a 
height of 40 feet, the damage shown by the loss of a one-inch 
strip of bark; while the second tree, 12 feet away, was struck on 
an outward side 20 feet from the ground, a zig-zag injury result- 
ing which was intermittent on the trunk and appeared to follow 
a branch and jump to the adjoining tree. 

The possible role of soil moisture in “drawing lightning’’ is 
shown in a paper by Prof. Colladon. He described a poplar at 
Geneva, Switzerland, which was struck with no visible injury 
except the removal of portions of bark from the trunk. This tree 

yas examined in the expectation that water would be discovered 

at the roots, and a water pipe and waste-water drain were found 
just four vards away. This paper also draws attention to the fact 
that birds are seldom killed by lightning, since they are in the 
tree tops, while people beneath the tree are frequently killed. 
However, there are instances on record, in which thousands of 
fish perished when a bolt struck the sea. 

Lovering, in 1855, quoted Brydone as suggesting the advis- 
ability of connecting women’s bustles and the bird-cage hats of 
the period with a wire trailing on the ground as a precaution 
against lightning strokes—after the manner of a modern gasoline 
truck dragging a chain to ground static electricity. The proposal 


to carry your personal lightning rod seems never to have become 


popular, although at one time serious objections to the common 
use of metallic money entered any discussion dealing with light- 
ning—it was felt that the possession of such money exposed the 
owner to unnecessary risks during a storm! 

In 1883 Dod reported an ash tree set on fire. While there were 
twenty oaks to one ash in the grove, within the preceding twelve 
years three of the five trees struck had been ash. A year later the 
“Gardeners’ Chronicle” published an illustration of an ash wholly 
destroyed by lightning. This tree was described as 8 feet in cir- 
cumference. Illustrations of lightning injury to trees become 
more frequent in publications after this date. Webster, in 1890, 
reported a turkey oak destroyed by lightning, the illustration 
showing the trunk reduced to shingles and some of the wood ac- 
tually seared. The bolt when entering the ground made a hole 


6L Jilv1g 


OP6I ‘82 “IOA “TINg ‘auVy “Log ‘oy 


EFFECT OF LIGHTNING 


stroke on trunk of a tulip tree. 


A deen gash in triink af a white zal 


“forked” 


A 


214 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


21 inches deep and parts of bark were found 100 yards away, 
while one piece of timber, weighing 243 pounds, was thrown 
nearly 50 feet. An anonymous contributor to “Gardeners’ Chron- 
icle’’ (June, 1894) describes a 70-foot oak from which the crown 
had been torn off without other injury, but with the lower portion 
of the trunk shattered and splintered in such a manner that pieces 
could be found over a 50-acre meadow. A contributor to “Nature” 
(February, 1896) gathered together most of the European work 
up to that time and quoted statistics to the effect that between 
1879 and 1890 lightning struck 56 oaks, 3 or 4 pines, 20 or 21 firs, 
but not a single beech; vet the forest was made up of 70 per cent 
beech, 11 per cent oaks, 13 per cent pines, and 6 per cent of firs. 
At that time Fisher and Surog were investigating the chemical 
composition of the wood of trees to determine why lightning ap- 
peared to select certain species. They showed that those trees 
rich in oil and resin during the summer were not struck, while 
those containing much starch were more liable to be singled out. 
Schubler and Hartig were interested in the relationship between 
the moisture of wood and the passage of electricity. Jonescu at- 
tempted some controlled experiments on the electrical resistance 
of wood and constructed a spark coil having a capacity of 30,000 
volts to determine the difference in the conductivity of wet and 
dry wood. He also extracted the oils and resins with ether to 
learn if this had an effect on the resistance. His conclusions were 
substantially the same as Fisher and Surog, who contended that 
trees containing starch are most often struck while oily species 
are not. 

From the above much-abbreviated review it will be seen that 
men have had much difficulty in explaining lightning, and not 
much success in devising protection against it until Franklin in- 
troduced the lightning rod. The terminology of lightning has 
also undergone considerable change. Early authors seemed to 
ascribe most of the injury to the thunder following the flash; later 
the flash itself was considered as the agent of destruction, and still 
later such terms as “‘fluid electricity” appear in the literature. 
After the heated controversy following Franklin’s experiments 
with lightning rods had subsided fewer “‘mysterious’’ cases of 
lightning strokes were reported. However, we find that two very 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 215 


new scientific terms—cosmic rays and hydrogen ions—are being 
woven into modern lightning terminology. 

The most comprehensive American survey of lightning damage 
to trees was undertaken by A. Robert Thompson, in 1936, in con- 
nection with the National Shade Tree Conference. He has gath- 
ered together, with the assistance of many cooperators, 140 case 
records from all over the United States. While, as has been shown, 
many theories have undergone change or have been discarded, it is 
interesting to note that the preference of lightning for oaks is 
clearly shown in this survey. No beech has been a victim while oak, 
elm, and pine, in the order named, make up the bulk of the case re- 
ports. In regard to the position of struck trees, about one-half 
have been members of a group. The report also shows that the 
tallest trees are not always singled out, since over half of the 
trees were no taller than their neighbors. We might expect very 
small ones to be less frequently struck, and this is shown by the 
survey. Most of the trees reported on have been from 60 to 80 
feet in height. That no one can determine beforehand what effect 
the position or location of a tree has on its attractiveness to light- 
ning is shown by a table indicating that most of the trees struck 
were growing on level ground. 

During the years 1932 to 1934 three very large sycamores in 
the Garden were struck repeatedly—the largest at least three 
times in two summers. The damage was rather slight and at one 
place the lightning “jumped” across a copper label, doing no dam- 
age to the bark beneath it but fusing two corners of the label. In 
July, 1934, an experimental installation of lightning rods was 
made in all three trees. To test their efficiency, gaps a foot long 
in the main conductors separated the system near the top from 
that near the trunk and base. In the middle of each of these gaps 
copper or glass plates were placed at right angles to the opening, 
on the assumption that a direct bolt would either fuse the copper 
plate or fracture the glass. In the seven years since these light- 
ning rods have been installed the trees have not been struck. This, 
of course, is negative evidence; but it is generally accepted that 
lightning reds function in just that manner. Presumably they 
dissipate a potential which is slowly building up during a storm 
and thus at no time is the area about the tree surcharged with 


216 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


electricity. Based on our experience, and that of many others in 
various parts of the country, it appears that lightning rods offer 
ample protection for valuable trees. 

The accompanying photographs show injury to some species 
of trees and also show a few of the major types of injury—the 
“explosive” stroke, the ruptured bark, and the sliver of wood and 
bark removed. The path of the stroke can usually be followed for 
‘sometimes within a few feet 


a considerable distance up the tree 
of the top. In sycamore, however, a stroke does no damage above 
the point where the heavy corky bark (characteristic of old 
trunks) ends. This brings up the interesting immunity of beech 
to lightning; perhaps beeches are struck but never show injury 
just as the very smooth upper branches of sycamore are not in- 
jured. Of all the American trees only beech and sycamore retain 
the extremely smooth, cork-free bark for any length of time. 
While the largest and oldest sycamores finally develop a very 
heavy bark, the beech remains very smooth throughout its life. 
Perhaps the beech is not immune to lightning. Perhaps the an- 
swer will be found in its very smooth, easily wetted bark which 
may be a very efficient conductor of electricity when compared 
with the thick, corky and water-resistant bark of such trees as the 
oaks. 

