BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. VOL. XV FouxDED BY William H. Leggett, 1870 ? I- i L 1 yk 7*f •^•r^i^ * -r ' ^ '"* ■■.-■ ■:^ EOT A NIC A l^ GARDEN. pf ^ NEW YORK : 1888. I 1 I I GENERAL INDEX. (Illustrated articles are designated by an asterisk* before the page number.) A. A. A. S. Botanical Club :Meeting at Cleve- land, 254. Acrostlchum Eatonianum, sp. iiov.,252. Algae from Atlantic City, 309. Alopeourus Californicus, Vasey, n. sp., 13. Alopecurus geniculatus, var. robustus, Vasey, n. var., 13. Alopecurus HoTvellii, Vasey, n. sp., 12. Alopecurus Macounii, Vasey, n. sp., 12. Anthophyta for PhEenogamia, 20. Aquilegia Canadensis, L., var, flaviflora (Ten- ney), Britten, 97, 165. Asa Gray, Deatli of, 58. Asa Gray, *59. Asa Gray. Hesolutions of the Hamilton Lit- erary and Scientific Association. 96. Ash leaves, abnormal, *212. Astilbe decandra, D. Don, var. crenatiloba, n. var., 98. Batrachospermum moniliforme, var. subula- tum, n. var., 15(>. Bibliofrraphical Notes on well-known plants, 84, 110, 285. Botanical Exchange Club, 49. Botanical Exchange, Announcement of the \ Committee on, 139. Botanical Exchange Club. Eules for the, 1G7. Botanical Notes, 25, 119, 137, 169, 101, 218, 236, 300. ' ' 1 ^ » 1 > Botanical Notes from Kansas, 213. Brasenia peltata, Bursh, Histology of ihe vegetative organs, *29. Bromus Pumpellianus, Scrib., '9. Eryologic-al Notes, 185. Buchloe dactyloides, Engelm.,215, Calycanthus, The fruit of, 205. Capsicum fasciculatum, sp. nov., Sturtevant, 133. ' Capsicum umbilicatum, Vellozo 108. C^stalia versus Nymphsea, 51, 84. Cerastium Texanum, n. sp., 97. Cheilanthes Mexicana, n. sp., Davenport, 227. Cheilanthes vestita, Sw., on New York Island, 211. Choke-cherry, Is the amber-colored entitled to a distinct name ? 267. CONTKIBUTOKS:" Allen, T. F., II. Ami, Henry M., 13a Arnold, Isabel S., 133. ■ Beauchamp, W. M., 214, 266. Bebb, M. S.', *121. Britton, E. G., 203, 220, 247, 268. Britton, N. L., Si, 90, 97, 139, 188, 273, 274, 277, 297. 298, 320, 323, 324, 325. Campbell, Douglas H., 258, 262. Claypole, K. B., 190. Collins, F. S., 309. Davenport, George E., 225. Deane, Walter, 59. Eaton, D. C, 173. Eckfeldt, J. W,, 1»4. Farlow, W. G., 183, 184. ' Foerste, Aug. F., *151. . Greene, Edward L., 84, 110, 125, 285. Gregory, Emily L., 89, 143, 198, 238, 27L Halsted, Byron D., 84, 130, *213. Harvey, F. L., 155. Havard, Dr. Valery, 215. HoUick. Arthur, 219, 245, *303. James, Joseph F., 20, 51, 314. Kain, C. H., 119, 128, 183, 220. Macoun, John, 185. IMassey, W. F., 193. Meeban, Thomas, 137, 192, 193, 219, 267, 316. :Morong, Thomas, *1, *73, 139. Oyster, J. H., 214. Perkins, George H., 220. Robinson, John, 166. Roth, Filibert, 292. Rusby, H. H., 28, 177, 194, 199, 219,237,347. Safford.W. E.,15, 105, 210. Schrenk, Joseph, '29, 119, 273, 293. Scribner, F. L., *8. Smith, John Donnell, 165. Sterns, E. E., 15, 52, 86, 111, 112, 1G2, 167, 190, 205, 211, 230, 236, 317, 322. Sturtevant, E. Lewis, 109, 134. Vasey, Dr. George, 11, 48, 117, 139, 168,294, 295. Watbon, Sereno, 139, 191. Willey, Henry, 114, 147. Wolcott, H. L. T., 268. Corynites Curtisii, B., Development of, *314 Cryptogamia versus Heterophyta, 111. Cyperus Martindalei, n, sp., 98. Cyperus eehinatus (EIL), Britton, 99. i ■ I 1 4 i GE>^ERAL INDEX. Cyperus echinatus (Ell.), Britton, var. multi- flora (Chapm.), n. var., 99. Cyperus humilis, K\inth, Tar, elatlor, n. var., 99. DeCandoUe's "Cultivated Plants,"' On some inaccuracies in, 190. Deyeuxia Suksdorfli, Scz'ib., *19. Diatoms of Atlantic City and Vicinity, 1?8. Dicbromena Watsonl, n. sp., Britton, 101. Disporum, Salisl)., The genus, 187. Distribution of the Buffalo Grass, 21o. Erythronium albidum, J?utt.,Tar. coloratuni, n. var., 111. Ferns collected in ATexico and Chiiiuahua, \>y C. G. Pringle, 1886-1887, List of, 225. Fern Kotes, 225. Field for a Collector, An inviting, 210. Fimbristylis capillaris (L.), Tar. coaretata (Ell.), Britton, 102. Fimbristylis capillaris (L.), var. pilosa, n. var., Britton, 102. Flora of the Upper Chemung Valley, Notes on, 131. Flora Temiscouatensis, VM. Fresh Water Algse of ^^iaine, 155. Gleditschia inermis, Mill., 110. GramineEB, On t^o species, 293. Grasses, New or little known, *8. Grass, New Western, 11. Grasses, New or Rare, 48. Grasses, Notes on some rare, 294. Ilesperochiron nanus (Lindl.), Greene, 110. Hicoria of Eafinesque, The genus, 277. Index to Recent American Botanical Litera- ture, 20, 53, 90, 112, 143, 170 199, 222. 239, 274, 295, 322. Indian names of plants, Onondaga, 262. Linnaeus and his Genera of Plants, 125. Lycopodium lucidulum, Bulblets on, 320. >farsiiiacese, 259. Medicinal Plant;?, Notes on, 138. Muhlenbergia Arizonica, Scrib., *8. Nitella Macounii, Allen, 11. Nomenclature Question and How to Settle it, 230. Nymphsea elegans, TTook., Re-discovery of, 13. Oaks, Hybrid, a recent discovery on Staten Island, *3a3. Onondaga Plant Names, 214. Phanerogams, New or Noteworthy North American, 97. Plants collected by Dr. H. H. Rusby in South America, An enumeration of, 177, 247. Poa argentea, Howell. Poa macrantha, Vasey, n. sp., 11. Preserving Plants for Herbaria, Schwein- furth's method of, 292. Proceedings of the Club, 26, 57, 95, 120, 149, 175, 204, 300, 327. Psilocarya nitons (Vahl,), Britton, 101. Reviews of Foreign Literature, 86, 116, 139, 169, 194, 237, 268, 320. Rhizocarpese, The systematic position of, 258. Rhododendron Vaseyi, Another station for, lf>4. Salix balsamifera, Earratt, 121. Salviniacea3, 261. Saxifraga Virginiensis.Michx, var. pcntadeo andra, Sterns, 166. Scirpus heterocarpus. Watson, *103. Scirpus Pringlei, n. sp., Britton, *103. Sclerla graminifolia, n. sp., Britton, 101. Smilaces, Proposed Revision of North Amer- ican, 86. Smilax herbacea, L., A suggestion concern- ing, 189. Smilax pumila, Walt., Notes on, 51. Smilax, Some peculiarities in the seed of, 162. Sparganlum, *73. Sparganium androcladum (Engelm.), var. fluctuans, Morong, n. var,, 78- Sparganium androcladum (Engelm.), var- multipedunculata, n. var., 79. Sparganium Greenei, n. ap., Morong, 77. Sporobolus interruptus, Vasey. *8. Stomata, On the opening of, *287. Strait of Magellan, Botanizing in the, 15, 105. SympTocarpus foetidus, (L.), Salisb., The De- velopment of, *15l. Tilia, Bract in, 316. Trigger-hairs of the Thistle Flower, '82. Tubulifloral Composite, On irregular ten- dencies in, 266. Typha, *1. Typhacese, Studies in the, *1, 73. rnlfolium, 285. Websteria submersa (Sauvalle), 99. Willows, White Mountain, *121. Erkata, Volume XV. Page 5, (ith line from foot, for FB^rALE flowers without bracts, read with bracts, ** 6, line 22, for style, read stigma. tfc iv 15, for 32" 20', read 52^ 20'. 34, for Pucciinas, read Pucciniaa. 15, for Zammirouxia^ read Lamfrttronxin. 6, insert A. digitatum^ Presl., Sorata (159). 27, for 396, read 306. 11, for O-skwen-e-tah, Golden-rod, read snake-root. 13, for 4to. read 8vo. 351, last line, for >Iapiri (.348), read (349), 15, 119, 242, 249, 249, 266, 275. BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB Vol. XV.] New York, January 5, 1888. [No. I. Studies in the Typhacese. By Thomas Morong. * I. — Typha. Typh broken descent from Tournefort. First collectively named J by Agardh, and finally Ty- phacese by De Candolle, they are divided by Bentham and Hooker into the two tribes, Typhese and Sparganiacese, each rep- resented by a single genus. Typha is more nearly related to the Aroidese than its congener Sparganiiim, because it possesses organs which represent both spadix and spathe. If the inflorescence is gathered when young, it will be found that the spikes are wrapped in a membranaceous sheath attached to their base and rising above the summit in a leaf-like blade. This is commonly called a bract, but in reahty it is a spathe or answers the purpose of one to the young spikes. It encloses several thinner sheaths, one for each spike, and gen- erally two or three others which spring at intervals from differ- ent points in the spikes, as though these were made up of succes- sive joints. To be seen at all, the bracts must be taken in the early anthesis, as they are caducous, and wither and fall off even before the anthers are ready to shed their pollen. This habit of Typha in separating its spikes I in separating its spikes into several partitions by the in- tervention of bracts, shows a curious relationship between it and Sparganiwn. In the latter the process has gone farther, and there is a distinct separation of the spikes into small heads, some . * Special thanks are due to the botanists to whose courtesy I am indebted for much of the material used in the preparation of these papers. Dr. Gray and Dr. Watson, of Cambridge, have rendered invaluable aid in friendly counsel and encour- agement, and in permitting the free use of the Harvard Herb, and botanical library, lam also much indebted for the loan of specimens to Dr. N. L. Brltton, Mr. W. M. Canby, Prof. E. L. Greene and Prof. John Macoun. 2 distance apart, the pistillate below and the staminate above — each, except the very uppermost, subtended by a floral leaf or bract As in TypJia the division is most numerous in the stami- nate spike, so it is in Sparganium^ where we find only from one to six pistillate heads, and from two to thirty or more staminate. The inflorescence of Typha is much more complicated than that of any of the Aroideae, or, at least, of any of the North American members of that order ; and the inflorescence of Spar- ganium is simplicity itself in comparison. It might be suspected, perhaps, that an arrangement of this type would be attended by various irregularities and monstrosi- ties, and such is really the case. For one thing, the inflores- cence varies indefinitely, even in the same species, in dimensions. Mature spikes not over an inch or two in length are found, and from this dwarfed condition they extend to a length of 12 or 14 inches, and the entire inflorescence varies from 5 inches to 3 feet long. A similar variation occurs in the diameter of the spikes ; some of them are not as thick as an ordinary goose-quill, while others measure nearly an inch and a half through. A naked space between the pistillate and staminate spikes was formerly regarded as a sufficient distinction between certain species, as, for instance, between T. latifolia and T, angiistifolia, but here, too, a great variation exists, so that this mark cannot be relied upon at all as a ground of specific distinction. It is true that Z! angtistifolia does ordinarily exhibit such an Interval, and perhaps thousands of plants in the same locality will be thus characterized, but in another locality the spikes will frequently be continuous. The same variation occurs in T. latifolia. The inflorescence, also, is often interrupted in various ways. Two pistillate or two staminate spikes not rarely occur on the same plant, and even two of each kind on the same stem. When this takes place in T. latifolia. It is generally in the staminate spike, and the abnormal addition looks like a small Turk's-cap set on the end. In several Instances I have seen a double spiked stem in which one of the spikes occupied only one-half the diameter of the rachis. Besides this irregularity, both kinds of flowers will not unfrequently be mingled in patches along the I \ same spike, occurring generally in the pistillate spike. 3 Akin to such external eccentricities is a difference in the char- acter of the pollen. Some of the species, like T, angustifolia and its near allies, have the pollen in single grains, varying in size from Win* inch to yio inch, while in T. latifolia and T. Lax- maiuii the pollen is united in fours. The outlines of the four cells may be readily discerned under the microscope ; and in some cases the grains are partially and occasionally wholly disin- tegrated, showing that the union Is merely mechanical. The floral organs are curious structures. They consist of numerous hair-like bodies, fertile and sterile, and densely crowded together in a compact mass upon the rachis. The stamens are single or most commonly 2-7 anthers united upon a connate capillary filament (see fig. i). By grasping the anthers when fresh, they may be pulled apart and the filament torn into sep- arate threads, showing, as in the case of the pollen, that the union is mere adherence. Surrounding the stamens in all the species which I have ex- amined are what in our ignorance of their use are commonly called bracts^ ox sometimes simply hairs. (See figures I, 8, 9), When much magnified, these bodies appear to be naked, loosely cellular threads or ribbons, expanding upwards cuneately, or with a small clavate or spatulate tip which terminates in one or more projecting hairs. (See figures 10 and ii). I confess that these so-called male bracts seem to me more like imperfect pistillate flowers, bearing spatulate-lanceolate stigmas, than like bracts. Similar bodies occur in the pistillate inflorescence of some of the species. They bear no appearance of being transformed leaves. They do not seem to serve a protective purpose. It would ac- cord with our modern evolutionary ideas to regard them as dis- used and degraded organs, their former utility having passed to the fertile flowers of the pistillate inflorescence, owing to the su- perior advantages of the latter for cross-fertilization. The fertile flowers consist of a single capillary pistil, the ovary more or less stipitate, the style short and terminated by a rhom- boid, spatulate or linear stigma, as shown in fig. 4. The calyx is composed of numerous (20-40) white, delicate setae girding the base of the stipe, and of different lengths in the different species. Very much magnified, these setee present the appearance shown 4 in fig. 7, tape-like bodies, having several rows of elongated cells, which are apparently knotted at their junction. Mingled with the fertile flowers are many rudimentary flow- ers, if we may regard them as such, which' in some instances re- semble the fertile in shape and size, but generally much shorter and club-shaped at the summit, which also are surrgunded at the base by perigonial set^, but show no trace of an ovary, (See figures 2, 4 and 13). In many of the species mixed with the fer- tile and sterile flowers are very slender bracts like those described above as occurring in the staminate spike. (See figures 5, 14). The stigmas and ends of the bracts are of a rusty tinge, and their projecting tips impart the well-known hues of dark and light brown to the spikes. So closely packed are the flowers, that I have counted, within the distance of an eighth of an inch, in a pistillate spike of T, angitstifolia^ over 1,500 ripe fruit, besides the accompanying sterile flowers and bracts. Therefore a fruiting spike 5 inches in length, an average size, must yield, at the lowest calculation, a crop of 60,000 seeds; and as spikes 7 and 8 inches long are not unfrequent, the yield in some cases will be half as many more. When taking to the air the perigonial setse expand, as shown in fig. 3, and the seed sails away on a balloon like thistle down. Think, then, of one plant committing to the winds nearly 100,000 seeds; and try to estimate the enormous number that must be produced in the acres covered by a single Typha jungle like that on the Hackensack meadow, near the city of New York ! The plants of the Typha family serve several uses which are worthy of notice. Sir Joseph Hooker states that the inhabitants of Scind and New Zealand make bread from the pollen. As this is very abundant, falling like meal out of^a bag at the time of fertiHzation. we can easily imagine it capable of such a use. The roots might perhaps be employed In a similar manner, if dried and ground into flour, as they are farinaceous and often quite long. Prof W. R. Dudley states that in central New^ York the long leaves are used quite extensively in the manufacture of chair- bottoms ;^they arejalso woven into baskets, for which they are \ 5 well fitted. In decorative art all are familiar with the panel pic- tures and the mantel ornamentation In which our common cat- tail plays so conspicuous a part The most natural classification of the species of Typha that I have seen is the arrangement of Dr. P. Rohrbach, of Berlin, pub- lished about the year 1S70.* As this paper has never been translated into English, so far as I am aware, except in the ab- stract of it given by Dr. Engelman,f it may be new to most read- ers of the Bulletin. I therefore reproduce Rohrbach's sum- mary, so that our North American species may be assigned to their proper' places : A.— FRUIT WITH A LONGITUDINAL FURROW, BURSTING IN WATER ; SEED WITH A SEPARABLE OUTER COAT. I. — Stigmas Spatulate-Lanceolate. a. Female flowers without bracts. 1. Stigmas longer than the perigonial hairs. T. iatifolia^ L, T. Capaisis, Rohrbach. 2. Stigmas as long as the perigonial hairs. T. Shuttleivorthiiy Koch at Sond. b. Female flowers with bracts. 1. Stigmas longer than the perigonial hairs. T, Schimperi^ Rohrb, 2. Stigmas as long as the perigonial hairs. Z. Miielkriy Rohrb. 11. — Stigmas Linear. a. Female flowers without bracts. T, giaum^ Godr. b. Female flowers with bracts, 1. Bracts and perigonial hairs of the same length. T, angustifolia^ L. T. Domingensis^ Pers. T, yavmtica^ Schnitz. 2. Bracts longer than the perigonial hairs, nearly as long as the stigmas. T. angusfata^ Bory et Chaub. B.— FRUIT WITHOUT A LONGITUDINAL FURROW, NOT BURSTING IN WATER ; SEED WITH OUTER COAT NOT SEPARABLE. I. Stigmas spatulate-lanceolate — female flowers without bracts. T. stenophylla^ F. et M. IL Stigmas linear — female flowers without bracts. /- T. Laxmannij Lepech. T, Hatisshiechtiiy Rohrb. * Verliandl. Bot. Verein, Brandenb. xi., 67. i Am. Jour. Sc. and Arts for Nov., iSji. 6 Of the species here enumerated only three are found within the limits of North America, the most widespread being : 2 T. latifoUa. — ^i. Staminate flower, with bract attached, X 3. 2. Fertile and steriTe flower, X 3. 3. Ripe fruit of do. after leaving the spike, X 3. I. T. latifolia^ (L. sp. 1377). (Figs, i 3). This is too well known to need description. It may ordinar- ily be distinguished by its blackish color when ripe, and by the contiguity of the spikes, though neither these nor the breadth of the leaves should be relied upon. The absence of bracts from its pistillate spikes, its spatulate stigmas and four-grained pollen, are the most satisfactory tests. At maturity the flower stems separ- ate from the lower part of the stalk, leaving the rachis covered with coarse, reddish bristles about i line in length. Otherwise the surface of the rachis is smooth. The species is found throughout North America. " Van elongata'' W. R. Dudley, Cayuga Flora, p. 102. Of this form I have not been able to obtain a specimen for examina- tion. Prof. Dudley states that its fruiting spike is sometimes as much as 12 inches in length; but if only the length of the spike is considered, that would hardly warrant even a varietal distinction. 6 7 S Typha angustifolia. — 4. Fertile and sterile flower, X 10. 5. Pistillate bracts, X 10. 6. Style, highly magnified. 7, Perigonial seta, highly magnified. 8, g. Staminate bracts, X 10. 2. J! angustifolia^ (L. sp. 1377, Excl van /?). (Figs. 4-9). This' species is much more Hmited in its range than the pre- 7 ceding. It is not reported north of the U. S, and Canada line, and in the South only in Louisiana, and westward to California. Personal observation and an examination of many local cata- logues lead me to think that it is mainly a seaside species, and rather rare in the interior of the country. It covers extensive swamps along our northern Atlantic seaboard. This species may be easily distinguished from T, latifolia by its light brown color, its simple pollen, its linear stigmas and female bracts. Rohrbach describes the bracts as shorter than the stigmas, but in our N. A. forms the two are frequently of the same length. (See fig. 5). The denuded rachis is rough, with stiff points, which are the bases of the fallen flowers. X' Domingensis. — 10. Slaminate bracts, X 8. II. Do. of a specimen from Buenos Ayres, X 8. I2, 13, 14. Fertile and sterile flower and pistillate bract, each X 10. 