Almost every species of tree which attains considerable size 
has been struck by lightning, and following a thunderstorm in 
July, 1939, we are able to add the ginkgo to the list. This we be- 
lieve to be the first record of ginkgo being struck by lightning in 
this country. ee em: 9 


A HARDY WOODY PLANT NEW TO HORTICULTURE 


On the glades and bald knobs of the Ozarks there is frequently 
found a shrub or small tree which for resistance to extreme con- 
ditions of drought and heat is unsurpassed even by the familiar 
red cedar. This is the “‘chittim wood” or “woolly buckthorn,” 
Bumelia lanuginosa. 'To be sure, it never becomes a very con- 
spicuous element in the landscape and, perhaps for this reason 
more than any other, has been neglected by gardeners; but 
throughout the changing seasons few other plants can equal its 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 217 


dependable performance. Furthermore, from early May to late 
November its light green leaves are in evidence, it being one of 
the last deciduous plants to lose its foliage. 

Owing to its naturalistic character, chittim wood may be rec- 
ommended for planting where an informal effect is desired. as. 
for instance, in a sunny courtyard. Since it also seems to respond 
favorably to shearing, it may make a suitable subject for a formal 
hedge or a structural plant. 

Description.—To those unacquainted with Bumelia a brief ac- 
count of its outstanding characters is appropriate. It is a shrub 
or small tree with numerous rigid, rather slender and thorny 
branches, slightly milky sap, and yellowish and exceedingly 
tough wood. The young twigs and the lower surface of the leaves 
are generally covered with dull tawny hairs. The leaves are ob- 
ovate or spatulate, having smooth margins and short petioles, and 
arise either alternately on long shoots or fascicled on the short 
ones. The species does not flower and fruit every year at the Ar- 
boretum. When it does, the flowers, usually borne in clusters, are 
whitish or creamy in color and blossom in mid-July. The fruit 
is a purplish-black berry with fleshy pulp, a single shiny, brown- 
ish seed, and it ripens in September. 

Bumelia ought not to be confused with the native haws, shingle 
oak, common buckthorn, or wild pears, even though it shares many 
characters with each of them. It may be distinguished from the 
red haws in that the leaves are entire, it comes into flower later. 
and its fruits are one-seeded. From the shingle oak (Quercus 
imbricaria ) it differs in its smaller, fascicled leaves, cream-colored 
flowers, and fleshy fruits. It may be distinguished from Rhamnus, 
the common buckthorn, by the position of the flower and fruit ; 
in Bumelia these are borne on wood of the previous year as com- 
pared with the current year’s wood in the buckthorn. Chittim 
wood differs from Pyrus by its smaller, more elongate leaves, with 
entire margins and shorter petioles, its thorns, its smaller, later- 
blooming flowers, and its small, blackish berries. 

Although chittim wood is such a desirable plant for culture in 
the region of St. Louis, it is not well known horticulturally and 
almost no nurserymen carry it. Moreover, since seedlings often 
have long roots, the transplanting of even small ones from the 


218 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


wild is difficult. In tests at the Arboretum, the plant was found to 
be easily propagated from seeds. 

An experimental study of seed germination.—Seeds of Bumelia 
lanuginosa were collected at the Missouri Botanical Garden Ar- 
boretum, Gray Summit, in the fall of 1938. On December 7 of 
that year 100 of these 
equal parts of sand, peat moss, and loam, and both pans were 


50 in each of 2 pans—were sowed in 


placed in a greenhouse in which the temperature was 50-60” F. 
After 614 weeks had passed without visible results, one pan was 
removed to a warmer range (temperature 62-75° FV.) to deter- 


mine if temperature had any effect on their germination. At about 


DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL 
3 en) ee 2 | T 4 2 2B 4 u i aw 4 " a 2s \ 8 5S 
Y . T + — T T r 30 
‘ So 28 
E N 
| LEGEND oe ls 
Seeo Sown im Sano, PearMoss & Loam L , 
/ 240 
_ PAN KEPT IN COOL RANGE / w 
orn PAN REMOVED To WARMER RANGE 2X 
Seep Sown in SAND & Peat Moss ony z 
t ——~ — PAN PLACED IN WARM RANGE we se 
4 
wi 
So 18 6 
Fa 
’ / leg 
4 
L ¢ / f \4 a 
“ * 
4 / (Qu 
ri / 9 
3 i 10 
4 i @ 
“ 7 v4 8a 
? . = 
t v / J 63 
Z Pid , 
b al 
¢ 
rs . 2 
’ » ar 
‘ aa oe — 4 © 
=. LL. = ee aa a 


Figure 1 


this time, 50 more seeds were sowed in a mixture of two parts of 
sand to one part of peat moss in order to learn whether or not 
germination was affected by the kind of soil. 

The first seedling appeared within one and one-half weeks 
after the pan was removed to the warmer greenhouse. Germina- 
tion proceeded at the rate of about three new seedlings a week for 
seven weeks, until 21 seedlings had germinated, or 42 per cent 
(see fig. 1). It was not until the eleventh week that the first 
seedling appeared in the pan that was left in the cooler range. 
The rate of germination here was more rapid for a period also of 


seven weeks. In this case 28 seedlings, or 56 per cent germinated. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 219 


In the third pan the time between sowing and germination of the 
first seedling was shortened to four weeks. Germination was 
rather constant for eight weeks, until the count was 29 seedlings 
or 58 per cent. 


. 


When the seedlings were transplanted to 214-inch pots, on 
April 15, 1939, typical specimens of the various groups appeared 
as shown in figure 2. 


Figure 2 


A and B, seedlings germinated in soil mixture 
consisting of equal parts of sand, peat moss, and 
loam. 4, from pan kept in cool greenhouse 
(55-60° F.). B, from pan moved to warmer 
range (62-75° F.). C, seedling germinated in soil 
mixture consisting of equal parts of sand and 
peat moss, and placed in warmer range. Draw- 
ings 2/5 natural size. 


Culture.—Bumelia may be found growing on the glades of the 
Ozarks south of the Missouri River, in the same environment as 
the red cedar. The berries should be gathered in late September 


220 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


or early October, before the birds have dispersed them. When 
they are thoroughly dried and the pulp has become hard and 
wrinkled the seeds may be removed by soaking the berries for a 
few hours in water or chipping away the pulp with a knife. 
Germination may be accelerated by cutting a small portion of the 
hard shell of the seeds at the end opposite the scar, but this is op- 
tional. The seeds are now ready for planting. ‘Too copious 
amounts of water during germination may prove disastrous. 

The type of soil best suited for the development of Bumelia 
seedlings is a mixture consisting of two parts of sand to one part 
of peat moss. Keep the seeds moist and in darkness until germi- 
nated. The first seedling ought to appear during the fifth week, 
when given slight bottom heat and kept at a temperature of at 
least 62° F. at night (in winter) and not above 75° F. during 
the day. 

After a week or two the seedlings may be transplanted to a 
richer soil containing equal parts of sand, peat moss, and good 
garden loam, and placed in 21-inch pots. At this stage the root 
system ought to comprise a long tap-root, 4-6 inches in length, 
and numerous lateral fibrous roots. The seedlings may be “hard- 
ened off” out of doors only after all danger of frost has passed. 
At first, they may require covering during very chilly nights and 
also a shade during bright or hot sunny days. ‘Towards autumn, 
however, they will be ready for setting out in the nursery row. 
If raised in a climate similar to that of St. Louis, they will not of 
necessity require winter protection although covering may be 
given them. Incidentally, Mr. Alfred Rehder, writing in Bailey’s 


> 


“Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture,” notes that chittim wood 
has “proved hardy in sheltered positions at the Arnold Arbo- 
retum,” at Boston, Massachusetts. 

Summary.—Bumelia, commonly called chittim wood or woolly 
buckthorn, is a shrub or small tree worthy of cultivation on ac- 
count of (1) its resistance to drought, (2) its dependable per- 
formance throughout the year, (3) its hardiness in regions whose 
climate approximates that of St. Louis. It is admirably suited for 
the sunny courtyard. Finally, although it is not too well known 
horticulturally, it can rather easily be grown from seed. 

Roperr Ciark. 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 221 
NOTES 


Mr. L. P. Jensen, Manager of the Garden Arboretum, has been 
re-elected president of the Henry Shaw Gardenway Association. 


Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, spoke 
before the Men’s Club of Tyler Place Presbyterian Church, De- 


cember 1 on “Breeding of Tropical Water-lilies.”’ 
gs 


Dr. Carroll W. Dodge, Mycologist to the Garden, gave a lec- 
ture on “Public Health Problems in Central America’ at the 
School of Medicine of Washington University, on December 4. 


Dr. Hermann von Schrenk, Pathologist to the Garden, spoke 
before the Wednesday Club of St. Louis, November 6, on 
“Pacific Coast Trees.” 


Mr. Ladislaus Cutak, in charge of Succulents at the Garden, 
has an illustrated article, “Des Moines Cactus Club Celebrates a 
Milestone,” in the November number of Desert Plant Life (12: 
168-172). 

Mr. Paul A. Kohl, Floriculturist to the Garden, spoke over 
Radio Station KSD, on the adult education council program, de- 
scribing the Chrysanthemum Show and other Garden floral dis- 
plays. 

Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, has been 
awarded the Thomas Rowland medal of the Massachusetts Horti- 
cultural Society, in recognition of his success in producing tropi- 
cal water-lilies. This is the medal awarded annually for the most 
outstanding work in plant breeding. 


The December issue of Real Gardening (3: 49-57) contains a 
paper, “Some Fundamentals of Good Rose Growing,’ by Mr. 
Paul A. Kohl. This is a reprint of most of Mr. Kohl’s article, 
“Growing Roses in St. Louis,” from the February, 1939, Garden 
BULLETIN. | 


The fourth number of Volume XXVII of the ANNaLs or THE 
Missourt BoranicaLt GarpeN has recently been issued, contain- 
ing “A Monograph of the Genus Calochortus” by Marion Ownbey, 
and “Observations on the Cultural and Pathogenic Habit of 
Thielaviopsis basicola (Berk. & Br.) Ferraris,’ by Ralph Ed- 
mund Rawlings. 


222 MISSOURL BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Dr. George T. Moore, Director of the Garden, has given the 
following talks recently: November 30, at the luncheon meeting 
of the Science Teachers’ Section of the Private Schools Associa- 
tion of the Central States; December 4, over Radio Station KFUO, 
“Henry Shaw, Prophet and Philanthropist’; December 6, be- 
fore the Oklahoma Academy of Science, at Norman, Okla., “On 
Being Scientific’; December 11, over Radio Station KFUO, “Bo- 
tanical Gardens Yesterday and To-day.” 


Recent visitors to the Garden include the following: Mr. R. E. 
Birch, member American Cactus Society, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Mr. 
Albert L. Little, Jr., of the Forest Service, Flagstaff, Ariz.; Dr. 
John T. Buchholz, Head Department of Botany, University of 
IHinois, Urbana; Mr. Edgar L. Evinger, of the Soil Conservation 
Service, Washington, D. C.; Miss Patricia Young, graduate stu- 
dent, University of Kentucky, Louisville; Mr. KE. L. D. Seymour, 
Horticultural Editor, American Home, New York; Dr. Harry 
J. Fuller, Assistant Professor of Botany, University of Illinois, 
Urbana; Dr. John B. Routien, Instructor in Botany, University 
of Missouri, Columbia; Mr. William C. Leavenworth, Assistant 
in Botany, University of Illinois, Urbana; Mr. William Dickin- 
son, Field Supervisor, Bureau Entomology and Plant Quarantine, 
Washington, D. C.; Mr. Bert O. Brayton, Associate Entomologist, 
Missouri State Department of Agriculture, Jefferson City, Mo. 


STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR NOVEMBER, 1940 


GARDEN ATTENDANCE: 
Total number of visitors ......... ; 41,060 


PLant ACCESSIONS: 
Total number of plants and seed packets received as gifts 1,825 


Laisrary ACCESSIONS: 
Total number of books and pamphlets bought.......... 16 
Total number of books and pamphlets donated. . siete saponin 2 132 


Herpartum AccEsstIons: 
By Purchase— 
Degener, Otto—Plants of Hawaii ..... eee Pag wees Ao - 105 
Hinton, George B—Plants of Mexico...... es oe = 600 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 223 


By Gift— 
Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences by Leslie Hubricht 
Plants of North Carolina... 


Anderson, K.—Plants of Florida, [linois, and of horticulture 11 
Baldwin, J. 'T., Jr—Galax aphylla LL. from southeastern 
United States... .... Meth e2 sace 5 dg es ee 52 
Bennett, F. L.—Plant of Nebraska.................... ee ] 
Dixon, Royal—Plants of Texas 2 
Hubricht, Leslie—Plants of Illinois and of horticulture 9 
James, Leslie—Plants of Alabama... .. gs moaned Megee 2 


Murrill, W. A.—Plants of Florida , 40 
Nearing, G. G.—Parmelia aurulenta Tuck. from New Jersey I 
Pring, George H.—Vandopsis lissochiloides Pfitz. from horti- 


culture oo... ee 1 
Stark’s Nursery—Morus alba var. skeletonia Schneid. from 

horticulture 1 
University of Colorado Museum by Joseph Ewan—Plants of 

Colorado ........... - oT er 24 


By Exchange— 
Arnold Arboretum, Harvard Universty—Plants of China, 


North and Central America, and India|... . ... 2,638 
Brooklyn Botanic Garden by H. K. Svenson—Senecio Craw- 

fordii Britt. from ‘Tennessee |. ee : 1 
University of Wisconsin by N. C. Fassett—Plants of Wis- 

consin , 154 


By Transfer— 
Hubricht, Leslie—Plants of horticulture ||... 9 
Pring, George H.—Cattleya Rex O’Brien from Horticulture ] 


otal se Bab, poet 4 ee : 3,657 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Index to Illustrations 


bo 
bo 
Or 


PacE 
Dragon-blood tree in flower ..0..000..0000 00.00.00. 0000000.. A 
Dragon-blood tree in fruit ..........0.......0...... 42 
Diagram showing behavior of bur oak during zero w eather 45 
IVV CEU Yi AU arr inerrant ea hn, fod ak SR 48 
Camoensia mavima ........ mie, oa wD acer ee ee 57 
Camoensia maxima, flower and bud of sae ee ee 58 
RCO SECCE yas dean tae eG ees CLIN e re) Skee Pee 61 
Kudzu vine (Pueraria T hunber GUANO) cic uc anes 71 
Kudzu vine, tuberous root of the ................00 0 cece eee eevee 72 
Kudzu vine, flowers and seed-pods of ................... re oe 73 
Dendrobium superbiens, parents, and progeny of .................. 76 
Dendrobium hybrid imported from Australia ............ 77 
Dendrobium undulatum, typical 30, 77 
Hybrid Dendrobium superbiens raised at the Garden 79 
Dendrobium “Louis Bleriot” imported from Australia 79 
Dendrobium bigibbum ......0.000.0...00.0.0.... 80 
1. Dendrobium Phalaenopsis, flowers grown from ‘seed, forms of; 
2. D. superbiens, flower of, raised at the Garden; 3. D. superbiens 
and D. “Louis Bleriot,” flowers of ................... 80 
Pine forest in the Big Thicket, cai 97 
“The Monarch” (Cereus giganteus ). As it looked in 1981; After r 
the fall; 3. Initial-scarred infected joint : 102 
IWC CTC Sere ee nil acy ngs eR Uae led eee ee Dice ee 105 
Bald cypress: avenue of, Tower Grove Park, St. Louis; group of, at 
Alfred Avenue entrance of the Garden ................... oe EL 
Water-lily, a new pygmy (Nymphaea colorata) 9.0.0..0.0......... 114 
Nymphaea colorata: sepal, petals, and stamens ............... 116 
MCalG SIMSGCUS ge nat y asaya cre eat Ghats 2.'p ala Ruste RN ee meee a Be) 
Kentucky blue grass, wide-le: aved strain, showing the various parts 
Ofsthe plants 2-262... Bs is a2 1 ee 125 
Kentucky blue grass, Poa pratensis BRE icuth. cts .5 <r 128 
Annual blue grass, Poa annua .. me | AS ane nr 131 
Canadian blue grass, Poa compressa ...0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0...... 132 
Woods grass, Poa sylvestris ..0..0.00..... - 133 
Crab grass, Digitaria sanguinalis BPE scan $a Otto 134. 
Redtop, Agrostis alba ..........0...... Se ewha ana oe 135 
Sporobolus vaginiflorus 9.....0........ Vive es $85 3a seran 137 
Rye grass, perennial, Loliwm perenne .................... 138 
Shepherd’s purse, Capsella Bursa-pastoris 9.............. 139 
Knotweed, Polygonum aviculare 9....00000000.0000.0..... 140 
Chickweed, Stellaria media |... .. 140 
Chart showing seasonal changes among grasses of an average St. 
MEOUISS AWN O54. 2 saints rd nee Baa 141 
Diagram showi ing behavior of lawn grasses and lawn weeds through- 
out the growing season .. ........ 2... ; 145 
Kentucky blue grass: upright narrow- leaved strain; low- spreading 
wide-leaved strain ............ PQisn oi sak na > eae 151 