3. T. Doniiiigcnsis, Pers. (Syn., ii, 532.) ifoli Doui (Figs. 10-14). tifolici^ yet tli sesses some distinctive specific features. Pollen simple, often as small as tsVtt inch in diam. ; male bracts often as long as the anthers, thick cuneate or broad spatulate at the summit, much larger than in T. angiistifolia (figures 10, 11); female bracts delicate, with a small, rounded or spatulate head, as long as the stigmas 14) ; perigonial seta^ shorter than the stigmas, thickened upward near the summit (figs. 12, 13). This is a very vigorous grower, and sometimes even gigantic in size. Prof, E. L. Greene describes specimens* {T. bracteata^ Greene, Bull. Cal. The plant so named by Mr. Greene, although the monarch of its tril>e, is clearly to be placed here, as it exhibits all the diagnostic marks, especially the strap-shaped male bracts and the club shaped setse, ascribed by Rohrbach to T, Domingensts, The characters relied upon by Mr. G. in naming, are its spaihaceous bracts, a feature common to all the species, and its great size, which in itself certainly cannot be a sufficient ground for specific distinction. There is a specimen from Guarajuato, Mex- ico, in TTerb. Gray, which has an inflorescence measuring over all some 32 inches, nearly as long as that of the plant from Santa Cruz- 8 Ac. Sc, ii\ 413) which he collected on the Island of Santa Cruz, coast of California, as being from 15 to 18 feet in height, and bearing an inflorescence which in the largest specimens measures 3 feet in the aggregate length of the spikes. In other respects, like T. angitstifolia. This form has been reported as occurring in Texas, and it is found in Mexico, throughout the West India Islands, and near Buenos Ayres, S. America. New or Little Known Grasses, I. Plate LXXVL The following species of grasses have been known for some years in herbaria, but have remained until this time without pub- lished descriptions. I. MUHLENBERGIA. Arizonica, Scrib. (A, figs. 1-6). Culms densely tufted, 15-35 cm. high, including panicle, which is from 8-18 cm. long, with a habit as represented in figure i. Leaves 3-5 mm. long by \-\% mm. broad, flat, many nerved and minutely scabrous on the margins, especially near the very acute tips. 1 Ligule short. Panicle ovate in outline, branches very slender and few-flowered, pedicels minutely scabrous. Spikelets about 3 mm. long, empty glumes nerveless, obtuse, nearly equal, slightly over I mm. in length; flowering glume finely pubescent on the mar- gins and dorsal nerve near the base, minutely two-toothed at apex and bearing a short (^ mm.) awn. Mesas, near the Mexican boundary, Pringle, 1884, ^"*J No.> 402 Pringle, '' PlantcB Mexicance^' 1885. 2. SporobOLUS INTERRUPTUS, Vasey (B, figs. I-5). Culms densely caespitose from a strong fibrous root, usually about 40 cm. high, including the lead colored panicle, which is from 10- 18 cm. long with a habit as rei:)resented in figure i. Culm leaves two, the lower about 8 cm. long, the upper somewhat shorter; flat, 2 mm. wide or less, very finely scabrous above and along the mar- gins, especially towards the narrow and somewhat pungent tips. Ligule a ciliate inw^^ with a few long hairs at the margins. Spikelets often glomcrated along the ascending branches, 6-^] mm. long ; empty glumes broadly lanceolate, acute, the first about 3 and the second about 5 mm. long; flowering glume a 9 little shorter than its palet, which is slightly notched at the tip, with acute or rounded lobes and remarkably broad margins. Allied to S. hctci^olepis. Gray. Arizona, No.^66, Coues & Palmer, 1866. San Francisco Forest, Arizona, No, 15, Rusby, 1883.* Has been named in some collections Sporoholns ArizonicnSy Thurbcr. 3. D^YEUXIA SUKSDORFII, Scrib. (C, figs. I -9). Culms 60- 90 cm. high, growing in scattered bunches. Radical leaves 15- 30 cm. long, 3-5 mm. broad, tapering into very long and slender points, many nerved, strongly scabrous upwardly on the under side, and strigose pubescent above ; leaves of the culms usually three, sheaths shorter than their internodcs. Ligule 3-5 mm. long, minutely scabrous. There is more or less pubescence at the juncture of the leaf with the sheath. Panicle pale straw color, 8-10 cm, long, strict and more or less interrupted, as illustrated in C ; the longer branches sometimes 4 cm. long, all very densely flowered. Spikelets 3-4 cm. long ; empty glumes lanceolate acute, sub- equal, about one-third longer than the floret, the second usually three- nerved at base, where the nerves are often more or less green; flowering glume and palea very delicate in texture, with the pro- portions and outlines as illustrated. Awn from near the base, geniculate, twisted below, about as long as the empty glumes. Washington Terr., No. 26, Suksdorf, 1882. Oregon, Cusick, 1884. Montana, No. 364, Scribner, 1883, etc. 4. BrOMUS PUMrELLIANUS, Scrib. (D, fi 1-7). Culms from a creeping root-stalk, stout, 50-100 cm. high, according to location; usu- g- ally standing singly. Sheaths strongly striate, smooth or clothed with a scattering pubescence, closed to near the summit. Ligule short. Leaves 4-8 mm. broad, flat, except at the in- volute and pungent-pointed tips, smooth on the back, scabrous above, and sometimes pilose, auricled at the base. (Auricles not always so prominent as in specimen from which the figure was drawn.) Panicle 8-20 cm. loner • . ^ ' ^ ' anus, showing upper branches erect or ascending^ 2-5 at each joint, portion of sheath, lig- one to three flowered, the longer ones 5- 10 cm. ule and leaf auricles. Bromus Fumpelli- 15 provisional number =^885 numlx^r. — 11. II. R. 10 X (Panicle frequently more lax than represented in figure.) Spike- lets 2-4 cm. long, four to ten-flowered, purplish in color; empty glumes unequal, the first 5-7 mm. long and one-nerved, the second 7-9 mm. long and three-nerved, nerves purple; flowery glume 9-12 long with a short scabrous awn, seven-nerved (three nerves much more prominent than the others), ciliate pubescent on the margins and prominent nerves below. (Often less acute than illustrated, and sometimes slightly notched at the scarious tip.) Palea shorter than, or sometimes nearly equalHng, its glume, narrow and ciliate on the nerves. Brofntis ciliatus^ L. var. Coloradensis, Vasey, in Bot. Wheeler, Montana, No. 418, Scribner, and in various collections from the Rocky Mountain region. No. 518, Tweedy, 1885, from the Yellowstone National Park, is a smaller flower form, with only 3-5 florets in each spikelet, and with flowering glumes much more densely pubescent. F. LamsON Scribner. Washington, D. C, Dec. 10, 1887, EXPLANATION OF PLATE. A. Mtihlenbergia Arizonica, i. Plant entire^ much reduced. 2. Dorsal view of spikelet. 3. Anterior view of spikelet. 4. Floret. 5. Empty glumes. 6. Dorsal view of flowering glume, flattened. B. Sporoholiis mtcrriiptiis^ Vasey. i. Plant entire, much re- duced. 2. A branchlet wath four spikelets. 3. A spikelet 4. A floret. 5. Apex of palea. C. Deyeiixia Stiksdorfii, I. Spikelet. 2 and 3. Empty glumes. 4 and 5. Dorsal and anterior views of the floret. 6. Apex of flowering glume. 7. Apex of palea. 8. Rudiment. 9. Anther. (The details all drawn to the same scale excepting fig- 9-) D. Bromiis Pumpellianus, I. Plant entire, much reduced. 2. A spikelet. 3, Anterior view of floret. 4. Dorsal view of same. 5- Dorsal view of flowering glume, flattened. 6. A sta- men. 7. Ovary, styles and lodicules. Note. — All these figures drawn from nature and designed for Dr W. J. BeaFs work on the '* Grasses of North America/' Used here by permission. 11 Nitella (not Tolypella) Nlacounii. )ing Tolypella Macounii, the dc 1 "had been delayed in the hope of obtaining more specimens/' I have received from Prof. JMacoun small specimens of the same plant from Lake St. Clair. An examination of these plants convinces me that the anthcridia are terminal and not lateral ; they, there- fore, belong to Nitella, This species takes its place close to N. Stiiartii^ A. Br., from New Zealand, as follows: Heterophylte, repetito furcatci:, monoic^e, macrodactyte. Segmenta ultima sa^pe bicellularia, cell. ult. non mucroniform. £> N, Segmenta A. Br. TO ^\ N. Stiia T. F. Allen. New Western Grasses. By Dr. Geo. Vasey POA MACRAXTHA. — Culms ascending from a thickish, creep- ing rhizoma, stout, smooth, lO to 15 inches high, leafy, the lower leaves crowded, and with long, loose sheaths which are longer than the internodes, the blades rather rigid, involute and cnrving or recurved, 4 to 6 inches long, smooth ; panicle 2 to 4 inches long, erect, close, lax and sometimes interrupted below, the branches short (5^ to i ^ inches), in twos or threes, erect, flower- ing mostly to the base; spikelets large, 5 to 6 lines long, 3 to 4 lines wide, much compressed, about seven-flowered ; empty glumes 4 lines long, equaling the adjacent flowers, the upper a little the longer, three-nerved, acute ; flowering glumes 4 lines long, acutish, broad, five- nerved, the keel and lateral nerves coarsely ciliate below ; palet about as long as its glume, sparsely ciliate on the keels; stamens 3 ; styles 2; lodicules 2, conspicu- ous, lobed, ^ to ^ line long. Apparently dioecious, collected on sandy shores at the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon, by Mr. Thos. Howell, also on the beach at Tilamook Bay in 1872 when it was distributed as P. Douglasii, which it resembles in habit, but has larger flowers, longer and less compact heads. POA ARGEXTEA, Howell. — Culms loosely tufted, slender, 6 to 8 inches high, erect or somewhat decumbent at the base; leaves 12 numerous and crowded below, sheaths loose and membranaceous, the blade conduplicate, narrow, 2 to 3 inches long, upper leaves, (i or 2) with long sheaths and short blade ; panicle about i inch long, oblong, loosely flowered, branches short, lower ones in twos, upper ones single, appressed, once subdivided or single ; spikelets 3 to 4 lines long, three to five-flowered ; empty glumes about 2 5^ lines long, lance-oblong or oblanceolate, obtuse, denticulate at apex^ broadly scarious margined^ smooth, nerved near the base ; flowers somewhat distant on the smooth axis, the lower ones about 3 lines long, the upper shorter; flowering glumes oblong- lanceolate, five-nerved, acutish, scarious margined, smooth or minutely scabrous ; palet nearly as long as its glume, scabrous on the keels. Panicle with a pale silvery hue. Collected by Mr. Thos. Howell on the Siskiyou Mts., Oregon. Alopecurus Howellii. — Annual, 3 to 6 inches high ; culms simple, erect or decumbent at the base, with two or three nodes; culm leaves about 3, sheaths about i inch long, striate, the lower shorter than the internodes, the upper one equaling or longer and enclosing the base of the panicle ; ligule membrana- ceous, about y^ line long ; blades narrow and elongated or filiform, the lower two exceeding the culm, the upper one short, lower surface strongly nerved and finely scabrous ; spike an inch long or less, cylindrical-oblong, rather densely flowered ; spikelets nearly i)^ fines long; empty glumes slightly united below, strongly cihate on the keel and lateral nerves, obtuse, a little ex- ceeding the flowering glume, which is smooth, oblong, obtuse, the sides united to the middle or higher, awn from near the base, about three times as long as the glume, bent at the middle. Growing in wet soil. Collected in Oregon by Mr. Thos. Howell. Alopecurus Macounii. — Culms 4 to 6 inches high, mostly in clusters of two or three, erect or geniculate below ; sheaths 2, narrow and not much inflated, the lower one % to i inch long, shorter than its internode, the upper one i to i^ inches long and much shorter than the culm ; ligule membranaceous, about I line long, blades very short, the lower i inch, the upper - to I inch long, narrow and acuminate ; spike }4 to ^ inch long, oblong-cylindrical, rather dense ; spikelets i ^ lines long, empty glumes slightly united below, coarsely ciliate on the keels, 13 the side smooth, obtuse, a httle exceeding the flowering glume which is smooth, ovate-oblong, obtuse, the sides united to the middle or above, the awn from near the base, 2 or 3 times as long as its glume, bent at the middle. Grows on dry rocks, at Oak Bay, Vancouver Island. Collected by Prof. John Macoun. This species has a close resemblance to the preceding, but seems sufficiently marked by the difference in the leaves and sheaths and in the details of the flowers. Alopecurus GENICULATUS, var. ROBUSTUS. — Culms genicu- late below, thick, simple or branching at the lower joints, i to l}4 ft. long, smooth; culm leaves 4 or 5, nodes black, smooth, sheaths loose and inflated, 3 to 5 inches long, the lower longer than the internodes, blade 3 to 6 inches long, 3 lines wide, ligule 2 lines long, acute ; spike 2 to 3 inches long, 3 to 4 lines wide, cylindri- cal, dense, exserted when mature; spikelets little more than I line long, nearly half as wide; empty glumes httle united below, the keels and lateral glumes ciliate-pubescent, obtuse and denticulate at the apex; flowering glume nearly equal to the empty ones, ovate-oblong, obtuse, smooth, the sides united to the middle, awn from the middle, slender and httle exceeding the glume. We have specimens from Alaska. Mr. J. Macoun collected it in Vancouver Island in 1875 and again during the present season. Alopecurus Californicus. — Under this name I Indicate several forms from California and Oregon which have been re- ferred to A, pratensis. They differ from that species in having smaller spikelets (about i^ lines long instead of from 2 to 3), the empty glumes only slightly united at the base (one-fourth to one-fifth in A. pratensis), and obtuse or obtusish (not acute as in A, pratensis) at the apex. In the different forms there is con- siderable difference in the length and thickness of the spike, and in the height and thickness of the culm. Further study of these forms is needed. Re-discovery of Nymphsea elegans, Hook.i at a new Station, In June, 1849, '* i" ^ ^ox\A near the head of the Leona " river, Dr. Charles Wright collected a number of specimens of a rare and beautiful water-lily. These were doubtfully referred by Dr, 14: F Gray to NympJma Mexicana, Zucc. One of the specimens, howev- er, was sent to Sir William Hooker, and the plant raised from seed accompanying it Hooker described and figured as a new species under the name of Nymphcea elegans. Before or since, except a single doubtful specimen, collected by Berlandier near Palo Alto, M Neither Lind- heimer, Fendler, nor any other Texan collector or botanist, has ever detected it,* and NyjuphcBa elegaiis has stood for nearly forty years in the North American flora on the strength of a single collection at a single vaguely described station on the broad prairies of Southwestern Texas. These preliminary remarks are necessary to explain the unusual interest attached to some specimens of Nymphcea received the past autumn, almost simultaneously, from two correspondentst at Waco, in east central Texas. Upon the first inspection I took these for a small form of N, odorata, approaching the variety minor. Closer examination showed two strong marks of dis- tinction. The seeds were globular instead of oblong, and the sepals were very distinctly marked with slender, broken, longi- tudinal brown lines. Reference to the check-hst and the Columbia College herbarium led me directly to N. elegans^ of which I could find no specimen in the herbarium, but, instead, a memo- randum slip stating that this species has petals ** tipped with blue.'* Examination as to this point showed a single petal, with a distinct bluish tip ; the others were so faded that the original color could not be ascertained. I then consulted the Plantae Wrightianac, and found my plants agreeing closely wnth Wright's in the few par- ticulars there noted, such as the size, slenderness, shape of leaf, and particularly the globular, smooth seeds. The prominent sepal markings, how^ever, were unmentioned. After long search? I discovered in Walpers' Annales, Vol HI., a specific description, and was more than pleased to find the brown-lined sepals (*'scp. fusco-lineatis") especially mentioned. The petals were described as white with a purple-blue tinge (*' pet. albis purpureo-cceruleo- *Dr. Sereno Watson is my authority for this statement. — E. E. S. fit is an act of justice to name the two ladiesj both enthusiastic observers of the flora of their region, who were thus instrumental in the rediscovery of A^. elegans. Texas, — E, E, S, Tudhh 15 tinctis "). The identification appeared to me tolerably certain, but to make assurance doubly sure, I dispatched to Waco a particular inquiry as to the color of the fresh blossoms. The reply ran in this satisfactory manner : " The tips to the petals of the water-lily were decidedly purplish; the half-open buds were deep lavender, lighter at the base. The lines on the sepals are purple instead of brown. The plant is plentiful in one place near Waco." Upon the whole, therefore, I feel fully justified in an- nouncing the re-discovery, after nearly forty years, of one of the rarest and most beautiful plants in the whole North American flora. E. E. Sterns. Botanizing in the Strait of Magellan, By W. E. Safford, U. S. N. The latitude of Cape Virgin, at the eastern entrance to the Strait of Magellan, is 32° 20' south, or only two hundred miles farther away from the Equator than the boundary line between the northwestern portion of our country and British Columbia. The distance in a straight line between the eastern and western extremities of the strait is two hundred and forty miles ; but, owing to the crookedness of the channel, which is somewhat V-shaped, the length of the route which a vessel must travel in passing through it is a httle greater than three hundred miles. The climate of the region, though remarkably mild, if compared with that of the same latitude on the east coast of North Amer- ica, differs but little from that of the corresponding region on the west coast, either in its equable temperature or its excessive dampness. Snow and hail often fall even in mid-summer, yet this is owing to the effect of the high snow-capped mountains of the region upon the moisture-laden winds from the west. The average temperature of the winter months is higher than the freezing point of water, although, of course, the thermometer often falls much below this. Shortly after leaving the estuary of the Plata we encoun- tered large floating patches of the giant kelp, Macrocystis Pyrifera^ which plainly indicated a current from the south. This species, so abundant on the Pacific coast of the United States, is the most common alga in the Strait of Magellan and in the chan- 16 nels which border the western shore of Patagonia. It is widely spread in antarctic waters, and extends northward along the coasts of Chili and Peru at least as far as Ancon. It may be described as consisting of a long, round, leathery stem, bearing alternate, simple, flat fronds, the petioles of which (if I may so term them) dilate into hollow pear-shaped floats. • ^ We sighted Cape Virgin at one o'cloek on the afternoon of November 20th. We stood in for the entrance of the strait, and before sunset were snugly at anchor behind Point Dungeness. On the ledges of this point many cormorants, gulls, petrels and other sea-birds were perched ; at its base a heavy surf was breaking, and with a glass we could see aline of penguins drawn up as though in battle array, stationed to defend the entrance to the strait. The following morning we proceeded up to Gregory Bay, where we were detained for several days by a strong wind from the westward. At this place the scenery is neither picturesque nor in any way striking. From the water's edge a broad plain extends back for several miles to a line of flat- topped hills, which form the escarpment of the great Patagonian plateau. Not far from the shore a number of fresh-water ponds, or lakes, occur, which are frequented by numerous water- fowl. Not a tree was visible. With the glass we could make out a few bushes and some dark green patches of vegetation, which here and there in- terrupted a monotonous expanse of brown grass. A number ■ of sheep were feeding on the plain, and to the left of our anchor- age there was a dwelling-house surrounded by several sheds, evi- dently erected for their protection in winter. We soon formed a party for visiting the shore, some of the officers taking their shot-guns, others carrying rifles, and I with my botany case. As we approached the shore the hills in the background appeared to recede from us. Along the beach pretty gray plovers and noisy black and white oyster-catchers were run- ning, and when we landed a number of song-sparrow? and a red- .breasted meadow-lark started up from the grass, singing as they flew. Spread over the plain were thousands of silky-fleeced sheep with long thick tails, each ewe with one or two newly born lambs, It was a bright springlike day, with only one or 17 two small rain clouds in the sky, yet the wind was blowing a moderate gale. From the very water's edge the ground was covered with myriads of beautiful flowers — patches of pink-tipped sea-thrift, fragrant drooping lilies, yellow violets and Calceolarias, white Cerastiimi, daisy-like composites, and clumps of a prickly-leaved plant not yet in bloom. The sea-thrift, Armeria vulgaris^ I at first mistook for a composite. It has a globular head of *' ever- lasting" flowers, bearing a general resemblance to Gna/>hdlium, supported on a slender stem which rises from a mass of linear grass-like leaves. It belongs to the Plumbaginaceae, the family including the Statice of our sea-shore. The lily-like plant proved to be an ally of Sisyrhijichitim. It was Syviphyostemon narcis- soides : its flowers, like those of a day-lily in