226 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


PAGE 
Chart showing layout of plots for chemical weed control |... . ... 154 
Fescue, Festuca rubra 159 
Sod, photograph of, showing unsightly appearance of redtop among 
blue grass and white clover 163 
Peonies in the Saris of Mrs. Hay ward Nie dringhaus 171 
Peonies in the ee at Missouri Botanical Garden 171 
Tree peonies: 1. Banski; 2. Tama-jishi 172 
Peony flowers, types of ae ee ee _ 175 
Peony clump, dividing a. whee ts aa ta 176 
Peony diseases ..... signet sah one LTY 
Peony before and after disbudding 179 


Hedges at the Garden: 1. Screen planting of Ulmus pumila; 2. 
Rhamnus Frangula; 3. Physocarpus intermedius and P, monogynus 193 


California privet, hedge of 194. 
Barberry hedges in hedge-demonstration plot 194 
Shredder operating near compost stock piles -.. 200 
Covered bins filled with shredded leaves and shredded compost 200 
Pagoda plant (Bryophyllum daigremontianum ) 207 


Effect of lightning: 1. A stroke which immediately killed the top 


and left a few live branches lower down; 2. “Explosive” stroke. 

Total destruction of a white oak te 210 
Effect of lightning: 1. A “forked” stroke on trunk of a tulip tree; 

2. A deep gash in trunk of white oak 212 
Bumelia lanuginosa, chart showing number of seeds germinated 

under various conditions 218 


Bumelia lanuginosa, germination of 219 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


BULLETIN 227 


General Index 


Figures in italics refer to page numbers of plates and cuts. 


A 


Accessions during 1939: 
ium, 24; library, 34 
Acer campestre, 199; Ginnala, 196 

Aesculus Hippocastanum, 44 

Agrostis, 167; alba, 135, 135; palus- 
tris, 167; tenuis, 167 

Allen, Paul A., 15, 23 

Allium, rosy, 181 

Allium stellatum, 180, 181 

Alternate flowering of Echinacea 
pallida, 120 

Aluminum sulphate, effect of, on 
weeds, 154 

Amateurs, winter courses in gar- 
dening for, 204; in 1939, 11, 18 

Ammonium sulphate, use of, on 
lawns, 146, 153 

Anderson, Edgar, 20, 23, 26; Notes 
from the Missouri Botanical 
Garden Arboretum, 106, 120; 
Sweet corn with a college educa- 
tion, 73; Two Ozark wild flowers 
for the fall garden, 180; William 
L. Brown and. Lawns and lawn 
grasses for St. Louis, 125 

Andrews, Henry N., 21, 24, 26 

Anemopaegma Chamberlayni, 14 

Anniversary, fiftieth, of the Gar- 
den, 1 

Annual bequests, 38 

Annual flower sermon, 15, 38 

Annual reports: of the Arboretum, 
7; of the Director, 1; of the 
Herbarium, 28; of Library and 
Publications, 33; of Research 
and Instruction, 18 

Anthurium, 86 

Apprenticeships, graduate, 13 

Arboretum, 2, 7; cone flowers at, 
120; ducks in  Pinetum, 107; 
identification of outdoor collec- 
tions at, 20; Mertensias at, 107; 
Narcissi at, 106; Notes from the, 
106, 120; opening of, to visitors, 
27; orchids at, 10, 12; Ozark 


herbar- 


asters at, 184; Pinetum at, 21: 
purple rocket at, 121; reservoir 
at, 2, 7; rosy allium at, 181; sun- 
shine record at, for 1939, 10, in 
February, 1940, 67; sweet corn 
grown at, 75; wild flower garden 
at, 184; winter injury to woody 
plants at, 88 

Aroid House in 1939, 14 

Arsenate of lead, use of, on lawns, 
154 

Ash trees and lightning, 212 

Aster, New England, 182; Ozark, 
180, 182 

Aster anomalus, 181, 182; Drum- 
mondii, 183; patens, 183; tatari- 
cus, 183; turbinellus, 183 

Attendance for 1939, 39 

Azalea garden at the Greater St. 
Louis Flower Show, 15 


B 


Bald cypress, as a shade tree, 111; 
avenue of, Tower Grove Park, 
St. Louis, //7; group of, at Al- 
fred Avenue entrance of the 
Garden, /// 

Banana plants at Garden, 14 

Banquet Funds: Gardeners’, 39; 
Trustees’, 39 

Barberry: box, 196; hedges in 
hedge-demonstration plot, 794, 
196; Japanese, 193, 794, 196 

Bay: bull, 100; sweet, 100 

Beeches: immunity of, to lightning, 
214, 215, 216; in the Big Thicket 
of Texas, 100 

Beilmann, A. P., 7, 26; The bald 
cypress as a shade tree, 111; Be- 
ware the drought, 184; Don’t 
burn the leaves, 199; Frost 
cracks, 44; Lightning and trees, 
209; The pruning of shrubs, 62 

Bent grass, 167; cutting, 170; dis- 
eases of, 170; fertilizing, 170; 
from seed, 168; from stolons, 


2298 


22 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


168; kinds of, 167; top dressing, 
169; watering, 169; weeding, 168, 
170 

Bequests, annual, 38 

Berberis mentorensis, 194, 196; 
Thunbergti, 194, 196, var. erecta, 
194, 196, var. minor, 194, 196 

Bermuda grass, 139, 165 

Bettoney, Stanley. Colchinine to 
aid the plant breeder, 119 

Beware the drought, 184 

Big Thicket in east Texas, 100; 
pine forest in the, 97; plants 
growing in, 100 

Bird walks at Garden, 18 

Birds and lightning, 212; in the 
Palm House, 59 

Blue grass, 127; at Arboretum, 10; 
annual, 130, /3/; Canada, 131, 
132; Kentucky, 725, 128, 129, 
140, 158, 165, improvement in, 
150, 757; woods, 127, 133 

Board of Education nature study 
work at Garden, 16 

Books in Henry Shaw’s library, 49 

Bouquet, Veiled Prophet Queen’s, 
15 

Box hedge, dwarf, 196 

Brassavola nodosa, 84, 86 

Brassocattleya Digbyana labi- 
ata, 85; Fournierae, 85, 86, x 
Cattleya Schroederae, 86 

Breeder, plant, colchinine to aid 
the, 119 

Breeding, plant: during 1939, 12; 
geraniums, 12; sweet corns, 74; 
water-lilies, 12 

Bridges, new, at Arboretum, 2, 9 

Bromeliads, 86 

Brown, William L., 24, 26; and 
Edgar Anderson. Lawns and 
lawn grasses for St. Louis, 125 

Bryophyllum, the intriguing, 207 

Bryophyllum  calycinum, 209; 
daigremontianum, 207, 209; 
Fedtschenkoi, 209; pinnatum, 
208; tubiflorum, 209 

Buckthorn, common, 217; 
198; woolly, 216 

Bugs, mealy, 44 

Bumelia lanuginosa, 199, 216; cul- 
ture of, 219; description, 217; ex- 


glossy, 


perimental study of seed germi- 
nation, 218, 279, 220 
Burning leaves, effect of, 200 
Bueus sempervirens, 196 
Cc 
Cacti at Garden, 13, 102; damage 
to, by visitors, 102; torch or ean- 
dle cactus, 102 


Cactus House, monarch of the, 
falls, 101, /02 

Caladiums, 15 

Camoensia maxima, “one of the 


most gorgeously beautiful of 
tropical climbers,” 57, 57; flower 
and bud of, 58 

Canal Zone Government, transfer 
of Garden Tropical Station to, 
15 

Capsella Bursa-pastoris, 139, 140 

Carpinus Betulus, 196 

Cattleya gigas, 84; Schroederae, 84, 
85; Trianae, 84, 85, 86, x Brasso- 
cattleya Fournierae, 85 

Cattleyas, 10 

Cedar, 97 

Cephalocereus polylophus, 102 

Cereus grandicostatus, 101, before 
and after its fall, 702; Jamacaru, 
102 

Ceriman, 14 

Chandelier plant, 209 

Chemical: composition of trees in 
relation to lightning, 214; weed 
control, 153, 170, chart showing 
layout of plots for, 754 

Cherry, Nanking, 198 

Cherry-laurel, 198, 199 

Chickweed, 740, in lawns, 
control of, 153 

Chittim wood, 216 

Chromosomes, effect of colchinine 
on, 119 

Chrysanthemum show, 15 

Cibotium Schiedei, 86, 208 

Cineraria show, 15 

Citrus House in 1939, 14 

Clark, Robert. A hardy woody 
plant new to horticulture, 216 

Clerodendron fallax, 14 

Clover in lawns, 74/7, 142, 145 

Coffee trees at Garden, 14 


140; 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 229 


Colchinine to aid the plant breeder, 
119 

Colchium autumnale, 119 

Cold, effect of: on trees, 44, 186; on 
woody plants, 87 

Coleus, mealy bugs on, 47, 48 

Color variations of Mertensia vir- 
ginica, 107 

Columnberry, truehedge, 196 

Compost pile, making a, 200, 200 

Cone flowers, purple, at Arbo- 
retum, 120 

Conifers in Missouri, 97, 111 

Conservatories, Main, and Exotic 
Ranges, during 1939, 13 

Construction: at Arboretum, 7; and 
repairs at Garden, 11 

Copper-lime dust, use of, to con- 
trol peony blight, 176 

Corn, sweet: with a college edu- 
cation, 73; “Golden Bantam,” 75; 
“Toana,” 75 

Cotoneaster acutifolia, 197; hori- 
zontalis perpusilla, 199; lucida, 
197 

Courses in gardening for amateurs, 
11, 13, 204 

Crab grass, 126, 132, 134, 141, 145, 
157; control of, 156; raking, 148 

Crassulaceae, 207 

Crataegus Crus-galli, 197; Oxya- 
cantha, 197 

Currant, mountain, 199 

Cutak, Ladislaus, 13, 24, 26; The 
dragon-blood tree, 41; The in- 
triguing Bryophyllum, 207; The 
monarch of the Cactus House 
falls, 101; Trapeze artists of the 
Palm House, 59 

Cutler, Hugh C., 24 

Cyanide fumigation for control of 
white-flies, 105 

Cymbidiums, 10, 86 

Cynodon Dactylon, 139 

Cypress, bald, 44: as a shade tree, 
111; avenue of, in Tower Grove 
Park, St. Louis, 7/7; group of, 
at Alfred Avenue entrance of 
the Garden, /// 

Cypripedium, 10, 86; actaeus, 86; 
Arthurianum, 86; aureum, 86; 
callosum, 86; cymatodes beech- 


ense superbum, 87; Holdenii, 87; 
Maudiae, 87; Nandii, 87: “Oliv- 
ia,” 87; “Sidney Brown,” 87 


D 


Dahlia show, 15 

Daisies, Michaelmas, 183 

Dandelions, control of, in lawns, 
155 

Degrees awarded in Shaw School 
of Botany in 1939, 22 

Dendrobium, 86; amethystinum, 
86; bigibbum, 76, 80, 80, 86; 
“Louis Bleriot,” 76, 77, flowers, 
76, 79, 80; Goldiei, 82; Leeanum, 
82; nobile, 10, 86; Phalaenopsis, 
10, 76, 82, 86, flowers, 76, 80, var. 
Schroederianum, 77; superbiens, 
77, 80, 83, 86, flowers, 76, 79, 80: 
undulatum, 76, 76, 77, 82, 83, 86; 
veratrifolium, 76 

Dendrobium, hybrids of, 76, 76, 77, 
77, 79; variability of species, 84 

Dendrobium superbiens, a review 
of, 76 

Desert Houses during 1939, 13 

Desert plants of Madagascar, 207 

Digitaria, 132; Ischaemum, 133; 
sanguinalis, 132, 134 

Director, fifty-first annual report 
of the, 1 

Diseases of peonies, 176, 779 

Dodge, C. W., 18, 27 

Dracaena Draco, 41; in flower, 4/; 
in fruit, 42 

Dragon-blood tree, 41; in flower, 
41; in fruit, 42 

Drought: beware the, 184; resist- 
ance of trees and shrubs to, 203; 
resistance of Bumelia lanuginosa 
to, 216 

Ducks in the Pinetum, 107 


y 
Fk 
4 


Echinacea pallida, alternate flower- 
ing of, 120 

Economic garden, hedge demon- 

..Stration plot in the, 793, 194, 199 

Elaeagnus angustifolia, 197 

Electricity from lightning, effect 
of, on trees, 210 


230 


Elm: American, 44; Asiatic, 793, 
199; effect of lightning on, 215 
Engelmann, Dr. George, purchase 
of Garden books by, 49 
Huonymus alata compacta, 
patens, 199; radicans, 196 

Huphorbia Intisy, 207 

Evergreens, 97; at Garden, 184 

Exchanges, herbarium, during 1939, 
31 

Exotic ranges in 1939, 18 

Experimental greenhouses in 1939, 
12 


199; 


F 


Fairburn, David C., 12, 25, 27; 
Identification and control of 
common plant pests. Plant pest 
No. 2—Mealy bugs, 47; Plant 
pest No, 38—Red_ spiders, 60; 
Plant pest No. 4—White-flies, 
104; Plant pest No, 5—Scale in- 
sects, 117 

Fall garden, two 
flowers for the, 180 

February, sunshine (7) in, 67 

Fellows at Garden during 1939, 22 

Fern-Cycad House during 1939, 14 

Fern: Nephrolepis, 14; scale in- 
sects on leaf, 118, 7/8 

Fertilizer: from leaves, 200; for 
lawns, 146, 157, 162, 164, 170; 
for peonies, 175; relation of, to 
hardiness in plants, 87 

Fescue, 158, 759, 165 

Festuca rubra, 158, 159 

Field work in 1989, 32 

Fire, effect of, on soil, 200 

Firs and lightning, 214 

Fish and lightning, 212 

Flora of Missouri, Steyermark’s, 
35, 188 

Floral displays at Garden in 1939, 
14; > chrysanthemum show, 15; 
cineraria show, 15; hydrangeas, 
15; orchid show, 15, in 1940, 85 

Flower sermon, annual, 15, 38 

Flower and Garden show at Arena, 
15, 67 

Flower shows during 1939, 15 

Friends of the Garden fund, 1, 34; 
list of contributors to, 2; Garden 


Ozark wild 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Club of St. Louis visiting days 
for, 92 

Frost cracks, 44, 45 

Fumigation, cyanide, for control of 
white-flies, 105 

Fungus diseases: of grasses, 170; 
of peonies, 176 

G 

Garden Club of St. Louis visiting 
days, 92 

Gardeners’ banquet fund in 1939, 
39 

Gardening: amateur courses in, 
during 1939, 11, 12, 15: winter 
course in, for amateurs, 1941, 
204 

Geranium, an 
Louis, 12 

Germander, 196 

Germination: of bald cypress seeds, 
113; of Bumelia seeds, 218, 2/8, 
219; of succulents, 13 

Ginkgo, damage by lightning to, 
216 

Graduate students during 1939, 22 

Grafting cacti and succulents, 13 


improved, for St. 