shape, drooped in a graceful umbel ; some of them were pure white, while others w^ere delicately penciled with purple. The Calceolaria {C.nand) is a fragile little plant, bearing a comparatively large flower, somewhat like a Cypripediinn^ on a short herbaceous stem which rises from a rosette of radical ovate leaves. The lower edge of the opening in its yellow corolla is bordered by a white waxy lip, and the inner surface is speckled with brown. The Ceras- tiuift proved to be the common C. arvense ; the daisy-like com- posite was probably a dwarf Erigeron ; and the prickly-leaved plant is, I think, Homoianthus echiniilatus, a species which Pro- fessor Cunningham collected on the opposite Fuegian shore. I collected also a yellow Senecio, very much Hke 5. Chilensis; and close to the shore grew a plant not yet in bloom, with large leaves covered with white wool, which I think is a second species of the same genus {S. candicans), A little further inland I found a yellow^ Geum {G. Magellan- iciun), a vetchling {Lathynis Magellanicus), Valeriana carnosa, a small crucifer {Draba /), Phacelia circinata, a Hydrophylla- ceous plant also occurring in North America, and Acc^na adscend- ens, a species widely distributed in antarctic regions. Climbing in a barberry bush, I found a Galium^ and at its base the common Shepherds-purse, the w^idely-spread Anemone decapetala, L. {A. Caroliniana, Walt.), and a delicate Oxalis (0, enneaphylla) with rose-tinted corolla, closed when I found it, like 18 the gentian, and with leaves not three parted as in all the species of the genus which I had before seen, but divided into nine or ten narrow segments which radiated into the form of a pretty star. I had now reached a gentle slope covered with a green carpet of low heath-like shrubs, bearing fruit very much like cranberries and small, stiff glossy leaves. These were of three species: Per- nettya miicroiata and Pernettya pU7nila, ericaceous plants belong- ing to the same tribe as Arctostaphylos ; and Empetriim nigjninty van rtibrum, a red variety of the common crow-berry, the typi- cal form of whi^i is widely spread in arctic and alpine regions in Europe, Asia and North America. I found but two other shrubs at Gregory Bay ; Berber'is dulcis^ var. btixifolia^ and Chiloboth" riwn antelloideSy a composite growing about eight feet high, with large white-rayed heads of flowers, which were beginning to bloom at the time of our arrival On reaching the top of the slope I stopped and concealed my- self behind a bush ; for only a few yards away from me were two young foxes playing before the entrance of their den. As I stood watching them their mother came up with some object in her mouth, which she laid down before them. The httle creatures could not have been more than a month old, yet, young as they were, they immediately began snarling and fighting for the pos- session of the object. When T started toward them, however, to sec what it was, they both dropped it and scampered into their hole. It was a small mole-like animal with fine, soft fur, Cten- omys Magellanica, which Darwin, in his Journal, calls *' Tucu- tuco." I afterwards noticed many acres which were undermined by its burrows. From the knoll on which I was standing, two small lakes could be seen, one of them gleaming in the sunshine like burnished silver, the other stretching out like a sheet, its surface ruffled only by the swallows which were skimming above it. Around the shores several pairs of wild geese were feeding on the crow- berries, wild celery, and other plants. They allowed me to approach quite near to them, but suddenly a pair of lap-wings flew up from a bed of rushes, screaming so loudly that the geese were fright- ened away. The lake which shone so brightly was nearly dry. I found 19 that its luster was due to the reflection of the sunlight from the smooth, glossy leaves of a species of Ranunculus or Caltha^ some- what like R. Ficaria. In the second lake I collected several marsh plants: the common mares-tail {Hippuris vulgaris), a water mil • foil {Myriophyllum elatinoidcs), Liniosclla aqiiatica, a small yellow-flowered Ra^iuncuhis, and a species of Sphagnum not in fruit. Around the lake grew a number of sedges, rushes and a handsome grass, from which some wren-like birds flew up, as I waded through it. Near by in a barberry thicket a jet black starling or troupial was hopping restlessly about, and a pair of fly-catchers were building their nest, the male jet black, with a mantle of russet-red, the female with a much Hghter, faded-look- ing dress. On returning to the boat, which had been drawn up on the beach, I (ound that our sailors had been amusing themselves by killing a skunk. This they had accomplished without unpleasant consequences by keeping well to the windward while they stoned the animal to death. A fire was now started under the lea of the boat, the dried Macrocystis strewn upon the beach making excel- lent fuel, and while some of the sailors were preparing co^^^^ I busied myself collecting algae along the beach. Among the red foliaceous forms were a handsome Delcsscria, the brightly colored Callophy Pacific coast, and Ptilonia Ma^ ilar. I collected also an exquisitely delicate Plocamhtm.d, dense feathery /V//(?/^, Cerafnium nibrum, Cdiaphanum, Codiumtovien- tosum^d^nd the coarse Durvilla^autilis, which somewhat resembles a giant Laniinaria. Among the green species were the common Ulva lactuca, Enteroinorpha compressa and a tufted Cladophora ; and to complete the list I will mention Porphyra laciniata and the common Rhodomenia palmata, both of which were abundant. The hunters now returned loaded down with as much game as they and their men could carry. They had killed quantities of geese, ducks and snipe, besides a number of smaller birds and several foxes. Lieutenant Garvin, our navigator, brought me also a few plants from the distant hills. The most interesting of them was Embothriuni coccmetun, a shrub belonging to the Proteacea^, bearing dense terminal clusters of crimson tubular flowers. 20 We had all spent a most delightful day, and were well satis- fied with the results of our expedition. I could not help regret- ting, however, in going back to the ship, that the shortness of our stay would not permit me to thoroughly explore a field so inviting. I almost envied the shepherd who lived in the Httle cottage; yet, strange though it may seem, the good man was very anxious to leave it for the haunts of civiHzation. On the 25 th we weighed anchor and proceeded up to Sandy Point. (To be continued.) Anthophyta for Phsenogamia. In view of the general adoption of a uniform terminology in the great classes of plants, and to make the names uniform throughout, I would suggest that the term AnthophYTA be used instead of the old P/ucnoga7ma. We should then have Protophyta, Zygophyta, Oophyta, Carpophvta, Bryophyta, Pter- idophyta and Anthophyta. Dr. Bessey informs me that Oken first suggested the term about seventy years ago, for the Dicoty- ledons, and that Luerssen, in 1882, used it as a synonym for Phsenogamia. I was not aware of these facts when I suggested the term to Dr. Bessey. He says he would be in favor of the change. The word suggested is more appropriate than the old one. Joseph F. T Miami University, Oxford, O. Index to Recent American Botanical Literature. AsperifoHcB, — Some West American. II L Edward L. Greene. (Pittonia, 1., pp. 107-120). This part deals with the genus Cryptanthe of Lehmann, 1832, antedating Krynitzkia of Fischer and Meyer by nine years. The species written up under the latter generic name by Dr, Gray in the supplement to the Synoptical Flora all become Cryptanthce. . Professor Greene describes, as well, seven new ones which have never had any names at all, making the total number known to him forty-six, including six from Chili. Big^ Trees 0/ California. — Age of the, (Gard. Mon., xxix., p. 376). Mr. Meehan presents damaging evidence against the notion Tl-L ■"^-. -^ .1 ».-j — 21 that the growth rings of Sequoia arc not an index of age. His measurement proved tliat they could be relied on. Botanical Laboratory : Plan for. Lillie J. Martin. (Bot. Gaz- ette, xii., p. 273). Botany of the Roraima Expedition of 1S84. ^Y E. F. Im Thurn. Part I. — List of the Species of Plants collected and Determinations of those that are new. Prof Oliver. Part II. (Trans. Linn. Soc., London, ii., pp. 249-300. Plates xxxvii-lvi). Roraima is a mountain of Guiana which was ascended for the first time by E. F. Im Thurn. The Roraima district is iso- lated in its botanical character, and has afforded fifty-three new species and three new genera, which are described and figured in this monograph. The contributors include such specialists as Prof. Oliver, J. G. Baker, G. S. Jenman, H. N. Ridley, Dr, Engler, Mr. Mitten, and others. The region has been but little visited, and only in certain months of the year (November and December). Owing to the excessive dampness of the cli- mate and the difficulty experienced in drying plants, fewer speci- mens were preserved than would have been under more favorable conditions.- The following foot-note by the Secretary of the Linnaean Society explains itself. '* During the delay requisite to prepare the plates, Mr. Im Thurn has taken the unprecedented course of printing the whole of the unrevised draft at Demerara in Timehri the Journal the Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society of British Guiana, vol. v., pp. 145-223, Dec, 1886), thus forestalling the present publication. Sec. L. S." ?/ North Mr. J liich may be obtained from him at 447 E. 57th St., New York City. Coinpositce, — Fertilisation of Flowers in. Thos. Meehan. (Gard* Month., xxix , pp. ^7Z, 374). Referring to a series of recent articles in the ''Country Gentle- man/' Mr. Meehan takes occasion to rebuke the loose w^ay of pop- ular writers of ascribing all fertilization to cross pollination, the Ccmposita^ being for the most part self-fertihzed. He furtlier 2^i annihilates the author scientifically by referring to him as ' a writer of the Grant Allen type.'* Cultivation of Saccharomycetes. W. E. Stone. (Bot. Gazette, xii., p. 270). Echinocjstis % Megarrhiza. Edward L. Greene. (Pittonia, i., pp. 143-145)- This is mainly in continuation of the argument of which Dr. Watson's paper in the August BULLETIN was a part. The most important point of the present note is the statement that the generic name Mara^ which has precedence over Megan'hiza — in case that is regarded as distinct from Echinocystis — was not published *' in the columns of a daily newspaper." But Professor Greene does not tell us where the publication was made. Flora of the Coast Islands of California in relation to recent changes in Physical Geography. Joseph Le Conte. (Amcr. Journ. Sci., xxxiv., pp. 457-460). Referring to the interesting results of Professor Greene's. ex- plorations on the islands of Santa Cruz, San Miguel, etc., already noted in this BULLETIN, Professor Le Conte concludes that their peculiar flora is probably the remnant of one once widely dis- persed over all southern California west of the Sierras, saved from the general destruction of plant life in the Glacial Epoch by its isolation. The islands were certainly connected wuth the mainland during the PHocene Era and separated by submergence during the Quaternary; indeed, they arc the summits of a par- tially engulfed mountain range. Fungi from Kansas.— Nezv Species of J. B. Ellis and W. A. Kellerman. (Journ. MycoL, iii., pp. 126, 127). Six new species described. Ftmgi from various Localities, — New Species of. J. B. Ellis and B. M. Everhart (Journ. Mycol., iii., pp. 127- 1 30). Sixteen new species described. Geaster. — The Gentis. A. P. Morgan. (Amer. Nat, xxi.. pp. 1026-1029; two figures). Mr. Morgan reviews Dr. De Toni's recent revision of the " Earth-stars " in the Revue Mycologique, and describes, with il- lustrations, two new species from Lincoln, Neb. 2S Geographical Botany. — Maurice Thompson. (iSth Ann. Rep. Dept Geol. and Nat. Hist Indiana, pp. 242-252. Mr. Thompson is State Geologist of Indiana, and writes this as introductory to tlie pp^per by Professors Coulter and Thomp- son in the same vokime. Indiana Flora. — Origin of the, — John M Coulter and Harvey Thompson. (15th Ann. Rep. Dept. Geol. and Nat. Hist. Indiana, pp. 253-282). This is a very interesting paper and one which must be consulted by all who are interested in following up the litera- ture of this subject. The State is divided into seven botanical regions and lists of their most characteristic plants are given, the migrations of plants and the causes of migration are discussed. Under ''the Origin of the North American Flora" we find a list of %A,2 soecies from Grav's Manual which are indig-enous also in Europe, while the J to our ow^n is also commented upon. The paper closes with a general discussion of the origin of the Indiana Flora. It is here remarked that the State in its northern central position has been the '^ common meeting ground of migrations from various direc- tions/' and lists of the species which seem to have come from the several directions are given. These are numerically tabulated. The total indigenous flora of Indiana I'ncludes 1191 species. Kellogg, Dr. Albert, — Biographical Notice of. Edward L. Greene. (Pittonia, i., pp. 145-151). This venerable botanist died at Alameda, Cal., March 31st, 1887, ^^ ^^^ 74th year. The latter part of his life was mainly occupied in making drawings of Californian trees and shrubs in leaf, flower and fruit, over four hundred of which he left. Lichen Flora of Florida. — A Catalogue of Species, with Notes and also Notices of new Species. John W. Eckfeldt, M.D., and W. W. Calkins. (Journ. Mycol., iii., pp. 120- 125 and 132-137; also reprinted). A list of 2iZ^ species, several of which are ntw, named by Nylander. No descriptions are given, however. Monograph of the Genus Lycoperdon^ {Tourney Fr,^ is the original paper in the October issue of the Journal of the Royal Micro- scopical Society, prepared by Mr. G. Massee, wdio has for a long I 3 \ 24 P time interested himself in the critical study of puff balls. 129 species are recognized, 40 of them American, though of these many are reported from various parts of the Old World and a few are quite cosmopolitan. Movement in Cttctirbita, Vitis and Robinia. Mechamsnt of. D. P. Penhallow. (Trans. Roy. Soc. Canada, iv., section 4, pp. 49-83 ; three plates). North American Flora, — Origin of the, — Joseph F. James. (Amer. Nat, xxi., pp. 1009- ion). Professor James uses the *Mcadly parallel column" to indi- cate the similarity of the second part of the paper by Professors Coulter and Thompson above noted, to one published by him in Volume iv. Journal of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History in 1881, and complains that these authors have not referred to it. It seems to the writer that this is considerable ado about a small matter. On page 269 of the Indiana Report, Professor James is referred to. Indeed, this is one of the subjects the dis- cussion of which can only reach similar results. The main facts are all in; only the numerical details can be modified. The Chest- nut and many other species have long been known to inhabit all w three continents. It is not at all strange that similar passages occur in the two articles, as Dr. Gray and several others have discussed the subject at considerable length, and we cannot regard the Implicated charge of plagiarism as sustained. — N. L. B. Pacific Coast Plants — Collection of 1 887. Thomas Howell- (Pamphlet, pp. 8, Arthur, Oregon, 1887). As this list contains descriptions of new species by Mr. Howell it becomes necessary to note it Lepiditim Oreganum, Rha7nmis occidentalism Trifolium Harneyensis, Horkelia latiloba, H, Hendcrsoni^ Epilobiiim glaucnm and Pencedanum microcarpnnt are briefly characterized. Plant Odors. — Arthur J. Stace. (Bot Gazette, xii,, p. 265). PolemoniacecB, — Some American. Edward L. Greene. (Pittonia, i., pp. 120-139). After eighteen years of field experience Professor Greene concludes that the calyx offers the best characters in defining Polemonlaceous genera, Polenioninm filicimim is a new species from the Pinos Altos Mts., placed next to P. flavtim recently 25 figured in the Botanical Magazine; P, Brandegei is the Gilia Brandegei, Gray. He restores Collomta to generic rank and de- scribes one w^^N species. Navarrctia, Ruiz and Pavon, is also recognized, and 24 former GilicB named under it, including eight new species. Preparation of Agarics for the Herbarium. — James E, Humphrey, (Bot. Gazette, xii., p. 271). Stlphitim perfoliatiim and Dipsactis laciniatus in regard to in- sects— A study of—\M. J. Beal and C. E. St. John. (Bot Gazette, xii., p. 268). Species — Nezv or Notezvorthy. — Edward L. Greene. (Pittonia, . Im pp- 139-143)- Sidalcea Hickmani, Clarkia Saxeana, Phacelia nemoralis and Allocarya scripta are new. Two species of Encharidium are given names under Clarkia ; Phlox gracilis=^Gilia gracilis^ Hook. ; and the specific name of Dr. Watson's recent Cuphea viridostoma is objected to as ungrammatical and made C. mesochloa. Tricothecium griseum. — J. B. Ellis. (Journ. MycoL, iii., p. 126). r Uromyces — A nezv. — Byron D. Halsted. (Journ. Mycol., iii., p. 138). Description of U. digitatiis^ found on Leersia Virginica near Ames, Iowa. Botanical Notes. Etude sur les Algues Parasites des Paresseux, — Mme. A. Weber van Bosse. (Nat. Verhand., Holland, Maatsch. der Weten- schappen, Haarlem, 1887; two plates). This is a very interesting account of a symbiotic alga inhab- iting the hairs of the Sloths and giving to their fur its frequent green coloring. As these animals live in the warm, moist, trop- ical forests, the algse multiply immensely in the spongy tissue of the hairs, crowding the cells and penetrating even to the horny centres. After giving a resume of the work and methods of in- vestigation, the author describes two new genera and three new species : Trichophilus Welckeri^ Cyanoderma Bradypodis and C, Choloepodis. 26 if the Biological Society of ■£> has recently been established, holding its first meeting on Jan. 4th, when papers were read by Professors Burgess, Knowlton, Tracy and Miss Southworth. Mr Crozier is Secretary. We wish the new organization success and permanence. Proceedings of the Club, The regular monthly meeting was held at Columbia College on Tuesday evening, Dec, 13 ; Vice-President Hogg in the chair and forty-nine persons present, Messrs. Henry Edwards and Smith Ely Jelliffe were elected Active Members. Dr. T. J. W. Burgess, of London, Canada; Prof. John Macoun, ^ of Ottawa; Isaac Holden, of Bridgeport, Conn. ; Prof ^ Byron D. Halsted, of Ames, Iowa ; O. F. Cook, of Syracuse ; James Vroom, of St. Stephen, New Brunswick; C. E. Smith, of Philadelphia; Rev. Dr. Geo, E. Post, of Beirut, Syria, and Prof J. F. James, of •Oxford, Ohio, were elected Corresponding Members. Dr. Britton introduced the subject of the preparation of a new list of the plants of New York City and vicinity to serve as a ba- sis for a local descriptive Flora. He advocated the printing at once of a bare check-Usl of the species and varieties known to grow^ within the circle of 100 miles radius from the city, which should be freely distributed to all botanists of the region, with a request for their notes on the distribution of the plants and for additions to the list. On motion the following committee was appointed to prepare and issue such a list : Messrs. J. F. Poggen- burg, Addison Brown, Thos. C. Porter, E- E, Sterns, E, B. South- wick, Arthur HolHck and N. L. Britton. The Secretary read a communication from Dr. Rusby con- taining a plea to the Postmaster General to exercise his power in recommending to Congress a change in the existing postal laws by which it shall be made legal to send through the United States mail together with Natural History specimens and without thereby increasing the rate of postage, written labels bearing the name, place and date of collection, and name of the collector of the specimen with which they are associated. The desirability of this change was made the subject of remark by several mem- 2T bers and the plea was endorsed by a unanimous vote. Ii read as r follows : ' t ■ T(? the Hon. Postmaster General U. S. A., Washington, D. C.