Grass: annual blue, 130, ///; 
bent, 167; Bermuda, 139, 165; 
Canada blue, 131, /32; crab, 126, 
132, 134; fescue, 158, 159; Ken- 


tucky blue, 725, 128, 129, 165, im- 
provement, 150, /5/; rye, 137, 
138, 158, 164; redtop, 135, 155, 
8, 163, 164; water, 132, 1/34; 
seeds, 157, 164; woods, 127, 133 
Grasses of St. Louis lawns, 127; 
seasonal changes among, of an 
average St. Louis lawn, ///; and 
lawn weeds, behavior of, through- 
out the growing season, /4/, 144, 
145 
Gray Summit, see Arboretum 
Greater St. Louis Flower and Gar- 
den Show in 1939, 15, 67 
Greenhouses, experimental, 12 
Greenman, J. M., 18, 27 


H 


Hardy woody plant new to horti- 
culture, a, 216 
Haws, red, 217 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 251 


Hawthorns, 197 

Heating plant, repairs on, during 
1939, 11 

Hedge plants for St. Louis, 193, 
193, 194; barberry, 193, 194, 196; 
buckthorn, 793, 198, 217, 219; 
box, 196; chittim wood, 217, 219; 
cotoneaster, 197; elm, Asiatic, 
193, 199; euonymus, 196, 199; 
germander, 196; hawthorn, 197; 
honeysuckle, 198, 199; hornbeam, 
European, 196; lilac, 198; maple, 
Amur, 196; mountain currant, 
199; Nanking cherry, 198; nine- 
bark, 193, 198; planting, 194; 
privet, 193, 794, 197; Russian 
olive, 197; shingle oak, 198; time 
to plant, 194; varieties to use, 
196; wayfaring tree, 199; willow, 
laurel, 199 

Hedges at the Garden, 193, 194, 
196 

Heising, Clara M., nature study 
work of, at Garden, 16 

Herbarium, report of, for 1939, 28 

Holly, 98 

Honeysuckle, European fly, 198; 
shiny-leat, 199; white belle, 198 

Hornbeam, European, 196 

Horse chestnut, 44 

Horticultural Society, see St. Louis 

Horticulture, a hardy woody plant 
new to, 216 

House plants: Bryophyllum as, 
208; dracaenas, 44; insects on, 47, 
60, 104, 117; maricas, 14 

Humus, effect of burning leaves 
on, 200 

Hybrids: colchinine as an aid in 
making, 119; orchid, 12, 76, 84: 
sweet corn, 74 

Hydrangea display at Garden, 15 


I 


Identification and control of com- 
mon plant insects. Plant pest 
No. 2—Mealy bugs, 44; Plant 
Pest No. 3—Red Spiders, 60; 
Plant pest No. 4—White-flies, 
104; Plant pest No. 5—Scale in- 
sects, 117 

Ilex opaca, 98; vomitoria, 100 


Insects: control of, at Garden, 15; 
mealy bugs, 44, 48; nematode on 
peonies, 175; red spiders, 60, 67; 
scale, 117; white-flies, 104 

Instruction: courses of, given by 
Garden staff in 1939, 18; for 
school children at Garden, 16 

lodanthus pinnatifidus, 120 

Iron sulphate, effect of, on weeds, 
155 


J 


Jensen, L. P., 27 

Johnson, G. 'T., 19 

June grass, 130 

Juniper, 97 

Juniperus mexicana, 97; virgini- 
ana, 97 

K 

Kalanchoe, 207 

Kalanchoids, 207 

Kentucky blue grass, 728, 129, 140, 
151, 160, 165; improvement, 150; 
two promising selected strains 
of, 7/51, 152; wide-leaved strain 
showing various parts of the 
plant, 725 

Kitchingia, 207 

Knotweed, 740; in lawns, 140 

Kohl, Paul A., 14, 25, 27; Hedge 
plants for St. Louis, 193; The 
kudzu vine, 71; Peonies, 171 

Kudzu vine, 71, 77; economic uses 
of, 73; flowers of, 73; seed-pods 
of, 73; tuberous root of the, 72 


1 


Lady slippers, 87 

Laelia acuminata, 86; anceps, 87; 
rouldiana, 86; Lindleyana, 86 

Lawn: average blue grass, 157; be- 
havior, 140, 747, 144, 745; bent 
grass, 167; sod, photograph of, 
163; superior blue grass, 162; 
weeds, 140, 170 

Lawns and lawn grasses for St. 
Louis, 125; fertilizers for, 146, 
157, 162, 170; mowing, 160, 166, 
170; preliminary results of ex- 
perimental work, 146; raking, 
125, 148, 157; recommendations, 


232 


156, for the average lawn, 157, 
for the superior lawn, 162; seed- 
ing, 157, 165; watering, 157, 160, 
169 

Leaf-mold, use of, 202 

Leaf-shredder, 200, 203 

Leaves: composting, 200; don’t 
burn the, 199; oak, decomposi- 
tion of, 202 

Lectures, scientific and popular, by 
members of staff during 1939, 26 

Lemon, wild, 99 

Library: and publications, report 
of, for 1939, 33; of Henry Shaw, 
49 

Lightning rods, 214; on trees, 215 

Lightning: and trees, 209; effect of, 
210, 212, on ash, 212, on beech, 
214, 216, on elm, 215, on fir, 214, 
on ginkgo, 216, on oak, 210, 270, 
272, 215, on pine, 214, on poplar, 
212, on sycamore, 215, 216, on 
tulip tree, 272; explosive action 
of, 210, 2/0; literature dealing 
with, 210, 215 

Ligustrum amurense, 198; obtusi- 
folium Regelianum, 197; ovali- 
folium, 193, 197; vulgare, 198 

Lilacs, 198; Hungarian, 198 

Lime, effect of, on lawns, 147 

Liquidambar Styraciflua, 98 

Liriodendron tulipifera, 44 

Lockhartia pallida, 86 

Lolium multiflorum, 137; perenne, 
137, 138 

Lonicera bella albida, 198; nitida, 
199; Xylosteum, 198 

Louisiana, growing bald cypress 
from, 114 


M 


McDermott, John Francis, The li- 
brary of Henry Shaw, 49 

Maclura pomifera, 99 

Madagascar, vegetation in, 207 

Magnolia grandiflora, 100; virgini- 
ana, 100 

Main conservatories, 13 

Manuring lawns, 162 

Maple, Amur, 196 

Maricas, 14 

Mealy bugs, 44; common, 48; long- 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


tailed, 48; typical infestation on 
coleus, 48 

Mertensia virginica, color varieties 
of, 107 

Missouri, Steyermark’s Flora of, 35, 
188 

Missouri Botanical Garden Arbo- 
retum, notes from the, 106, 120 

Missouri Botanical Garden orchid 
show, February, 1940, 85 

Mistletoe, 99 

Mites on house plants, 60 

Moisture: of the soil, relation of 
lightning to, 212; of wood, rela- 
tion of lightning to, 214 

Monarch of the Cactus House falls, 
101; “The Monarch,” 102; as it 
looked in 1931, and after the 
fall, 70.2; initial-scarred infected 
joint, 102 

Monstera deliciosa, 14 

Monvillea Cavendishii, 18 

Moore, George 'T., 28 

Mowing the average lawn, 160; the 
bent grass lawn, 167 

Mulch, crab grass as a, 126, 157 

Mycorrhiza, 101 


N 


Narcissi: during 1940, 106; “Beer- 
sheba,” 106; “Kmperor,” 106; 
“February Gold,’ 106; “Gal- 
lipoli.” 106; “King Alfred,” 106; 
“Mytelene,” 106; “Recurvus,” 107 

National Shade ‘Tree Conference 
survey of lightning damage to 
trees, 215 

Nature study work at Garden, 16 

Nematodes, 175 

Niedringhaus, Mrs. Hayward, 
peonies in the garden of, 777/ 

Nicotine soluton for control of 
mealy bugs, 49, of white-flies, 
105, of scale, 118 

Ninebark, dwarf, 198 

Nitrogen, sources of, for lawns, 146 

Notes from the Missouri Botanical 
Garden Arboretum, 106, 120 

Nursery at Arboretum, 10 

Nutrition, plant, experiments in, 
during 1939, 13 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 233 


Nymphaea colorata, 114, 114, 116; 
polychroma, 116 


O 


Oak: effect of cold on, 44; effect of 
lightning on the, 210, 2/0, 272, 
215; in Texas, 99; leaves, experi- 
ments in composting, 202; over- 
cup, 99; red, 2/0; shingle, 198, 
217; turkey, 212; water, 99; 
white, 2/0, 212 

Oil content of trees, relation of, to 
lightning, 214 

Olive Russian, 197 

Oncidium splendidum, 86; 
tatum, 86; varicosum, 10 

Oncidiums, 10 

Orchids: at Arboretum, 10; at City 
Garden, 10; collecting, 84; Den- 
drobium superbiens, 76; hybrids, 
84; in Queen’s bouquet, 15; 
“Lady of the Night,” 86; Mis- 
souri Botanical Garden show in 
1939, 15, February, 1940, 85; 
seedlings, 11, 12; tiger, 86; vari- 
ability of species, 84 

Osage orange, 99 

Ozark wild flowers, two, for the fall 
garden, 180 

Ozarks: chittim wood found in, 
216; Mertensia in the, 107 

P 

Paeonia “Banski,” 7172; “The 
Bride,” 175; “Mikado,” 175; 
“Myrtle Gentry,” 775; “Tama- 
jishi,” 772; tenuifolia, 175 

Pagoda plant, 207, 209 

Palm House: during 1940, 13; tra- 
peze artists of the, 59 


stipi- 


Palm, sugar, 13 


Panaima: Flora of, 16, 21; Garden’s 
representative in, 16, 22; orchid 
collecting in, 84 

Pears, wild, compared to chittim 
wood, 217 

Peat moss on lawns, 146, 169 

Pelargoniums, 15 

Peonies, 171; botanical, 775; dis- 
budding, 179; dividing, 172, 176; 
double, /75, 179; fertilizing, 175; 
fungus diseases, 176, 1/79; her- 


baceous, 176; in the garden of 
Mrs. Hayward Niedringhaus, 
171; in the landscape at the Mis- 
souri Botanical Garden, 17/; in- 
sects attacking, 175; Japanese, 
175, 179; planting, 171; simple, 
175, 179; tree, 172, 176; types of 
flowers, 1/75; varieties of, 176, 
179 

Pests, common plant, identification 
and control of, Plant pest No. 2 
—Mealy bugs, 47; Plant pest No. 
3—Red spiders, 60; Plant pest 
No. 4—White-flies, 104; Plant 
pest No. 5—Scale insects, 117 

Petrea volubilis, 14 

Phalaenopsis amabilis, 84, 86; Schil- 
leriana, 84 

Phoradendron  flavescens, 99 

Phragmopedilum caudatum, 84 

Physocarpus intermedius —parvi- 
folius, 193, 198; monogynus, 193, 
198 

Pine: forest in the Big Thicket, 
Texas, 97; Japanese white, 21; 
loblolly, 98; short-leaf, scouting 
the, 97; spruce, 101 

Pines and lightning, 214, 215 

Pinetum at Gray Summit, 21; 
ducks in the, 107 

Pinus echinata, 97; glabra, 101; 
parvifolia, 21; Taeda, 98 

Plant Curiosity House, 
grown in, 10 

Plantain in lawns, 155 

Pleinger’s description of lightning- 
struck tree, 210 

Poa annua, 129, 130, 131; com- 
pressa, 131, 132; pratensis, 125, 
128, 129; sylvestris, 127, 133; 
trivialis, 158, 165 

Polygonum aviculare, 140 

Poncirus trifoliata, 99 

Poplar, effect of lightning on, 212 

Pring, George H., 25, 28; Camo- 
ensia maxima, “one of the most 
gorgeously beautiful of tropical 
climbers,” 57; Missouri Botani- 
cal Garden Orchid Show, Febru- 
ary, 1940, 85; A new pygmy 
water-lily, 114; A review of 
Dendrobium superbiens, 76 


orchids 


234 


Privet: Amur, 198; California, 198, 
194, 197; European, 198; Ibo- 
lium, 197; lodense, 197; Regel, 
197 

Prizes at flower shows, fund for, 39 

Propagation, plant: during 1939, 
12; of bald cypress, 112; of 
Bumelia  lanuginosa, 218; of 
cacti and succulents, 13; of grass, 
152; of magnolia, 12; use of root- 
promoting chemicals in, 12 

Pruning: of shrubs, 62; renewal, 
63; rules for, 65; season for, 65 

Prunus Laurocerasus, 198; tomen- 
tosa, 198 

Pueraria Thunbergiana, 71, 71 

Publications: Garden, 35; library 
and, report of for 1939, 33 

Published articles by Garden staff 
during 1939, 23 

Pygmy water-lily, 114, 774, 716 

Pyrus, 217 

Q 

Queen’s, Veiled Prophet, bouquet, 
15 

Queen’s wreath, 14 

Quercus imbricaria, 198, 217; Lly- 
rata, 99; macrocarpa, 44, 45; 
nigra, 99; Phellos, 44 


R 


Rainfall records during 1939, 184 

Raking lawns, 125, 148, 157 

Redtop, 135, 135, 158, 164; photo- 
graph of sod, showing unsightly 
appearance of, 163 

Research and_ instruction 
1939, 18 

Reservoir at Arboretum, new, 7 

Resin content of trees in relation 
to lightning, 214 

Review of Dendrobium superbiens, 
76 

Reynolds, Ernest S., 25 

Rhamnus, 217; Frangula, 193, 198 

Ribes alpinum, 199 

Rocket, purple, 121 

Rye grass, 137, 738, 158, 164 


S 
Sabal Palmetto, 60, 99 


during 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


Saquerus mindorensis, 
13 

St. Louis: chittim wood for culture 
in, 216; hedge plants for, 198; 
lawns and lawn grasses for, 125; 
two Ozark wild flowers for the 
gardens of, 180 

St. Louis Horticultural Society: 
dahlia show, 15; spring flower 
show, 20 

Salix pentandra, 199 

Salvia leaf, red spiders on, 6/ 

Seale insects, 117, //8 

School children, supervised — in- 
struction for, during 1989, 16 

Sciurus caroliniensis, 59 

Scouting the short-leaf pine, 97 

Seed germination in Bumelia 
lanuginosa, 218, 218, 219 

Seeding average lawns, 157, su- 
perior lawns, 164 

Seeds: bald cypress from, 112; 
Bumelia lanuginosa from, 218; 
grass, 152, 157, 167; raising suc- 
culents from, 13 