\ Dear Sir. — Of two four lb. packages of dried plants now before me, marked for transportation, the one to a post-oflice in Oregon, the other to a suburb of this city, .the former will be transported by your department at a heavy loss ; the latter, which "you could transport at a handsome profit, will go by express. » Five thousand Botanists throughout the United States are more or less continuously engaged in the forwarding of such parcels, and always choose their mode of transpor- tation in the manner above indicated. I, myself, have probably a ton of such matter to forward during the coming year. The same statement applies to thousands of Or- nithologists, Entomologists, and other Natural History collectors. It is clear that your department suffers the annual loss of an appreciable amount oi revenue : L 1st. Ey the excess of expenses over receipts from such packages as it trans- ports ; ' ' ■ 2d. By the loss of that portion of such packages which it could profitably trans- port but which now go forward by express. Upon the side of the people the evils of the present system bear much more heavily. Natural History collectors are, almost without exception, people of very limited means, working in their several departments for the benefit of science, for the most part with- out pecuniary recompense. They must therefore, practice every economy, and are especially worthy of every liberal consideration which can justly be extended io them. At the same time they are, as a class, greatly overworked, and must practice even a more rigid economy in the matter of time, than in the matter of money. Yet under the existing postal laws, they must choose between suffering injustice in one of the two directions above pointed out. In sending parcels by mail they must do one of th things : 1st, Print their labels at a great expense; 2d. Send written labels with their specimens and subject the parcel to letter-post- age. 3d. Make out two sets of labels, one, bearing a number, to go with the specimens, theother^ the authentic label, defaced with a number corresponding to that accom- panying a specimen, to go separately by letter -post. ' ■ Any one of these alternatives is so injurious, that, except where great distance is to be covered, senders prefer io forward by express, to the great disadvantage both of themselves and the Postal Department. Now the essence of my plea lies in the fact that to a collector an authentic label forms just as truly a part of his specimen as does one of the leaves of his plant or one of the wings of his bird. For this reason I say the present law works real injustice. The remedy is such a simple one that it seems to me to rest easily within your hands. I, therefore, most respectfully and earnestly pray you to properly recommend and ^rge upon Congress, during its present session to scj modify the existing postal laws as to make it legal to send through the United States mails, together with natural his- tory specimens, and without thereby increasing the rate of postage on the same, of 28 written labels bearing in addition to the name or names of the specimen to which its label is attached, or with which it is associated, such information regarding its iden- tity, locality, date of collection and name of collector as may without being descrip- tive serve to properly indicate its position in the natural series to which it belongs. Respectfully yours, Henry H. Rusby. Mr. H. Mintorn, representing Mrs. Charles Mogridge, described the methods of modelling sections of plants practiced by them for the British Museum" of Natural History. A model in wax was exhibited of the English primrose, show- F ing longitudinal section of pistil much enlarged. A paper by Dr. O. R. Willis on the history of the Weeping Willow was read by the Secretary. Mr. E. E. Sterns read a paper on the rediscovery of Nymph(2a elegans at a new station in Texas (see p. 13). He also exhibited seeds of LitJtospermtim arvense from Missouri and remarked on their peculiar markings ; also the fruit of a species of Calycanthus from the Tennessee mountains reported as very poisonous to cattle and sheep and locally known as "bubby." He distributed the pods, and stated that Dr. T. F. Allen had tried them on a dog and obtained only negative results. Professor Schrenk remarked on his successful use of Wickers- heimer's preservative fluid in retaining the leaves on herbarium specimens of plants from which they generally separate in drying, and showed Diospyros Virginiana and several conifers to illustrate its efficiency for that purpose. A paper by the Rev. W. M. Beauchamp, of Baldwinsville, New York, entitled " Onondaga Ferns " was read by the Secre- tary. The Chairman remarked on the very serious illness of Dr. Asa Gray, who has been prostrated by a stroke of paralysis. On motion the Secretary was instructed to communicate the sympathy of the Club to Mrs. Gray, and the hope that Dr. Gray would soon be restored to health. BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB Vol. XV.] New York, February 1, 1888. [No. 2. On the Histology of the Vegetative Organs of Brasenia peltata, Pursh.* Bv. Joseph Schrenk. Plates LXXVTI and LXXVIIL In October, 1884, while examining the structure of the stem and petiole of Brasenia peltata, I found some peculiar hairs projecting into the wide intercellular air-passages, which were entirely different from the so-called ' internal hairs ' o{ NympheEa^ Ntipkar and LhnnantheniiimA About two years later, similar hairs were noticed by J. F. A. Mellink in some petioles of Nymplwea alba collected by DeVries in Amsterdam, and described in Botanische Zeitung, Nov. 5. 1886. Since that time I have carefully examined these structures, and, finding other remarkable peculiarities about this common water-plant, I thought them of sufficient interest to be placed on record. What is described in the manuals as the creeping rootstock, is really a system of runners that proceed from the rhizoma prop- er. This must be rarely fully developed, for although I repeated- ly searched for it carefully, I could find only few specimens. They were only from two to four cm. long and up to one cm. thick, and had very short internodes, so that they appeared cov- ered with the scars caused by the faUing off of petioles and stems of former seasons. From the rootstock proper grow the leaves and in their axils the stems. Many of the latter develop into stout runners, creeping on the surface of the ground, with internodes * Read at the meeting of the A. A. A. S., at New York, Aug. 15 and 16, 1887, to which a few more recent observations have been added. t T briefly described them at the October meeting of the Torrey Botanical Club (as appears from the report of that meeting in the Bulletin), and exhibited some slides with mounted specimens. Mr. P. H. Dudley had the kindness to photograph one of the sections, showing an air-passage with some of these hairs. 30 up to 35 cm. long and 8 mm. thick. At the nodes the runners send out roots, usually in two lateral groups, also leaves, and * vertical stems bearing leaves and flowers, besides, branches that develop into runners, forming frequently an extensively ramified system. The secondary roots, arising at the nodes, are slender and long, often reaching 30 cm. The older branch into numerous, finally very thin rootlets provided with root hairs. At the tip of every rootlet there is a sheath or case which looks exactly like the finger of a glove. (Fig. i.) When placed in glycerin the cells of the root contract somewhat, and the sheath becomes more plainly visible. It consists of a single layer of elongated, oblong cells, forming a distinct, firm membrane with an unbroken, smooth rim, and extends on the main roots for a distance of over 2 mm. above their growing ends. The sheath is fully developed at the tip of the forming rootlet, before it breaks through the epidermal layer, which is raised, then bursts, and persists at the base of the root, similar to the coleorrhiza of grass-seedlings. Although there can be no doubt that this sheath has to per- form the same office as an ordinary root-cap, viz., to protect the tender meristematic tissues of the root-end, its peculiar structure tempts me to ascribe to it an additional function. The upward strain exerted upon the stems and the entire root-system of our plant by the agitated surface of the water and the buoyancy of the plant itself with its floating leaves must be very great Indeed. It seems to me that the innumerable sheaths at the ends of the roots and their branches must assist the plant a great deal in re- sisting that upward pull by acting somewhat like anchors. They are easily pushed forward and downward into the loose muddy soil along with the growing root-ends, but when pulled upward they will evidently resist the strain in a most effective manner. The fact that other aquatic plants have very similar root-caps seems to corroborate this view. Otherwise the roots present no peculiarities. There is a cen- tral, very thin plerom surrounded by thin-walled endodermls cells; the other root-tissues are very loose, with large intercellu- lar canals, and a thin epidermis. What is most remarkable in the strncture of the fnllv devel- 31 Oped stem Is the total absence of lignified tissue in all the inter- nodcs. It is true that in all aquatic phanerogams there is a con- siderable reduction of the vascular tissue, but in related plants, such as NymphcBa and Niiphar, we still find some very distinct tracheal ducts, besides the numerous '' internal hairs," the thick walls of which are decidedly lignified. As in most other aquatic plants, a large portion of the stem is occupied by a number of very large intercellular canals, (Fig. 2, ic), which, on the cross section, have an ovate, oval, or sometimes circular outline. They are separated by partitions consisting usually of one layer of cells only. The cortical portion is made up of three or four rows of more densely arranged, large parenchyma cells, and the epiderm- is of one layer of cells with a well-developed cuticle. Many of the last-named cells bear peculiar hairs, to be described hereafter. The central portion of the stem is invariably occupied by two fibro-vascular or mestom bundles (Fig. 2, m), (As there are no vessels nor fibres proper in these bundles, the new term '' mes- tom " is doubly preferable to the old '' fibro-vascular bundle "). The two mestom bundles are separated by parenchymatous tissue and groups of intercellular canals. Each is composed of two large bundles of sieve-tubes with their accompanying cells, (Fig. 2, 1), The sieve-tubes are very wide, with finely perforated, ob- lique septa. The sieve or ** leptom V bundles have, on the cross- section, an ovate outline, the pointed ends being directed towards a large circular intercellular canal, that takes the place of the vas- cular or "hadrom" element of the mestom, (Fig. 2, h). This canal, as well as the leptom bundles, are strengthened at their circumference by a row of thick- walled cells. The whole mestom bundle is surrounded by an endodermis which plainly shows the " black dots '' on the radial walls. At any height of a given internode the cross-sections are alike : nowhere could be found any anastomosis between the two separate bundles of an internode, as is the case in related plants. When we arrive at the immediate proximity of the node, the large intercellular canals come to an end. The peripheral ones are closed with a spongy tissue of stellate cells, through the meshes of which the canals below the node are in open communication with those of the next internode. In the central intercellular canal 32 of the mestom we see, as we approach the node (Fig. 3, h), the free, pointed ends of some spiral tracheae projecting from the sides and from above into the open space of the canal (Fig. 3, sd). The higher we proceed the more crowded with such free ends of tracheae do we find the interior of the canal, until, at last, we have in place of it, a solid bundle of spiral ducts. We now trace, on longitudinal sections, the course of this bundle through the node, and observe how it divides into anastomosing branches, leading to the leaf of the node, to the axillary buds, eventually to the secondary roots, and to the succeeding intcrnode. Above the node the tracheae terminate as abruptly as they started below it; their free, tapering ends crowd into the end of the canal that belongs to the mestom of the next internode, forming a concave bottom for it just as their opposite ends form a concave roof for the canal in the next lower internode. In the meristematic tissue of the youngest internode we can trace an exceedingly delicate annular vessel, which, however, very soon disappears and is re- placed by the rapidly widening canal of the mestom. The lep- torn elements are continuous through the node. The structure of the petiole is like that of the stem, but in place of two mestom bundles there is only one descending to the stem, being, however, in all respects like those of the stem. The con- nection between the homologous parts of petiole and stem is effected in exactly the same manner as just described. The thick, oval, peltate leaf, sometimes almost 4 in. long, has, at most, twenty principal veins, converging at the center, over the petiole. The spiral vessels of all these veins empty, as it were, into the central intercellular ,canal of the petiole, or rather, draw the supply of water for the leaf from it, just like a number of distrib- uting pipes that are connected with a large reservoir. The leaf has a smooth, cuticularized upper epidermis with very numerous breathing pores, about 325 on a square millimeter. In the region above the petiole, however, on a oval surface of an average diam- eter of 2.5 mm. there are no stomata at all. The cells of the upper epidermis have a peculiar structure. They are two or three times as high as they are wide ; in thin sections their vertical walls at first present the appearance of 4. deeply indented wavy lines, but on closer examination we per- 33 ceive that this appearance is caused by very large and deep hol- lows in the cell walls, distributed in such a manner that tlie de- pressions in the wall of one cell correspond to elevations or pro- jections in that of the contiguous one, and vice versa, (Fig. 4); besides, deep pits are found abundantly in the thick walls of these cells. The palisade tissue underneath the epidermis is composed of two or three, sometimes even four tiers of cylindrical, narrow cells, with numerous air-spaces between them, and containing, on their vertical walls, large chlorophyll grains. The air cavities under the breathing pores are very large and deep, on account of the great height of the epidermis and palisade layers. The arrangement of the palisade cells into distinct groups is very strik- ing. The upper layer of each group is joined to a group of epi- dermis cells (which is determined by the position of the surround- ing stomata or, rather, their air cavities), while the lowest tier connects with some large "collecting cell" of the spongy tissue or of the conducting bundle. The leaf structure is greatly modified in the central zone. The absence of stomata mentioned above causes the absence of the corresponding air-cavities, and the paHsade tissue is reduced to one or two layers of cells; in the very center there are no typi- cal palisade cells at all. Besides, the epidermis cells of this zone have almost perfectly straight walls which do not bulge outward and inward. This seems to justify the assumption that the pccu- liar structure of the epidermis cells has something to do with the breathing process. Supposing that the undulating walls of these cells could be straightened out, or that the elevations could even be changed into depressions and reversely, by changes in the turgor or the atmospheric pressure, we could easily infer that, ac- cording to circumstances, either a powerful suction or pressure would be produced. Such pressure seems certainly to be nec- essary to keep all the numerous large passages in leaf, stem and root filled with air in order to resist the great pressure of the surrounding water, and to renew the same constantly, so that the chlorophyll, which is met with almost all over the plant, may do its work of assimilation. In connection with these considerations, I might mention that such contrivances as are supposed to assist the plant organs in 34 resisting positive and negative radial pressure, e. g., diaphragms, "internal hairs," as in Nymphcea, Limnanthenmm, etc., are entirely- wanting in Brasenia. As mechanical, or stereom elements are to be considered only the outer walls of the epidermis cells, the walls of the cells which bound the intercellular canals and at the cir- cumference of the mestom, all of which are somewhat thickened in the manner of collenchyma. Returning to the description of the leaf, I have to mention that the spongy tissue underneath the palisade cells fully deserves its name, as the spaces between the *' arms " or rays of the stellate cells are very large. The cell walls enclosing these spaces are thickly covered with a granular, crystalline layer of calcium oxal- ate. Even the elongated cells of the conductive tissue of the fibro-vascular bundles show this calcium oxalate coating wher- ever they border upon the air spaces; the inner walls of the lower epidermis cells, however, are free from it. The conductive system of the leaf is well developed. On a cross-section through one of the strong radiating veins, we see that the bundle is sur- rounded with a starch sheath. The hadrom contains two or ■ three annular or spiral vessels, while the leptom occupies the bulk of the mestom. Very numerous smaller veins, similar in structure, branch off from the principal ones, anastomosing with one another, and forming the typical wavy curves at the margin. Over the middle of many of these curves I found, on the lower epidermis, groups of very small water-pores, the number in each group varying from lo or 15 to as many as 50. (I have also lately noticed water-pores on the lower side of the leaves of our two common species of N^ipkar; In Limnanthemnm I had seen them long since,) The occurrence of water-pores in these plants seems to furnish additional evidence that, even in aquatic plants, the conduction of water is effected chiefly, if not exclusively, through the vascular ducts. The water-pores in Braseftia, being in direct communication with the finest ramifications of the tracheal system, do most likely perform the same office as the water-pores in terrestrial plants, namely : the rapid removal of an excess of water from the conductive tissue — the lower epidermis is made up of flat cells of irregular, deeply sinuate outline, and is covered with numerous hairs. 35 The above description refers to the floating leaves. There are, however, thin, bright green, submerged leaves produced by Brascnia, which I noticed and reported some years ago. They grow at the base of the stem in hmited number (I never ■ found more than two or three on the same stem). In outline they resemble the floatmg leaves, but they are not longer than one inch, usually much smaller. Their blade is quite thin com- pared with that of the floating leaves, consisting of only four layers of cells. The upper and lower epidermis both have flat cells with wavy outlines. Both are, of course, destitute o( breath- ing pores, but the lower epidermis is provided with very small water-pores at the margin, also with hairs like those on other parts of the plant. The assimilatory layer, under the upper epi- dermis, has oval cells, elongated parallel to the leaf surface ; the chlorophyll occupies the lower and upper horizontal walls. Chlor- ophyll grains are also seen in^ the other layers, especially in the third, which is a very much reduced spongy parenchyma. The conductive tissue is likewise only poorly developed, but slender annular vessels and very narrow leptom elements can be plainly distinguished. Of the peduncle I will only mention that it possesses three mestom bundles, each of which, however, has only one leptom group and only one intercellular (hadrom) canal, all o( the latter facing the center of the peduncle. Every collector, no doubt, has found it a rather difficult task to prepare good herbarium specimens of Brasenia, on account of the thick layer of mucilage that coats nearly all the parts of the plant in contact with the water, causing it to adhere to the drying paper.* As I do not know of any published investigations in reference to this mucilage, permit me to state my observations as to its origin and nature. If we examine the epidermis of parts which are in contact with the water, we find it thickly beset with hairs. I counted as many as 560 on one square mm. of leaf surface. On the older parts of the rhizoma and the stems the hairs occur neither in such abundance nor are they as active as on all the younger organs, especially the growing apex of the * To obviate this difficulty I placed the fresh specimens between sheets of mush'n, from which they can be detsiched niuch niore easily when dry thwi from paper, 36 axis, and on the lower surface of the leaves. They are absent altogether on the upper leaf surface, and also on the lower sur- face within a narrow zone bounded by the leaf margin and the anastomosing curves of the marginal veins ; most likely, in order not to obstruct the water-pores situated there. The cells bearing the hairs are smaller than the surrounding epidermis cells, and usually wider toward the surface. In the stem and petiole they are nearly square, and each is wedged In between four of the elongated epidermis cells, while on the leaf their cross-section parallel to the surface is nearly circular, and each is bounded by from 5 to 8 of the surrounding wavy cells. Each hair has a very short pedicel, formed of two flat and low circular cells (Figs. lO- 14). In one single case I observed a pedicel consisting of three cells. In the much thickened outer wall of the epidermis cell there is a wide canal tapering toward the first pedicel cell, so that the latter is separated from the former only by a small, thin, circular septum. The walls separating the pedicel cells are very finely perforated membranes, resembling the plates of sieve-tubes. The vertical walls of both flat cells are cutinized : chloriodide of zinc will show this very plainly. Concentrated sulphuric acid will dissolve the cellulose elements and leave the cutinized portions of these walls as well defined rings on the cuticle of the epidermis of which they are a continuation. The hairs themselves are all unicellular, but vary very much in size and shape (Figures on Plate Ixxviii). Their most common form is that of a slender cylinder with a tapering blunt end, and their ordinary length is from .1 to .2 mm., the width uniformly about .04 mm. On young, growing parts, especially, we find very slender, thinner hairs, that are often as long as one millime- ter. The typical form of the hairs is very often greatly modified ; some are club-shaped, globular, scythe or sickle- shaped ; many divide, either directly at the base, or more frequently above, into two equal or unequal branches; others again, particularly on the leaf-blade, expand horizontally in the upper portion, either to the right or left, with or without a stalk — In the latter case the hair assuming the shape of a T. By these differ- ently shaped hairs, the mucilage peculiar to Brasenia is pro- duced* Wq cannot fail to discover, especially on the younger 37 parts, some hairs which are surrounded by an inflated, bladder- like sac, often three or four times as wide, and twice as long as the hair, very frequently much longer. The bladder commences at the line of insertion of the hair on its pedicel (Figs. 12-14); "^ fact, it is a film of cuticle continuous with the cuticle of the epi- dermis, and raised from the cellulose body of the hair by a mass of mucilage accumulating under it Chloriodide of zinc will show that the wall of the hair inside the bladder really consists of cellulose, while the membrane of the sac is stained bright yel- low. This reaction will take place still more readily if applied after short treatment with sulphuric or nitric acid. While examin- ing the effect of these reagents, there will be noticed a great many hairs, the sacs of which have burst at the top, after having elongated often to five times the length of the hairs (Figs. 13, 17). In other cases the entire sac has been torn off and carried away by the increasing mass of mucilage, which is still kept together by the thin but firm membrane of the sac. The mucilage itself is a viscid, coherent and very slippery sub- stance. It is colorless but highly refractive, so that it can easily be noticed around thin sections examined in water. It coagulates in alcohol, boiling water will not dissolve it, but potassic hydrate, sulphuric and nitric acids soon destroy it. Chloriodideof zinc gives it a faint grayish color; potassic iodide and sulphuric acid color it yellow. Nigrosin, an important reagent for vegetable mucilage, stains it blue ; corallin slightly red, and osmic acid very light brown. Hanstein's aniline and methylene blue color it red and blue, respectively. But these aniHne dyes have a still more intense effect on the numerous small and large fragrments of the sacs of £>^ ""*£> cuticle mixed with the mucilage, and also upon the countless hosts of a peculiar kind of Bacteriiun, of the Bacillus form, that are to be seen in every particle of mucilage. We might even be led to consider this substance as the product of some zoogloea form of Bacterium, if we had not watched the process by which it is formed. Returning to the examination of the hairs that secrete the mucilage, we select one of the very youngest, involute leaf buds, a transverse section of which will exhibit all the stages of develop- ment of the hctirs. Nearest to the margin of the leaf we discov^er 38 that some of the epidermis cells are slightly higher than the others; some bulge out considerably above the level of the leaf surface (Fig. 8). Soon this protrusion is separated from the mother cell by a cross-partition (Fig, 9), and is afterwards raised still higher by the intercalation of two (rarely one or three) pedi- cel cells (Fig. 10). At the earliest stages all the cells are filled with turbid, granular protoplasm, which, as the hair increases in size, is replaced, or rather, crowded to the wall of the cell by a yellowish white mass of mucilage, which makes its appearance in the interior of the cell (Fig. 10). This coherent, bulky, homogeneous, slightly translucent sub- stance keeps increasing with the growth of the hair, closely sur- rounded by the layer of protoplasm, in which currents become plainly visible. As the hair gradually elongates, either horizon- tally or vertically, globular vacuoles are formed at various places in the cell. They finally merge into one or two, sometimes three or four, each occupying the entire width of the hair, and confining the mass or masses of mucilage between them (Figs. II, 12, 14). Besides the parietal layer, thin strands and plates of very actively streaming plasma may be noticed, which extend all over the cell, carrying with them smaller and larger globular microsomata (Figs. 11, 12). Streaming protoplasm is also seen in the narrow space between the cell wall and the mucilage. In hairs in which the plasma is at rest, the microsomes at first create the impression of being imbedded in the mucilage ; but even then exact focussing will destroy this illusion. The nucleus is found only with difficulty. In some of the hairs, at various points of the surface, a slight swelling or bulging of the outermost layer of the epidermis may be noticed ; in others the swelling has extended over a considerable portion of the hair (Fig. 11), and with a great many others, a complete, closed, bubble-like sac, as described above, surrounds the entire hair (Figs. 12, 14, 16). The sac, when examined without the application of any reagents, appears filled with an almost transparent, homogeneous, mucilaginous substance. It keeps increasing in size until it reaches, in many instances, sev- eral times the length and width of the hair, and at Ust it bursts usually at the top. I 30 While the uiflation of the sac is progressing, the size of the mucilage masses in the hair Is perceptibly diminished ; in many of the ruptured sacs, however^ the mucilage is still present in considerable quantities, enclosed as before by actively circulating protoplasm. But it continues to diminish, the vacuoles become larger and larger, compressing, as it were, the mucilage between their convex poles : the edges of the corresponding concavities of the mucilage mass become irregular and jagged (Fig. 15), and finally, in older hairs, the mucilage has disappeared altogether. The plasma has now ceased to live, and appears in Irregular, granular masses and particles scattered through the cell (Fig. 13). Whether, after the bursting of the sac, a second layer of cuti- cle is formed and raised or not, I could not decide to my entire satisfaction. The question would not have suggested itself to me, had I not, in one single case, quite distinctly seen that, a very short time after I had observed the bursting of a sac, the col- ft lapsed film of cuticle expanded again, and that in a few minutes a complete second sac was formed within the first one, the shreds of which surrounded the upper part of the new bladder (Fig. 16). The latter persisted for six days longer, when it also burst (Fig. r/). The motion of the protoplasm had continued for three days after the formation of the second sac. A small remnant of mucilage stayed at the upper end of the hair, gradually assuming a dark brown color, and had not been secreted a week later, when the observation of the hair was given up. With the exception of this one instance, I could not discover, among the large number of hairs examined, a single one that showed the least vestige of a ruptured sac outside of a new one. Besides, a hair which has once produced a sac seems to be deprived of a cuticular layer, for concentrated sulphuric acid or chromic acid will destroy the wall of the hair entirely, leaving only the cuticle of the pedicel cells, and the sac of the hair. In order to learn something about the homogeneous, w^hitish substance In the hairs, designated as "mucilage" thus far, several reagents were applied. Glycerin, sugar and alcohol cause the plasma sac to contract in the usual manner. That portion of the parietal plasma layer which adjoins the mucilage, barely leaves 40 the wall, while the other part, above and below, will retire to the median line of the hair. The mucilage also contracts somewhat, but otherwise remains unchanged. If the plasmolysis caused by glycerin and sugar be interrupted at the proper time by the addi- tion of water and the removal of the reagents, the protoplasm expands again and resumes its activity. Chloriodide of zinc pro- duces the contraction of the plasma and colors it yellow ; the included mucilage becomes pale red or pink, the wall of the hair blue, the membrane of the sac yellow, and the mucilage in the sac faintly gray, of about the same tinge as the mucilage that has escaped from the sacs. On application of iodine in potassic iodide with sulphuric acid, the mucilage takes a reddish color. The same color, only of a darker, brownish hue, is produced by concentrated sulphuric acid. Vacuoles appear in the mucilage, the plasma sac contracts and remains undissolved with the muci- lage enclosed, while everything else, except the membrane of the outer sac, disappears. Diluted chromic acid also stains the muci- lage red. Caustic potash dissolves the mucilage rapidly, leaving a network of protoplasm, which also soon disappears. Osmic acid (i%) stains the mucilage masses in the hair dark blue, which soon turns into an intense black, and the plasma layer becomes very light brown. In many of the sacs the muci- lage assumes a blackish color, dark enough to make them almost opaque, while in others it becomes only faintly gray, of about the same tinge as the loose mucilage outside of the sacs. Bichro- mate of potash in some cases causes the mucilage drops at first to expand and dissolve, and then produces a deep orange-yellow, finely granular precipitate ; in other hairs the mucilage masses do not change their shape, but assume a uniformly deep orange hue. Ferric chloride and sulphate give the tannin reaction for the mucilage In the hairs, not, however, for that outside of them. Acetate of copper and acetate of iron* also show plainly the presence of tannin in the mucilage of the hairs; the latter salt stains the mucilage in the sacs and outside of them a deep orange-yellow. Strong sulphuric acid applied for a short time after the acetates of copper and of iron, imparts to the mucilage in the hairs and, in some instances in the sacs, an intense olive- *Cf. J. W, Moll, Maandblatt voor Natuurwetenschappen, I884. 41 t green color. Sections mounted in water several weeks ago have retained this color thus far. CoraHin colors the mucilage a dull pink or red, and nigrosin stains all the large drops in the hairs steel-blue, the surrounding plasma faintly yellow, and the mucilage in the sacs, as well as outside of them, blue also, but its color usually disappears after it has remained for several weeks in glycerin, while the mucilage in the hairs has not thus far (for about one-half a year) lost its color. The stained mucilage masses may be forced out of the hair by pressure on the cover-glass, when it will be noted that the crushed wall of the hair invariably breaks up into a continu- ous spiral band. It takes considerable time to stain the mucilage with nigrosin, for as long as the cell lives the coloring matter is not admitted. I observed repeatedly that hairs placed in a nigrosin solution, so dark that it was almost opaque, stayed alive for sev- eral days, i. e., their plasma kept moving and the mucilage remained unstained. Methylene blue, on the other hand, passes through the cell wall and the living plasma.* A drop of the concentrated solu- tion was diluted with 5 cc. of water and some living hairs with well defined mucilage drops w^ere placed in it. After two hours most of the mucilage masses had become distinctly blue, while the motion of the colorless plasma had ceased in nearly all the hairs. Some of these sections were then placed in water, and after a short while the plasma again became active, and after three days the mucilage in most of the hairs had lost its blue color; in some of the hairs, however, it was permanently stained, and the plasma did not recover. Very interesting observations were made when some young hairs were treated wdth acetic acid. As soon as the acid was applied, the mucilage began to expand rapidly, and simultaneous- ly a swelling of the entire hair was noticed ; the mucilage crowded back the vacuoles and the strands of protoplasm towards both ends of the hair, until the entire cavity was filled with an almost transparent mass ; then, sometimes at one point, sometimes at several, a slight swelling of the outer layer of the wall took place» which gradually increased until, at length, there was an entire ^ ^ — *^ '* Cf. W. Pfeffer, Unters. a. d. hot. Inst, zu Tiibingen, II, 2. lift. I 42 sac formed all around the hair, in all respects similar to tliose formed by natural growth, with the one exception that these arti- ficial sacs did not elongate much, but, on the contrary, usually had their upper ends adhering to the corresponding extremity of the hair. Osmic acid, nigrosin and methylene blue stained the contents of these sacs much more intensely than those of the natural ones, and the hairs themselves presented the same appear- ance, as to color, as their sacs. In various parts of the plant there are very many cells filled with red-colored cell-sap. They occur either singly, or in verti- cal rows in the stem and petiole, or in horizontal layers in the leaf, giving the surface its red appearance. The hair-bearing cells of the epidermis also frequently contain red sap. While the sur- rounding parenchyma cells usually contain a great deal of large- grained starch, there is little of it, more frequently none at all, in these cells. Its place is taken up, in the cells of the youngest parts, by mucilage similar to that in the hairs. Besides, there is always the most lively circulation of the plasma to be seen in them. Reagents act on the mucilage in these cells in exactly the same manner as on that in the hairs. Sections from a very young leaf were treated with acetic acid. Along the upper epi- dermis, the cells of which contained mucilage drops, bubble-like excrescences make their appearance just as on the young hairs treated w^ith the same reagent. Methylene blue causes the red coloring matter to gather in one large globular drop in the mid- dle of the cell and stains it blue, while the plasma is still Hving. Plasmolysis can be started and interrupted repeatedly, just as in the hairs. The true nature and chemical composition of the mucilaginous secretion and the contents of the hairs still remain to be investi- gated more closely. It seems to me, however, that the reactions described positively demonstrate the presence of large quantities of tannin in the mucilage of the hairs. Furthermore, the nigrosin and corallin tests * as well as the optical inspection entitle us to call the bulk)', whitish masses in the hair ''mucilage." Finally, the behavior of these masses on the application of chloriodide of zinc, of sugar and of sulphuric acid, permit us to infer that nitro- * Cf. Strasburger, Bot. Pract. pp. io6, 129, etc. 43 genous matter must be present in them. We might, therefore, for the present, consider this pecuhar substance as a mixture of mucilage and protoplasm, impregnated with tannin. As to the question whether the mucilage is produced hi the interior of the secreting cells, or in the outer layer of their walls, we have to refer to the statements of DeBary in his Comparative Anatomy (p. 93, Engl. Ed.) where, in treating of glands, inchid- ing glandular hairs, he says : " The anatomical peculiarity of the glandular parts of the epidermis consists in the appearance in the cell wall of that body, which is termed the secretion of the gland, as a part sharply defined from the cellular layers. The wall grows in thickness at the glandular spot by intercalation of a lay- er between its outer and inner side. The intercalated mass dif- fers in material from the cellulose and cuticular wall and is termed a secretion." Another passage on the same page reads as follows: — *' More careful investigations are necessary to answer the question as to the appearance and origin of the secretion. But in any case it is incorrect to imagine a "perspiration " in the sense of a passage of large optically determinable masses formed in the interior of the glandular cells through the membrane." And on page gg the author mentions one single exceptional case known to him : '* The bases of the young leaves of OsDiimda are covered with a rich amorphous mucilage. This originates from long septate hairs with large bead-Hke cells, each of which in the stages of development observed, is completly filled with a mass of muci- lage. The origin of the latter remains to be investigated."* I venture to suggest that the hairs of Brasenia may form another exception. In the first place we do observe "large opti- cally determinable masses " in the interior of the hair which are similar to the secreted masses, diminishing as the secretion — in the sac — increases, and which finally disappear Moreover we have seen that by destroying the restrictive power of the enclosing * Since this paper was read, No. x, Vol. I, of the Annals of Botany, has reached us, in which W. Gardiner and Tokutaro Ito discuss the structure of the secretory cells of Osmunda regaiis^ L., and Bhchnum ocddeniaie, L. According to their investiga- tions, «« the cell-contents usually escape by means of a small localized rupture of the wall" (p. 40), or "the whole wall through disorganization breaks down on all sides and the swollen drops quietly escape " (p. 41). 