Seibert, R. J., 25, 28 

Sewage sludge on lawns, 147 

Shade tree, the bald cypress as a, 
111, /// 

Shaw, Henry: the library of, 49; 
bald cypresses planted by, 112; 
radio program about, 53 

Shepherd’s purse, /39, 140 

Shredder, mechanical, 200; use of, 
in making leaf-mold, 203 

Shrubbery beds, use of leaf-mold 
on, 203 

Shrubs: chittim wood, 216; pruning 
of, 62; winter injury to, 88 

Sidewalks, improvement of, on 
Tower Grove Avenue, 6 

Soap solution for control of in- 
sects, 49, 105, 118 

Sod, photograph of, showing un- 
sightly appearance of redtop, 
163 

Sodium arsenate on lawns, 154 

Sodium chlorate, effect of, on 
chickweed, 153 

Soil: effect of, on germination of 
Bumelia lanuginosa, 218, 219; for 
bald cypress, 112; for Bumelia 


(Arenga) 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


lanuginosa, 220; for lawn grasses, 
157; for pines, 98; moisture of, 
in relation to lightning, 212 

Spiders, red, 60; on salvia leaf, 6/ 

Spiraeas, pruning of, 64 

Sporobolus vaginiflorus, 136, 137 

Sprays, insect, 15, 49, 62, 105, 118 

Sprinkling lawns, 157, 160 

Squirrels in the Palm House, 59 

Stanhopea, 84 

Starch content of trees in relation 
to lightning, 214 

Statistical information: for De- 
cember, 1939, 39; for January, 
1940, 55; February, 69; March, 
94; April, 109; May, 123; June- 
September, 190; October, 206; 
November, 222 

Stellaria media, 140, 140 

Steyermark’s Flora of 
35, 118 

Succulents at Garden, 13 

Sulphur on lawns, 154 

Sunshine: (7) in February, 67; rec- 
ord at Arboretum and City Gar- 
den, 10 

Supervised instruction for school 
children during 1939, 16 

Sweet gum, 98 

Sycamores in Garden, damage by 
lightning to, 215, 216 

Syringa Josikaea, 198 

— 

Taxodium distichum, 44, 97, 
il 

Taxus cuspidata capitata, 199 

Temperature, effect of, on germi- 
nation of Bumelia lanuginosa, 
218, 278; effect of low, on trees, 
44, 185 

Teucrium Chamaedrys, 196 

Texas: Big Thicket of, 100, forest 
in, 97, 100; growing bald cypress 
trees from, 114; plants found in, 
100 

Thompson, A. Robert, survey by, 
of lightning damage to trees, 215 

Thorn: cockspur, 197; English, 197 

Thuya occidentalis, 199 

Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, ave- 
nue of bald cypress, ///, 112 


Missouri, 


1A Ea Be 


235 


Transplanting bald cypress, 113 

Trapeze artists of the Palm House, 
59 

Tree: bald cypress as a shade tree, 
111; chittim wood, 216; dragon- 
blood, 41, 47; pine, 97 

Trees: chemical composition of, in 
relation to lightning, 214; effect 
of drought on, 184, of tempera- 
ture, 44, 185; frost cracks in, 44, 
j5; irrigation of, 185; lightning 


and, 209; planting along ave- 
nues, 6; removal of, on Tower 
Grove Avenue, 6; and shrubs, 


use of leaf-mold on, 202 
Tropical Station, transfer of, 15 
Trustees’ Banquet Fund, 39 
Tulip tree, 44; effect of lightning 

on, 212 


Tulipans, 84 
U 
Ulmus americana, 44; pumila, 199, 
screen planting of, 793 
V 
Vaccinium arboreum, 99 
Vanda coerulea, 86; tricolor, 86 
Variability: of Aster anomalus, 
184; of Mertensia virginica, 107; 
of orchid species, 84 
Veiled Prophet Queen’s bouquet, 
15 
Viburnum Lantana, 199 
Vine: ceriman, 14; the kudzu, 71 
Vistors at Garden: during 1939, 
36, 39; during September, 1940, 
189 
Visiting days, Garden Club of St. 
Louis, 92 


WwW 


W.P.A. project in front of Garden, 
6 

Walks, new, on Tower Grove Ave., 
6 

Water supply: at Arboretum, 8; 
effect of, on trees, 184; relation 
of, to hardiness in plants, 87, to 
lightning attraction, 212 

Watering lawns, 157, 160, 169 


236 


Water-lily, a new pygmy, 114, 1/4 

Wayfaring tree, 199 

Weather: in 1939, 14; effect of ex- 
treme cold, on trees, 44, 186, on 
woody plants, 87 

Weeds of St. Louis lawns, 127, 739, 
140, 140, 147, 142, 166; behavior 
of, 144, 745; chemical control of, 
153, 170 

White-flies, 104; adult, 705; and 
eggs on under-side of leaf, /05 

Wild flowers: Steyermark’s book 
on, 35, 188; two Ozark, for the 
fall garden, 180 

Willow, laurel, 199 

Winter course in gardening for 


MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 


amateurs, for 1939, 11, 12, 13; 
for 1941, 204 

Winter injury, 87; to trees, 185; 
to woody plants, 88 

Wood chemical composition of, in 
relation to lightning, 214; mois- 
ture content of, in relation to 
lightning, 214 

Woody plant, a hardy, new to 
horticulture, 216 

Woody plants, winter injury to, 
1939-1940, 87 

Woodson, Robert E., Jr., 21, 25, 28 


Yy 
Youpon, 100 


STAFF 
OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 


THE GARDEN, 2315 TOWER GROVE AVENUE, ST, LOUIS, MISSOURI 
Grorce T. Moore, 


. Dwector ».. ; 
HERMANN VON SCHRENK, EpGar ANDERSON, 
Pathologist Geneticist ; 
Rosert E. Woopson, JR., 
Jesse M. GREENMAN, Assistant Curator of 
Curator of Herbarium Herbarium 
: | Nett C. Horner, 
Carrot W. Dopez, Librarian and Editor of 
Mycologist Publications 
: ; Grorcz H. Prine, 
Superintendent 
JoHN NoyEs, Pavt A. Kout, | 
Consulting Landscape Architect Floriculturist 
Wituram F. Lanegan, ; ‘Aveust P. Brrtmann, 
Chief Engineer Arboriculturist 
JOSEPH LANGEN, : Davin C. Farmsourn, 
Assistant Engineer _. Horticulturist 
ALBERT PEARSON, JOSEPH CUTAK, 
Painter Tn charge of Exotics 


f 


LADISLAUS Curak, 
In. charge of Succulents 


THE ARBORETUM, GRAY SUMMIT, MISSOURI 
Lars P, Jensen, 
Manager 


Roy E. Kisscx, DaAvip Mruuer, 
Engineer j Orchid Grower 


‘ 


REPRESENTATIVE IN THE TROPICS 


Pav. H. Aten, 
Balboa, Canal Zone 


REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE 


GurNEy Witson, F. 1. §., 
Hove, Sussex, England 


NOTICE 


ATTENTION is called to the recently issued “Spring 
Flora of Missouri” by J, A. Steyermark. About 
fourteen hundred plants blooming in Missouri 
and adjoining states are described and most of 
them illustrated. Designed primarily for nature- 
lovers, scouts, amateur botanists, etc., emphasis is 
placed on the common name; also, an attempt is 
made to write the descriptions in simple untechni- 
cal language so that, with the help of the keys 
and the illustrations, identification of spring- 
blooming flowers should not be difficult. The book 
~ is cloth-bound and comprises 590 pages, 163 
plates, and 444 line drawings. For sale by the — 

Missouri Botanical Garden. Price $3.00.