44 protoplasm, we can cause the rapid passage of those masses through the cellulose layer of the cell wall; for we cannot well believe that in the very short time during which this passage is completed, a transformation of a portion of the cell wall into mucilage has taken place. As another proof for the direct passage of the mucilage through the wall must be considered the absence of any swelling or striation of the cellulose layer after the rupture of the sac and while the mucilage in the hair continues to diminish and disappear. We may, therefore, assume that the increasing turgor inside of the hair forces the mucilage through the surrounding protoplasm and through the cellulose layer of the w^all. If, finally, we ask ourselves of what possible use the mucilage might be to Brasenia^ we can only suppose that it must serve the plant as a protection against the attacks of water animals which are prevented by its slippery and yielding, but at the same time firm consistency, to crawl on its surface and to eat the tender growing parts. Moreover, the numerous kinds of larger water m Algae cannot attach themselves to the growing stems and buds, although, as mentioned before, Bacteria and also Diatoms seem to thrive in the mucilage. In the intercellular air-canals we often meet with projecting hair-like structures. Sometimes they are simply slight protuber- ances from the cells lining the canal, but usually they are large outgrowths of those cells, of a cylindrical, sac-like shape, or they are inflated and widening from the base toward the rounded end (Figs. 5, 6, 7), The interior is most commonly continuous, but occasionally one to three cross-partitions may be noticed. These hairs are often found in groups of three or four, seldom singly (Fig. 7)» but most frequently occurring in large numbers, all around the canal, pressing against one another and, at some points, effectually closing the entire cavity. For a considerable but varying distance from such a point many cells bordering upon the canal send such outgrowths into the open space, dimin- ishing in number as the distance increases, and the interstices between them are usually filled with mucilage (Fig. 5). A hning of mucilage of varying thickness is also found in such parts of the canal where there are only a few hairs or none at all (Fig. 5. mu, upper canal). The lining does not always 45 extend all around the canal, but often covers only patches of its wall; it frequently passes over some of the hairs, covering and enclosing them entirely. In cross-sections the outer edge of the lining IS firm and smooth, assuming a distinct yellow color in chloriodide of zinc, or in potassic iodide and sulphuric acid: it is, in fact, a thin layer of cuticle raised in a coherent film from the wall of the canal by the mucilage forming under it Wher- ever the mucilage occurs calcium oxalate is nearly always found in abundance ; not, however, inside the cells or in separate recep- tacles, but imbedded in the mass of the mucilage in the form of crystals, usually octahedral, which are frequently of extraordinary size and beauty. Quite often large crystalline conglomerates cling to the sides of the canals, which are always coated besides with a dense crystalline layer of this salt. The internal hairs have a thin membrane, and most of them bear on their surface numerous bubble-like excrescences, which sometimes attain considerable size (Fig. 6). Some rest on the hair on a broad circular base, others barely touch it at one point (Fig. 6). In the former case, when their elevation is very slight, an exceedingly thin membrane, the continuation of the outer- most layer of the wall of the hair, seems to cover them. This may be noticed after treatment with nitric acid and subsequent appli- cation of chloriodide of zinc. I was unable to discover, with any degree of certainty, the least trace of a membrane around the globular bubbles. Other bubbles of exactly the same appearance and structure are frequently found on the sides of the canals, cling- ing to the walls of cells that have not grown into hairs. Mellink* noticed ''small hemispherical,! or more rarely pedi- celed bubble-like elevations" on the hairs of NymphcBa, and L reaches the conclusion that the cuticle of the hair is thickened in some places so as to cause them. The bubbles on the hairs of Brasenia are not stained by chloriodide of zinc, potassic iodide, or nitric acid | (while the cuticle of the epidermis and the suber- ized parts of the endodermis react beautifully); they are evidently t " rialbkreisformige," which I suppose ought to read " halbkugelformige." X Mellink does not report the application of reagents to prove that the bubbles are really a thickening of the cuticle, but simply says that they are not hollow, because acetic acid-rosanilin will stain them uniformly red. 46 r L- drops of mucilage. I frequently saw two or more of them flow- ing together or clinging to one another like drops of any viscid, semi-fluid substance. In some instances it can be demonstra- r ted that the mass of mucilage filling the space between some hairs which are not in close contact, is formed of these drops, for not having perfectly coalesced they can be made out individually. How these mucilage drops are formed remains to be investigated ; the internal hairs do not contain any mucilage masses as the external ones do. In many of them active protoplasmic currents and large nuclei may be observed, and others contain a great deal of starch (Fig. 7). These hairs are sure to be found in such intercellular canals as, by some agency or other, have been injured, and it is evident (as Melhnk has pointed out in reference to Nymphcea alba) that the formation of the hairs is an effort of the plant, and in most cases a very effectual one, to repair the damage by closing up the canah The wounds healed in this way may be caused by various mechanical forces. In several stems were found egg or larva cases suspended in the intercellular canals nearest to the surface of the stem. The animal had punctured the superficial layer of cells and deposited its eggs inside in longitudinal rows, which were plainly marked on the outside by distinct dots. These cases or sacs were obliquely suspended in the air-passage and connected with the outer world by a short narrow canal. The plant had promptly surrounded the intruder by numerous hairs of the kind described. It is not improbable that the larvae when they leave their temporary abode, cause at least some of the wounds found on the stems. Internal hairs are often met with, as stated above, quite far from the wound. As this was also the case with NymplK^a alba^ Mellink thinks that these outgrowths are caused by a certain "irritation," proceeding from the wound and conducted through considerable distances by the protoplasm, which he assumes to be continuous through the cells of the affected tissues. Without doubting in the least the importance of the doctrine referring to the continuity of the protoplasm, I cannot help thinking that in our case the expansion of cells into an air-canal is rather vaguely explained by the " irritation" theory. Assuming, as above, the 47 existence of a high pressure in the air-passages, we must admit that the opening of one of them by some mechanical Injury would temporarily diminish that pressure. The turgor in the cells bordering upon the canal would cause them to grow in the direction of the least resistance, i. e., into the open space of the canal, until the hairs thus formed would close the opening. That the portion of the canal near the wound was most Hkely filled with water may be concluded from the fact that in all sections, both from fresh and alcohol material, the mucilas^e fillinir the spaces between the hairs, even at some distance above the wound, abounds in bacteria, and even sometimes diatoms, of the same kind as those that are found on the outer surface of the plant Should these observations and conclusions prove correct, the same arguments might be applied with equal force to account for the origin of the curious formations known as tylosis, with which the hairs in question have many analogies. EXPLANATION OF PLATES. PLA.TE LXXVIL— Fig, 1— Rootlet with enveloping sheath, sh. x 20. Fig. 3 — Cross-section of stem ; c, cortical portion ; ic, intercellular air- canals ; m, mestom ; h, hadrom canal; 1, leptom (The shaded part between the leptom bundles — parenchyma cells — takes up more space than the tissue it represents really does.) x 20. Fig- S—Longitudinal tangential section of stem near node, through mestom (m, Fig. 3); h, hadrom canal; sd, spiral ducts : st, sieve-tube, x 220. Fig. 4— Cross-section of floating leaf near upper epidermis; e, epidermis cells; p, palisade cells; a, large air-cavity under stoma X 600. Fig. 5 — Cross-section of intercellular air-canal in petiole, almost filled with internal hairs, hr, and mucilage, mu ; one of the canals bordering on it is lined with a thick layer of mucilage, mu. x 130. Pig. 6— Internal hair beset with mucilage drops, x 430. Pie;. 7— Internal hair containing .larch. X 220. Plate LXXVIII.— Fig. 8— Epidermis cell beginning to produce a hair ; e, adjoining epidermis cells, x 600. Fig. 9— the same, after the formation of a cross-partition, x 600. Fig. 10— Young hair; pc, pedicel cells; pr, proto- plasma layer; mu, mucilage, x 600. Fig. 11— Hair with incipient mucilage sac, ms ;' mu, mucilage ; pr, protoplasm (in circulation); pc, pedicel cells, x 500. Fig, l3_Hair with mucilage sac x 500. Fig. 13— Hair with sac burst; muci- lage has disappeared, and granular dead plasma remnants are left, x 500. Fig. 14— Hair with two large mucilage drops, x 230. Fig. 15— Portion of hair with mucilage much reduced; the dotted curves are to indicate the doublj- concave shape of the drop (cf. text), x 500. Fig. 16 -Hair with remnants of first sac and entire new one, x 230. Fig. 17— Same hair after bursting of second sac (cf. text, p. 39). x 230. Cf. Melhnlv, 1. c. 48 New or Rare Grasses. By Dr. Geo. Vasey. In the last number of this journal were described several new Pacific coast grasses, A considerable number of other new or interesting forms have been received as the result of the col- lections of different explorers, and I wish here briefly to give a short account of them. Mr. J. Macoun botanized in Vancouver Island the past season, and, in addition to the A /opeairus dcscrlheQ in the January number, he sends the following: Deyeuxia Vancou- verensis, a small species, lo or 12 inches high, with spicate pani- cle I l^ to 2 inches long, approaching D, strigosa^ Kth./ also Dey- euxia breviaristata^ 2 to 3 feet high, radical leaves very long, pan- icle 4 inches long, narrow, loose, with short erect branches ; narrow glumes equaUng the flower, the awn shorter than its glume or nearly absent; hairs sparse, ^ to ^ as long as the flower. Dcs- champsia c(2spitosa^ variety maritima^ 6 to 8 inches high, grow- ing on the seashore ; Deschampsia atropurpurea, variety mtfto^^ culms 10-12 inches high, slender, panicle few-flowered, spikelets much smaller than the type; Glyceria ptimila, about 4 inches high, panicle small, mostly ot three to five approximate sessile spikelets with a lower branch ^ to i inch long; Bronius Macotinu, closely resembling B, erecttis, Huds., but with a smaller, purplish panicle ; Elymiis Vancouverensis^ culms stout and rigid? leaves involute and rigid, spike thick and dense, 4-5 inches long* spikelets rigid, crowded, merely mucronate or very short awned. With this are several peculiar forms or varieties, probably of Ely mils Americanus. Mr. Thos. Howell, of Oregon, in addition to the two species described in the January number, sends Melica Harfordii, variety minor, from the Siskiyou Mountains, 10- 12 inclies high, with a much reduced panicle; also the first introduction into this coun- try, so far as I know, of Elymus Caput- Mediis<2, Linn. ; Glyceria angustata, which is the Atropis angustata, Gris. in Ledeb., Po<^ angtistata, R. Br., and P. Nootkaensis, Rupt. It is properly a Glyceria by its convex — not keeled — glumes, and by its aquatic habit -Also Glyceria festuc quently this summary must be considered as, to a certain degree, provisional, which a broader knowledge of the species may modify. I have been compelled reluctantly to differ from Dr. Flngelmann as to the relations and proper names of some of the forms. It does not seem to me possible to include S. androcladitm under 5. simplex as a variety, although they are undoubtedly closely allied. Not only does the former reach stouter proportions, but Its inflorescence is branching, and sometimes almost as widely branching as that S, eurycarpum, and its fruit is larger and coarser. Besides this, S. androcladum is more aquatic in its habits than the other. I was fortunate enough during the last summer to light upon a very interesting proof of the relationship existing between this form and the deep water plant known as S. simplex^ var, fluitans, Engelnu On the edges of a pond in the neighborhood of my home, and in several widely separated local- ities, vS. aitdrocladiim grew in abundance. From the banks the plants ran down into the water until they reached a depth of four or five feet, the leaves gradually increasing in length and thinness and finally becoming floating, while the stems became more and more slender, and the inflorescence, which ceased at a depth of two or three feet, manifested a decided approach to the ''fluitans'^ condition. This was not a case of submergence by flood, as the water was lower than usual by several feet, showing that the plants sought the water spontaneously. One step further and the plant becomes so much altered as to appear quite distinct from the parental form, warranting us in distinguishing it as a variety. Nor am I able to agree with Dn Englemann in regarding the distance of the floral leaves from the pistillate heads, or the proportionate length of the styles and stigmas as affording good varietal distinctions, these variations being very common and very inconstant. Judging by them alone, I have been continually perplexed to decide what is 5. simplex type, and what "v. Nuttallii," what '' \. fluitans" and what "v. angnstifolium:' In separating the species, the simple or branching inflorescence n^ight at first view seem to sufficiently designate the larger groups, but such a grouping is unnatural as it associates species which in reality are quite dissimilar. A more natural character is found > 76 In the shape and basal termhiation of the fruit. The form of the uiflorescence may be used subordinately, after this the compara- tive number of the stigmas, and finally the terrestrial or floating habit, and the size of the fruit and styles. Embodying these principles I am led to adopt the following classification, and to give afterwards a more detailed description of the American forms. ' A.— FRUIT SESSILE AND COMPARATIVELY BROAD. I. — Inflorescence simple. S, subglobosurn. II. — Inflorescence branching. 1. Stigmas commonly 2, occasionally I. S. eurycarptim, Engelm. 2. Stigmas commonly i, occasionally 2. S, ramosum, Curtis, S, Greenei, S. negledttm^ Eecby. B^FRUIT STIPITATE AND COMPARATIVELY NARROW 1. — Stems erect or floating, inflorescence branching. The heads are numerous on the widely branching inflorescence the staminate from six to fourteen on a branch, the pistillate Paper read before the Cal. Acad. Sci., Feb. 4, 1884, p. 4. %■ ^ S.androdadum, Eglm.; ^zx. fluctnans. Possibly the true .S*. natans of Linnceus and Fries belongs here. II. — Inflorescence simple. 1. Erect or floating, styles and fruit conspicuous, leaves triangular except when | floating. 5. simplex^ Huds., var. angitstifolium^ { Michx.), Engelm. S,JluilanS,^T^'^^^i if really a distinct species, would belong here, but perhaps it is nothing more than a form of S, simplex, 2. Usually floating, stems very slender, fruit and styles small, leaves flat. S. ni'iHimiun^ Fries. 6', hyperboreum^ Lsest. S. oligocarpon^ Angstr., as figured and described in Fl. Dan. Supp-j "T^^^- 172, might belong to S. minimum or S. hyperhoremn. It seems to be very rare, and its rank not fully established. S, Greend and S. negleihim are evidently transition forms, as the more sloping summit and narrower outline of their fruit show. (See Figs. 3 and 4 in the plate.) The North American species are as follows : » I. 5. enrycarpimi^ Engelm. (Gray. Man., Ed. 5, p. 481.) The largest member of the family, 9dm.-i5clm. high. Prof- E. L. Greene sends a specimen which he has named S. Call- fornicum^'^ but which T am unable to separate from 5'. etirycarpufftt * which measures 26 dm. in heie^ht and the leaves over 26 dm. long- i^ I t 77 usually two and sessile or more commonly on peduncles 1^-5 cm. in length; when ripe the fruiting heads 2-^ cm. in diameter; mature nutlets thick, hard, 8-10 mm. long, irregularly and ob- tusely four to five angled, wedge-shaped, truncate at the apex, the top rounded, flattened or depressed, abruptly tipped with the style ; scales as many as the angles on the fruit, and often several exterior ones, half as long as the fruit or more, expanding into a spatulate apex, which is commonly eroded on the edges. As stated by Dr. Engelmann in Gray, Man., Ed. 5, p. 481, this species has often been confounded with the European 5. ramosum, Curtis, which does not occur in this country. It differs from that not only in the greater size of the plant, which would not be of much importance in itself, but in the magnitude of the fruit (as may be seen in fig. 2 in the plate, where the two are represented m contrast), and also in the number of the stigmas. 5. eiirycarpian differs still more widely from the European S. iieglectiiin, the fruit of which is outhned in fig. 4. Virginia to California and northward to Lower Canada. I have seen no specimens from our Southern States or north of Ontario. 2. vS, Greenei, n. sp. Quite similar to S, eiirycarp Stem 9-15 dm. in height; inflorescence about 3^ dm. long, rather narrower in outline than in 5. eiirycarptim, and the branches rising at a sharper angle. Pistillate heads two on a branch and sessile, the staminate lO-i; ; ripe fruiting heads 15-23 mm. in diameter; nutlets fusiform, 9 mm. long by 5 broad, widest part a little more than a quarter of the length from the summit, ob- scurely angular, tapering to the base; about one third of the stigmas in a head are double and they are. as long as the styles, and both together not far from ^Y^ mm. in length; leaves similar to those of 5. etirycarptim, triangular, channelled and partly clasping at the base and flattened towards the apex, the largest 12 mm. wide by 16 cm. long. The fruit is shown in fig. 3. This interesting plant was collected by Prof. E. L. Greene, in Sept., 1887, at Olema, Marin Co., California. It gives me great pleasure to name it for the acute and enthusiastic botanist to whom we owe its discovery. 78 3. ^ S- ANDROCLADUM, (Engelm.) (5, simplex, Huds., v. andro- cladtini, Engelm., in Gray, Man., Ed. 5, p. 481. 5. ramosum, Chapm. South. FL, 443.) Stems erect, slender, 2^-6 dm. high; the inflorescence 10- 25 cm, long, usually close and narrow and bearing but few branches, but sometimes branching extensively, A specimen kindly given me by Dr. C. W. Swan, which was collected by Mr. L. L. Dame on the island of Nantucket, has seven branches and thirty-two heads, all but one of which are staminate. Pistil- late heads three to seven, sessile or the lowest peduncled, axillary, or the peduncles and branches axillary; ripe fruiting heads 12- 25 mm. In diameter ; nutlets fusiform, the body 5-6 mm. long by 3 broad, usually smooth but sometimes obtusely angular at the sum- mit, oftentimes contracted strongly in the middle ; with a style and stigma 6 mm. long, the stigmas as long as or shorter than the w styles, and occasionally double; stipe nearly 3 mm. long. The plant grows in bogs or shallow water. Sometimes intermediate forms between this and the following are found, reference to which is made on p. 75. This species, as well as 5. eurycarpnm, has often been confounded with 5. ramostcm. L ^^ Canada and New England to Florida, and northwest to Van- couver's Island. Van FLUCTUANS. (5. simplex. Hud ty, Man., Ed. 5, 481, non S. fiititans fl. Floating in deep water, with long, slender stems and thin, flat leaves, 3-8 mm. in width. The inflorescence is usually short ■ and close, 6-IO cm. long and 3 or 4 cm. broad, but sometimes quite long and slender, as in a specimen from New Brunswick, belonging to Prof. John Macoun, where the axis of the inflores- cence and the lowest branch are each 15 cm. in length and only 2-5 cm. in breadth; ripe fruiting heads 8-12 mm. in diameter. Much as I dislike to multiply synonyms, it seems necessary to change Dr. Engelmann's name of this plant, for two reasons ; ibh » and secondly, because Dr. E. named it "wd^v. fuitans,'' under the impression that it is identical with S. Jluitans, Ft. ; but unless that species is something very different from the plants so called which are contained in our great Herbaria, or as described to me i V ! 79 by European authorities, our plant is not the same, and it only creates confusion to employ the name. Pennsylvania, White Mountain ponds and northward. 4- .S, simplex, Huds. (Fl. Ang., Ed. 2, p". 401.) Leaves more or less triquetrous, 5-8 mm wide; stems slender, erect, 1^-6 dm, high; inflorescence 5-20 cm. in length; stam- inate heads 4-6, pistillate 2-4, sessile or the lowest peduncled, supra-axillary or axillary (v iV^^/to////, Engelm.); ripe fruiting heads 12-15 mm. in diameter; nutlets fusiform or narrowly ob- long, obtusely angled at the apex, the body about 4 mm. long, more or less contracted in the middle; stigmas hnear, equal to or shorter than the styles; stipe about 2 mm. long. This is often found In a dwarf state with a stem only 10 or 12 cm. high, leaves short and 2 or 3 mm. wide, and the inflorescence 2 or 3 cm. in lenorth. Canada to the Middle States, California and northward to British Columbia. (Eu.) •^Var. MULTIPEDUNCULATA, n. vaf, A form sent from Great Falls, Montana^ by Mr. R. S. Williams, which has tlie heads aggregated, most of them on simple or branching peduncles ; nutlets very slender and long- beaked ; scales long, slender and toothed ; and not infrequently double stigmas. Var. angiistifolmm, (Michx.), Engelm., in Gray, Manual, Ed. 5* p. 481. {S, angiistifolium,W\c\\yi., Flor. Bon Am., ii., p. 189;* ^- affine^ Schnizl. Nat. Pfl. Typh., 1845, p. 27.) Floating in deep water; stems slender; leaves long and nar- row, 1-5 mm. wide, flat, with sheaths often inflated at the base; inflorescence 3- 10 cm. long; staminate heads 1-4, pistillate 1-4, sessile, supra-axillary or the lower on supra-axillary pedunchs, the lowest often remote as a peduncle 4-7 cm. in length ; ripe fruiting heads 7-15 mm. in diam.; nutlets often contracted in the middle; stigmas linear or oval, equal to or shorter than the style. In European specimens of this which I have examined the in- florescence is sometimes as much as 20 cm. long, the lowest fertile *r)r. Engelmann writes in a manuscript note in my possession that he, himself, has seen Michaux's specimen at Paris. To this name, therefore, belongs the right of priority. 80 head on a peduncle 10 cm, in length, but I have seen no Amer- ican specimen equal to this. European specimens, also, some- times have the lowest peduncle axillary, showing a variation in this respect. Mr. W. H. Beeby, of London, in a letter to the writer, suggests that our plant maybe 5. simplex, v. longissinimn, Fries, which greatly resembles S. affine, Schnizl, and perhaps some of the forms included here may belong to that variety, a form with which I am unacquainted. As stated by Engelmann, this plant sometimes occurs in dwarf states, growing nearly out of water, with shorter erect leaves. Mountain lakes and slow streams, New York, New England and northward, also CaUfornia and Washington Territory. (Eu.) 5. .S". minimum, Bauhin. (C. Bauhin, pin. 16 Raji, Herb. Norm. XIL, n. 71. Fries, Summa veg. Skand., p. 68, 1845. Called S. nutans by most of the older writers, but not the true 5. natmis of Linnseus.) L Stems more slender than any of the preceding, varying m height according to the depth of the water in which it grows, i-io dm.; leaves thin and lax, 1-5 mm. in breadth; inflorescence 15- 40 mm. in length; staminate heads i or 2, pistillate 1-3, sessile and axillary, or the lowest on an axillary peduncle 3-20 mm. long; ripe fruiting heads 5-10 mm. in diameter; nutlets top- shaped, (vid. fig. 9) 2^-31^ mm. long, or sometimes elongated to 4 mm.; stipe ^-i mm. long, or now and then apparently none; styles about i mm. in length, of which the oval stigma occupies from ^ to The flowers usually rise to the surface in order to effect fer- tilization, but sometimes this appears to be done and the fruit perfected when submerged. Occasionally dwarf plants are found growing erect out of the water. Pennsylvania and New England to Canada and northward; also westward to Oregon and Washington Territory. (Eu.) 6. S, hyperboreum, L^st. (In Wikst. Arsberatt, 1850.) Stem similar to that of S. mininmm, 20-30 cm. high ; leaves usually shorter and narrower, 1-3 mm. broad ; inflorescence only 15-25 mm. in length; staminate heads i or mofe, pistillate 1-2, sessile or the lower on a short peduncle which is often supra- axillary; ripe fruiting heads 5-10 mm. in diameter ; nutlets ob- i r 1 i I ',: * 81 long, obscurely triangular at the summit ; stipe very short; the oblique, oval stigma minute and sessile, or nearly so. All the North American specimens which I have seen bear imperfect seeds which are so much contracted on the lower half as to appear flat. Outlines of these are given in fig. lo in the plate, c exhibiting the thin edge and d. the flat side of the con- traction. This species seems much addicted to this imperfection, as in Herb. Gray are quite a number of European specimens showing the same malformation, a. and b. exhibit perfect seeds from European specimens. The fruit of the American plant seems a trifle smaller than that of f'urope. In the drawing there is more of a style represented than there should be, and the stigma is a little too oblique. Southern Shore of Hudson Bay. J. M. Macoun. Labrador. J. A. Allen. According to Lange (Consp. Fl. Green., p. ii6), this plant has been collected in Greenland. (Eu.) To the above should be added an undescribed species from New Zealand, contained in Herb. Asa Gray, which I have called S. SUBGLOBOSUM. It appears to be a floating species, the stem nearly 3 dm. high ; leaves longer than the stem, 2-4 mm. wide, in texture much like those of 5. androcladtim, var. fliicttians ; the simple inflorescence is short, consisting of two pistillate heads which are sessile and axillary; staminate heads lacking' on the specimen, but apparently were only two ; ripe fruiting heads 8-10 mm. in diameter; fruit subglobose, obscurely angular at the summit, not quite 4 mm. long, by 3 mm. broad; stigma ovaL about one-third as long as the style. (See fig. I.) The specimen is erroneously labelled '' S. simplex, Huds., v. cingustifoliiim^ Engelm." Coll. at Bay of Islands, N. Zealand, in the U. S. Exploring Expedition under command of Capt. Wilkes. Explanation of the Plate. The figures show the fruit of different species, all X S- I- ^- subglobosum. 2. 'S*. eiirycarpum, enclosing S, ramosum. 3. S. Greenei. 4- -5". neglednm. 5. S, an- drodadiim, one nutlet showing constriction. 6. 5. androciadum, v^i. Jiuctuans. 7. S. simplex, one nutlet showing a scale. 8. S. simplex, var. angustifoiiu?n, one nutlet showing constriction. 9. S. minimum, one nutlet showing a scale. \o. S. hyper - horeum; a and b, perfect seeds from European specimens; c and d, imperfect seeds from American specimens ; c showing the thin edge, and d the flattened side of the lower half. 82 Trigger-Hairs of the Thistle Flower. The common pasture thistle {Cnictis altissimiis, Willd.) is a good subject for the study of sensitive stamens. • It is needless to remind the readers of the BULLETIN that the stamens in the thistle flower are five in number and are united by their anthers so as to form a tube, which surrounds the upper portion of the slender style. The filaments are free from each other for some distance below the anther-ring, and in these parts is the seat of the characteristic movements. A freshly opened flower has the tip of the style within the anther- ring. When such a blossom is touched by a pencil point or needle, the anthers are drawn down and the upper end of the style may be brought' through the ring of anthers along with a quantity of pollen adhering to the spinose surface. If, after a few minutes, the flower is touched again, the motion is renewed and the ring is pulled still further down. By irritating the an- droecium upon one of the filaments and then upon another oppo- site it, the blossom may be caused to sway from one side to the other. In short, those slender filaments are sensitive, and when touched will contract and thereby pull the united anthers down- ward. •A The peculiarities of the movements have led to a microscopic examination of the filaments. They consist of colorless cells, two or three times as long as broad, placed end to end and surround- ing a small central bundle of six to ten closely coiled spiral ves- sels. In transverse section the filament is nearly triangular, the broader .side being placed nearest the style. A portion of a young filament is shown at a, in the engraving. Many hairs are found upon the surface of the older filaments, and exhibit a peculiar structure. Each trichome consists of two nearly parallel cells, which extend side by side to nearly the end of the outgrowth. Usually, one of these cells takes the lead, and in an old hair it forms the end, which is somewhat enlarged. The other cell is closely applied to the first and a Uttle below the extremity of the trichome. There is a hyaline outer layer com- mon to the two cells. It is not difficult to determine the origin and development of t 83 i A these twin-celled hairs, if the filaments are taken for study while young. The surface is at first smooth, as indicated at a, and not unlike the exterior of ordinary fila- ments and similar plant structures. In slightly older stamens it is easy to recognize small enlargements at certain places, where the sur- face cells meet end to end. Such a minute swelling is indicated in side view at d. The U}-!: ends of these two cells take on a lateral growth / and soon become bent at right angles to the surface of th e filament. The protoplasmic contents of each cell flow into the free, extended portion, and leave the old epidermal part comparatively empty. The nucleus IS plainly visible in the lateral portion, when the hair is not more than half grown. These trichomes, therefore, originate by the lateral extension of the ends of two adjoining cells, and they evidently play an VA.O" ' ^'-d'-i. important part in the movements of the filaments. The addi- tional figures in the engraving show older stages in the develop- ment of the hair. At c and d the young outgrowths are rapidly developing, and the protoplasmic contents are quite dense near the tips of the cells. Two mature hairs are shown at e and / the former in side view, while the latter is looking down upon the surface, and indicates the relative lengths of the cells. From tile beginning of the development of the hair, there is an evident common layer over the two specialized cells. This is most appar- ent when the trichome attains full size, that is when about a mil- limeter long and 20 to 25 M broad. The protoplasm was fre- quently found in rapid circulation in the full-grown cells, and ip* 84 was as favorable for the investigation of this phenomeaon by stu- dents as any of the standard subjects. For the lack of a better name, that of '* trigger-hairs '' is given to these outgrowths. This seems to be descriptive of their use, for when they are touched by the slender legs of insects the im- pulse is communicated to other parts, and a downward motion of the anther-ring results. This Hberates a quantity of pollen at a time and place when it will be most likely to get upon the insect's body and be thereby transferred to some other flower. The structure and the movement are undoubtedly provisions for wide fertilization, and the trigger-hairs are the means by which the visiting insect springs the trap and catches the pollen. Byron D. Halsted. Bibliographical Notes on well-known Plants.— VII. By Edward L. Greene. ^ Castalia and Nymph^a. The learned editor of the Journal of Botany has already well taken the initiative in that work of readjusting the names of the water-lilies, which the priority of Salisbury's monograph, lately shown in this Journal t has rendered necessary. Several North American species, not known to Salisbury, and therefore not taken up by Mr. Britten, remain to be named. Nymph^a polysepala. — Ntiphar polysepaium, Engelm. Trans. St. Louis. Acad., ii, p. 282 (1865). NympH/EA RUBRODISCA. — Niiphar ruhrodismni, Morong. Bot. Gaz., XI, p. 167 (1886). Castalia TUBEROSA.— .Vy;;^///^^ Uiherosa, Paine Catal. PL Oneida, p. 184 (1865). It can scarcely be doubted that certain specific names, far older than titberosa, were meant for this com- monest and most widely dispersed North American water-lily ; Walte Willd Rafinesque; but, owing to the meagre descriptions and the lack * James Britten, Journ. Bot., Jan., 1888, p. 6. t E, L. Greene, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, xiv, pp. 177 and 257. 1^ Lder k - \ I 85 of authentic specimens, nothing can be done in the way of restor- ation, and I adopt here the earliest name which, as it appears to me, can with certainty be applied to this species. Castalia flava. — Nymphao flava, Leitner in Audub. Birds, p. 411 (1838): N. lutea. Treat in Harp. Mag., Iv, p. 365, {^^77), not of Linn. W Castalia ELEGANS. — Ny^nplma elegans. Hook. Bot. Mag. t, 4604(1851); E. E. Sterns, Bull. ToRR. Bot, Club, xv, p. 3 (1888). Vv hile It was confessedly Salisbury's privilege, as a post- -Linn^an author, to name the two genera of northern water-lilies whose respective characters it may either be that he discovered independently or that he learned them from the pre-Linnaean, Boerhaave, it is not shown, and I think no one will contend that he had a right to coin new specific names for plants which were neither new nor in want of names as species. Yet, without the least excuse he set aside several which had been in constant use by all Linn^an botanists, and one which had been familiar to, and almost universally employed by, all authors for some cen- turies before Linnaeus. This was Salisbury's offense against one great rational principle of nomenclature; this his unfaithfulness to his predecessors and contemporaries. Why need we, in our attempts to restore to him his rights, stand by him in his own wrong-doing? The following names and synonyms will illus- trate my meaning: Castalia alba. — NymphcBa alba, Mathiolus, Comm. Diosc. (1558); Valerius Cordus, Hist (1561); Pena & Lobel, Adv. (1570); Dodoens, Pempt (1585); Camerarius, Epit. (1586); Tabern^emontanus, Icones, (1590); Gerarde, Herbal, (1633); J. Bauhin, Hist. (1651); Plukenet, Aim. (1691); Ray, Syn. (1696 and 1724) ; Blackwell, Herbal, (1737); Linnseus, Sp. PI. (i753); '' ence all authors, almost to Castalia speciosa, Salisb. (1805); Britten (1888). Castalia odorata. — Nymphcza odorata, Dryander, in Hort. Kew., ii, p. 22>7 (1803): Castalia piidica, Salisb. (1805); Britten (1888). th 1 I 86 Proposed Revision of North American Smilaces. A careful examination of the authorities on Smilax, Tourn.» and of the Columbia College specimens of this genus, convinces me that no sound and satisfactory revision of the North American species, subspecies and varieties, some thirty in number, can be made without new and complete specimens of most of the forms, and accurate field notes concerning many of them. A complete specimen of Smilax includes the base of the stem (at least a foot w of it) with enough of the rhizome and root attached to show clearly whether there is any tuberous development ; two flovvenng branches not less than two feet long-r-one staminate and one pistillate — and a fully matured fruiting branch of equal length. The field notes should state distinctly the habitat, degree of abundance, size, duration of leaf, time of flowering and fruiting, exact color and odor of flowers, and color of fruit while ripening and also when mature; in the case of all anomalous (perhaps hybrid) forms the names of other species growing near should be noted. Anything, however meagre, relating to the genus will be welcome, and I venture to hope that botanists and amateurs throughout the country will aid me in obtaining from their re- spective sections the necessary material for an adequate (and much needed) revision of our Smilaces, Fresh specimens, snugly rolled in newspapers, will be even preferable to exsiccatse, and will be much less trouble to the sender. It is believed that Smilax is always entomophilous, and accurate observations as to the insects by which fertilization is effected are especially desired. E. E. Sterns, 23 Union Square, New York. Reviews of Foreign Literature. Ueber kilnstliche Vergrilming der Sporophylle von Onoclea Strtith- iopteris, Hoffm, By K. Goebel. (From the Berichte der deutschen botanischen Gesellschaft, Dec. 16, 1887.) This short paper contains an account of an experiment tried in the botanical garden at Marburg. Tt begins with a reference to some previous experiments of the author, to show that in a number of organs metamorphosis is a real transformation which may be experimentally proven, and not the ideal, indefinite con 87 * k ceptlon which has so long been the prevailing notion In regard to plant metamorphosis. In one of these experiments the effort was made to prove that the sporophyllum (fruit leaf or 'fertile leaf) o{ Boirychmm Licnaria was the result of the transformation of a foliage leaf* FaiHng to prove this experimentally, the attempt was afterward repeated with Oiioclea struthiopteris and satisfactory results obtained. He explains what may be considered experimental proof as follows : It is necessary to show that the beginnings of the sporo- phyllum and foliage leaf agree, and that it is possible to cause such foundations, as by undisturbed growth would have de- veloped into fertile leaves, to develop into foliage leaves. It is also especially desirable to cause transition forms between foliage and fertile leaves to appear. This is the case because the begin- nings of both kinds of leaves, until a relatively late period of development, are so similar that it is only by transition forms that it is possible to determine with certainty whether the organ in question is really a fertile leaf changing to the form of a foliage leaf, or only a common foliage leaf Among those ferns which show a difference between fertile and foliage leaves, the genus Onoclea is the most striking. The examples chosen for the experiment were large, healthy, well- developed plants- At different times all the foliage leaves were removed, thus causing an abnormally rapid growth of those un- developed foundations of both foliage and fertile leaves which were already formed. . Naturally, only those plants in which the fertile leaves were already started and whose sterile leaves were unfolded, were of use in the experiment For example, one whose leaves were removed the loth of May, before all the foliage leaves had unfolded and probably before any fertile leaves had started, in the course of the summer produced eleven sterile and one per- fectly normal fertile leaf In the other examples the leaves were removed later in the season, after the foHage leaves had unfolded and the beginnings of the fertile ones formed. In these cases the *Vergleichende Entwicklungsgeschichte der Pflanzenorgane : Schenks Handbuch ni., page III. 88 transformation of the fertile to the foliage leaf appeared in the plainest manner and in different stages. The most marked middle or transition stages, referred to n above as so desirable to produce, were shown in the tip or upper half of the leaf becoming green like the real leaf, while the lower part of It was supplied with more or less sorl This is easily ^ understood if we remember that the point of vegetation or growing point of the fern frond remains apical during its entire growth, so the tip might change its character, owing to outside circumstances of too recent date to affect the growth of the lower part Furthermore, the pinnules of the frond instead of rolling ( under as in the ordinary fertile leaf, were spread out flat at the tip, this tendency diminishing regularly toward the base. The amount of chlorophyll in the leaf tip was equal to that of the ordinary leaf At the same time a very remarkable change in the position of the frond occurred. That portion on which the spores had developed retained the usual upright position, while the upper part took on the oblique direction of the sterile leaves. In one case, where the line between fertile and sterile parts was sharply defined, the upper part bent so strongly as to form almost a ri^ht ansrle with the lower. The venation of the fertile leaf was t>"^ "**fc> modified somewhat, making it agree more or less closely with that of the foliage leaf. The author holds the most remarkable result of the experiment to be, that as the ** vergriinung" advances the development of sori is hindered. When a leaf division changes over to the sterile form before the sori begin to be developed, they are never formed ; but when the formation of sori has begun before the leaflet has been subjected to this outward change, then from the apex to the base all the different stages of sorus building can be found. In one extreme case only an indusium was found, indicating that this organ is the first to originate. Other sori had sporangia pretty well developed, but none produced ripened spores. It must be added here that the season proved a very unfavorable one, so that other ferns of the same genus failed to produce ripe spores. The interpretation of the results of the experiment is con- firmed or supported by similar developments occurring on plants growing wild and entirely uninjured by artificial treatment. Such 89 examples h.ive been described by Milde, Luerssen and others, occurring especially on young plants producing spores for tlie first time. Onoclea Striithiopteris is said to occupy a high place among vascular cryptogams as regards the variety of leaf development, producing three different kinds, viz, : "Niederblatter/' or '* Cata- phylla/' foliage leaves and fruit leaves. The '* Cataphylla " have been proven by the author, in other cases, to be transformed foliage leaves, and the same fact is confirmed by the stunted blade of the cataphyllum which is visible to the naked eye. Therefore, the structure of this plant is reduced to a much simpler matter than appearances would indicate. The plant forms only one kind of leaf-rudiment, and this is that of foliage leaves from which, according to certain fixed influences, a certain number are developed into cataphylla, certain others into fruit leaves and the remainder into foliage leaves. This simple experiment is only one from a long list of morph- ological investigations carried on by the author, who is best known to us through his text-book, ''OutHnesof Classification and Special Morphology of Plants.'' It is of special interest, owing to its simplicity, and at the same time the important bearing it has on the subject of plant morphology. — E. L. G. Alia Species Asi(E Centralis, — By E. Regel. (Pamph., pp. 8vo. 87, 8 plates; St. Petersburg, 1887.) This is an enumeration, with descriptions of n^\x species and varieties of the genus Allium, as represented in Central Asia, with full localities of the specimens examined. It includes 138 species, most of them restricted in distribution to the region. A conspectus of the species precedes the main portion of the work, five sections of the genus being recognized. Twenty-nine of the species are represented on the plates, which are excellently done. 071 the Present Position of the Question of the Sources of the Nitrogen of Vegetation — Preliminary Notice, — By Sir J. B. Lawes and J. H. Gilbert, LL.D. (Proc. Royal Soc, xhii., pp. 108-116.) The question of the source of nitrogen in plants has long been a subject of discussion and experiment at the several centres of study of agricultural chemistry, and the results reached 90 by the authors of the paper here reviewed are among the most interesting and valuable of any recorded. The present article concisely presents the facts gained and hypotheses suggested by recent observations. While the assimilation of free nitrogen by chlorophyllous plants may be disposed of as not proven, it is assumed by some that it is brought into combination in various ways within the soil under the action of electricity, fungi or micro-organisms, and among the latter the mycorhiza hyphae of Cupuliferae, made known by Frank, and the nodules on the roots of certain Leguminosae have been suspected as agents of nitrifi- cation. Drs. Lawes and Gilbert are not inclined to attribute any considerable action to the structures mentioned, but, pointing out that while even the feebly nitrogenous sub-soil of Rothamsted (containing only 0.04% of nitrogen) carries some 20,000 pounds of the element per acre, suggest that the Fungi, etc., may serve the crops by in some way bringing this large store of combined nitrogen into a soluble condition for assimilation. — N. L. B. Index to Recent American Botanical Literature. Agricultural College of Michigan — Annual Report, 1887. — L. H. Bailey, Jr, (Bulletin No. 31, pamphlet, 96 pp.; illustrated.) This contains a good deal of interesting and valuable infor- mation on practical horticulture. Bacteria from a Botanical Standpoint. — Wm. Trelease. (Weekly Medical Review, xvii., pp. 88-92 and 127 131.) A brief and clear account of these organisms as studied in the botanical rather than the pathological laboratory, though the paper concludes with some pretty strong advice to the physicians of St. Louis regarding the water-supply of the city. Botanical Institute at Tiibingen.—DoxxgXdiS H. Campbell. (Bot Gaz., xiii., pp W Characece of America— Part /.—Dr. T. F. Allen. (Pamph.. large 8vo., pp. 64, 55 illustrations; New York, 1888; pub- lished by the author.) The very welcome and long expected results of Dr. Allen's prolonged studies of this neglected class of plants come to us in the form of a beautifully printed and illustrated work which must stimulate their investigation, and for the first time affords a ready 91 « reference to their structure and classification. It gives explicit directions for their collection, an historical sketch of their location in the system from the time of Vaillant (1719), a detailed account of their morphology and anatomy and the development of their * organs, and a synopsis of the species, which is to be followed by complete descriptions in the second part of the work. This synopsis was prepared with the co-operation of Dr. O. Nordstedt, and includes the discoveries down to September, 1887. To give an idea of the number of species known, we note that North America affords thirty-one species of Nitella, eight of Tolypella, and twenty-eight of Chara, There is a still larger number of has as yet yielded but I \ L { Wo few, doubtless because they have not been systematically col- lected. The genera Lamprothamnus and Lycluiothammis have not been detected in America. Reference is made to the four valuable sets of Exsiccatse distributed by the author, and a fifth one is promised. We trust that the publication of this work will cause collectors to search carefully for these plants and communi- ■ ,_ cate specimens to Dr. Allen. Such labors are apt to be well re- j> paid, for there are certainly still many forms unknown to science. Contributions to the Botany of the State of New York,—C, H. Peck. (Bull. N. Y. State Mus. Nat Hist., i., No. 2, May, m 1887; pamphlet 8vo., 66 pp., 2 plates.) This is mainly devoted to the fungi, with descriptions of fifty- seven new species, of whicii thirteen are figured. A synopsis of the New York species of Paxillus, Cantharellus, Craterellus and viscid Boleti is given, and the nomenclature of the New York , Pyrenomycetous fungi is revised to agree with the system of , Saccardo. The following phanerogams have been added to the State flora : Hieraciiim Pilosella, L., Atriplex hortensis, L., and Rhodora Canadensis, L., the last collected in flower by Mrs. i Sampson at Thirteenth Pond, Johnsburgh, Warren Co. Its occurrence on Sam's Point, Ulster Co., is reported in the BULLE- I TIN, vol. X., p. 105. It has also been collected by Prof T. C Porter J than Dr. Torrey attributed to it in the New York Flora. Distribution and Physical and Past Geological Relations 0/ British North America?! Plants. — A. T. Drummond. (Canad. 92 Rec. Sci., ii., pp. 412-423, 457-469, and iii., pp. 1-21) This IS an extremely minute and laborious study of the. geographical botany of Canada, with the relations of the flora of various regions to that of Northern Europe and Asia. The question of the origin of these floras is discussed in great detail. We fail to see that any very important facts are added to the sum of knowledge on this question, but the minutiae of the investiga- tion are of the greatest interest. Our space forbids a proper presentation of these, and we must merely refer those interested to the above cited journal. Elements of Botany, — Asa Gray. (Revised Edition, 8vo., pp- 226, Ivison, Blakenian and Company, New York, 1887.) The preface states that Dr. Gray chose for his first and last school book the same name, with an interval of over fifty years be- tween them. This last one leaves little to be desired, unless the illustrations in sections xvi and xviihad been made entirely anew, while the simplicity and clearness of the style and the comprehen- siveness of the plan and glossary will make it the most popular of school books. The first fifteen ** sections " look and sound very familiar, but In sections xvi,, on Vegetable Life and Work, and section xvii, Flowerless Plants, will be seen the greatest number of changes, so that a pupil having carefully mastered this little book will come to the high schools and colleges amply prepared to do some advanced work in botany. The fact that the preface is dated March, 1887, explains why the mistake on page 168, tenth line, should have escaped Dr. Gray, It is hoped that the publishers will remedy this in the next edition by substituting the Fresh-Water Alg^ of the United States, by Francis Wolle, for a book now^ entirely out of print and much behind the present state of knowledge of the subject. Erigeron Tweedy i, lu sp.—\N, M. Canby. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., p. i?) An interesting new species from Montana, collected by Mr. Frank Tweedy. Forestry and Arboriculture in Massachusetts. — John Robinson. (Annual Report Mass. Board of Agrlc, xxxv., 1887 ; pampli- let, pp. 24; reprinted.) Garden and Forest. — A Journal of Horticulture, Landscape Art 93 i 1 and Forestry. Conducted by C. S. Sargent (Vol. I, No. r, 12 pp., illustrated.) The first number fulfills its promise of being a most interest- ing addition to Botanical journals. The plan of illustrating unfigured American plants, alone, commends it as a long-felt want. This number contains a figure by C. E. Faxon of Iris temiis, with description by Sereno Watson. Plant notes on a half-hardy Mexican Begonia and the northern limit of the Dahlia, fro ni C. G. Pringle, and some inquiries by W. Trelease as to hybrids between Ceanothiis Americamis and western species are mteresting. An editorial laments the loss of so valuable a friend as Dr. Gray, and Prof Goodale reviews Gray's " Elements of Botany'' and ''Kellerman's Kansas Forest Trees." Mtsston Viticole en Amerigue. — Pierre Viala. (Rapport au Ministre de rAgricuIture, pamph., pp. 24, Montpellier, France, 1888.) After a visit of six months spent in various parts of New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, New York and Ohio, the Professor of Viticulture in the National College of Agriculture pronounces Vitis Berlandieri, V. cinerea and V. cordifolia as being the most likely to succeed in the calcareous soil of southern France as stock for grafting. Mycologic Flora of the Miami Valley, Ohio.— A. P. Morgan. (Journ. Cincinnati Soc. Nat. Hist., x., pp. 188-202; continued.) New or Notetvorthy Sj>ecies.— 11— Edwaivd L. Greene. (Pittonia, * 1-, pp. 159-164; advance sheets.) Trifolium scahrellum, Saxifraga Marshallii, Potentilla dau- cifolia^ Cryptanthe Rattani, Allocarya hirta, Arabis piirpurascens, Howell, Cardamine gentmata, Cedronella rmpestris and Triteleia ^ejtdersoni, are new species ; and interesting notes are given on Rhamjius rubra, Greene, Astragalus Magdalence, {A. candidis- stntus, Watson, not Ledeb.), and Viscainoa geniculata, a new genus founded on the Staphylea geniculata of Kellogg; Potentilla Utahensis is the Ivcsia Utahensis, Watson. ^^ew Species from Mexico.— Edward L. Greene. (Pittonia, !., PP- 153-159; advance sheets.) Professor Greene describes the following new plants collected W Mr. A. Forrer, in i88i., on the Sierra Madre back of the city of Durango: — Dalea cyanea ; Astragalus Dalea ; Scdmn diver- 94 f i gens, (this name altered to 5. Forreri, 1. c, p. 162, as the former was already used by Dr. Watson for an Oregonian species); Hypcriaim parvtihim ; Ramincuhis Forreri ; Valeriana rhom- hoidea; Achcetogeron Forreri; Geniianasuperha ; Lithospermum tubiilijlorum ; Verbena suhuligera ; Hedeoma jiictind'a ; Salvia Forreri ; Stachys vennlosa ; Cedronella coccinea ; Zebri7ia (.^) pumila and Calochortus vennstulus. Salvia aliena is character- ized from specimens in Herb. CaL Acad., collected on Maria Madre Island, Parafine-imheddiiig method in botany — The application of, — J- W. Moll. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., p. 5.) Peppers — Notes on — Capsicum. — E. Lewis Sturtevant. (Agric. r Sci., ii., pp. I -4.) The writer cultivated during 1887, fifteen sorts from Brazil, fifteen from Mexico, one from Africa and twenty-five varieties from seedsmen, besides keeping notes on 49 others grown in previous years. Observations are recorded on the variations in color, shape, position of fruit and rapidity of drying when mature, though the author defers "till a later period the consideration of specific relations within the genus" concluding that the ''number of species accepted by botanists will be few.' Potauiogeton fliiitans. Roth. — G. Tiselius. (Nordstedt's Botan- iska Notiser, 1887, pp. 260 264.) "American specimens of P. lonchites^ Tuckerm.,show also that they are nothing else than P.Jluitans, Roth., an opinion shared by the Rev. Thos. Morong, who has occupied himself a good deal with the family in question and is well acquainted with them. P. lonchites, Tuckerm., must accordingly be received as synony- mous with /".t/z/zV^//^, Roth." Dr. TiseUus concludes also that P. Illinoensis, Morong, is only a form of P. 7iatans, Seeds and how they travel— l^yxow D, Halsted. (Chatauquan, viii, p. 275.) Taphrina, — Notes on the 6^^;z;^.y.— Benjamin L. Robinson. (An- nals of Bot, L, pp. 161-176, reprinted). ■ Thomas Bridges, Botanist.—^. E. C. Stearns. (West American Sci., iii., pp. 223-227.) ) Tumble-weeds again.— Z. E. Bessey. (Amer. Nat,, xxii., p. ^^) This time it is Corispermum hyssopifolitim, L. ^ ( 95 L University of California Agricultural Experiineni Station. Bul- letin No. y6. Among the reports of the distribution of seeds and plants conducted by this most admirable institution, we note that the Camphor Tree {^Cinnamomum camphora') has proved a hardy and rapid grower in many parts of California; that there arc now cork oaks of bearing dimensions in five counties of the State; that the true Gum Arabic Tree {Acacia Arabica) maybe grown m the thermal belts, and that the Tea Plant thrives in many sections^ and in some cases the leaves are gathered for home use. Proceedings of the Club. The regular meeting of the Club was held on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at Columbia College, the President in the chair and 42 per- sons present. Miss Isabel S. Arnold. Dr. J. W. Eckfeldt, Rev. Francis WoIIe, Thos. Meehan, and John Donnell Smith were elected Members Memb The following standing committees for the year were appointed : J. L. Wall, W. H. Rudkin ; Admissions, Benjamin Rich. Jos. Schrenk ; Herbarium, Louise M. Stabler, Alice B. Dr. Britton called attention to the proposed collecting tour of Rev. Thos. Morong, in South America, and, on motion, the Secretary was instructed to prepare a letter of indorsement on behalf of the Club, under which he will be authorized to act in the name of the Club during his travels. On motion the President appointed Hon. Addison Brown, Mrs. N. L. Britton and Benjamin Braman a committee to take suitable action on behalf of the Club in regard to the death of Dr. Asa Gray. Remarks upon Dr. Gray and his works were made by Dr. Newberry and Dr. O. R. Willis. Dr. Britton exhibited a photograph, taken shortly before his death, and read some of his early letters to Dr. Torrey, which were preserved among Dr. Torrey's correspondence. The Committee framed the following preamble and resolutions: 96 Whereas : Professor Asa Gray, Honorary Member of the Torrey Botanical Clvib, departed this life on Monday, January the thirtieth, 1888, — Resolved : That the members of this Club have learned of his death with profound sorrow. Devoting his life to our beloved science, he not only raised himself to the foremost rank of botanists in any age or country, but has won for our land a place in the annals of science that sheds a lustre upon the American name. Resolved: That not alone for his magnificent work in the strict paths of science will he be ever memorable, but for his labors in the cause of education, for the charm which his enthusiasm and literary skill have imparted to his popular works of instruc- tion and to his essays .on scientific themes, thereby alluring thousands of students to the zealous pursuit of this branch of knowledge, our countrymen owe him a debt 01 gratitude. Resolved: That through his early association with Dr. Torrey, one of the chief founders of this Club, his friendly connection with us and our work, and his contribu- tions to our publications, the Club have felt a special relationship with him that makes his loss come to us as a deep personal bereavement. Resolved : To her who has been his constant companion for forty years, to whom so much of his success is due, we hereby tender our sinccrest sympathy. Mr. E. E. Stert^s read notes on the genus Smi/ax, pro- posing a revision of the N. American species and requesting material and memoranda. Dr. R. G. Eccles read a paper upon the results obtained in the chemical examination of seeds of Calycanthtis^ supplied by Mr. Sterns at a former meeting. Notes by Miss Isabel S. Arnold upon the Flora of the upper Chemung Valley, were read and illustrated by herbarium specimens. After adjournment an exhibition of microscopic preparations was given by the section of Histology and Cryptogamic Botany. [The following has been received for publication.— Eds.] ' At the regular meeting of the Hamilton Literary and Scientific Association^ held in its rooms, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, February 9th, 1888, the following resolution was unanimously adopted. Whereas: This Association has heard with deepest sorrow of the death of "Dr. Asa Gray, Resolved: That as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, there be trans- mitted to his family a record of our profound regret at such a calamity to the botanical world. That in his life he furnished a shining example of devotion to science and thoroughness of investigation which will always command our admiration and respect, and that, though of another nationality, we cherish and revere his memory, inseparably interwoven not only with American Botany but with the development of botanical science ittelf. \ \ I BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB Vol. XV.] New York [No. 4. New or Noteworthy North American Phanerogams.— I. By N. L. Britton. Plate LXXX. J< /' On the 15th of May, 1866, Prof. Sanborn Tenney, of Vassar College, found a yellow- flow- ered Columbine on the high ground west of the Hudson, and opposite the city of Poughkeepsie, which he described in the May Jlavifli ety near the same place, and proposed to try to raise the plant from the seed. Of his farther observations I find no record. On May 24, 1885, during a Club Field Excursion at Sea- bright, Monmouth County, New Jersey, the plant was found in considerable abundance on the south bank of the Navesink River, along the top of a bluff some twenty feet above the water level. It grew there with the ordinary red-flowered, typical form, with which its showy flowers formed a marked and beautiful con- trast, both being remarkably luxuriant. Associated with them was Cerastium arvense, L., and near by grew Smilacina stellaia, Desf , neither of which had been noted so far south along the coast I removed a plant of the yellow Aquilegia to a garden where it has since bloomed every year, maintaining its character. I have not been able to detect any other differences between it and the type except that the whole plant is of a light yellowish green instead of the usual reddish purple hue of the young plants of the ordinary form. Cerastium Texanum, n. sp. Stem slender, 15-20 cm. high, pilose, especially towards the base, branching dichotomously 98 above; leaves two to four pairs on the lower part of the stem, spatulate with an acute apex, sparingly pilose on both surfaces, '8-15 mm. long, 3-4 mm. wide; flowers few, small, terminating the branches; calyx lobes ovate, acute, 4-5 mm. long, nerved, minutely hairy; petals apparently linear, slightly longer; capsule about 7 mm. long, its ten teeth revolute; seeds numerous, angu- lar, roughened with minute points. Habitat: '' Hills, Blanco, March, April," C. Wri Boundary Survey Collections, No. 69. This very distinct species is represented in the Torrey Herba- r rium by half a dozen fragments, and does not appear to have been distributed. It adds another member to the section Strepto- carj>t, and seems nearest to C. pilosum. ^ Astilbe decandra, D. Don, van CRENATILOBA, n. var. Leaf- lets obtuse, crenate, mucronate, the upper one somewhat three- lobed; follicles about 2 mm. long, ovate; calyx lobes obtuse* Collected on the slope of Roan Mt, East Tennessee, along the trail from ** Cloudland " to the Roan Mt. statioA of the E. T. & W. N. C R. R. The plant differs markedly from the typical Astilbe decandra in its shorter and stouter pods and blunt crenate leaves. It may be more than a mere variety, 'but I do not feel warranted In de- scribing it as a species. The fact of collection Is noted in this Bulletin, Vol xili, p. 74. Jiinctis filipendiiliis, Buckley, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1862, p. 8- {J. Btickleyi, Engelm., Trans. Acad. Sci. St Louis, iii., p. 435 ; J, leptocaiilis, Torn, apud Engelm., 1. c, p. 4S4-) Mr. Buckley's name has distinct priority over Dr. Engel- mann's and should be restored. The plant was collected in 1887 by Mr. Nealley. V Cyperus Martindalei, n. sp. Culms erect, very slender, smooth, so to 60 cm. high; leaves very narrowly linear, nearly smooth with a prominent midrib, about half the length of the c> culm; involucre of about 3 leaves, 4 to 10 cm. long, the longest overtopping the inflorescence ; umbel of a sessile head of numer- ous spikes and i to 3 smaller heads on slender peduncles; spikes linear, about seven-flowered ; scales ovate, obtusish, about nine- nerved ; achenium Hnear-oblong, triangular, about I mm. long, i r 99 filiculm acute. Bases of the culms hard and corm-h'ke, as in C, strigosus, L. ; rootstocks very slender, with delicate scales. Florida, from the herbarium of Dr. Ferdinand Rugel, now incorporated with that of I. C. Martindale, an enthusiastic col- lector and patron of botany, for whom the species is named. Collected also by Chapman at Appal achi cola, and marked in his herbarium at Columbia College, as C. oviilaris^ Torr, with which it has but little affinity. In habit it resembles C Cyperus echinatus (Ell.) {Mariscus echinatus, Ell., Sk., i, 75> 182 1 ; Cyperus Baldwinii, Torn, Ann. Lye, iil, 270, 1836.) This species, not hitherto reported from beyond the limits o{ the United States, though from its collection by the botanists of the Mexican Boundary Survey, and by Buckley in the Valley of the Rio Grande, we may suspect its occurrence in northern Mexico, comes now from Jamaica (J. Hart, No. 1034.) »^Var. MULTIFLORA (Chapm.), n. van Spikelets ten to even twenty five-flowered, the latter elongated to 20-25 mm. {C. Baldwinii^ van multiflora, Chapm., in Torr. Herb.) Cyperus ferax, Richard. Not reported from Mexico nor Central America, in Hemsley*s Botany of the Biologia Centralis Americanae is 1980, 1979 Miiller from Orizava, 438 Bernouilli from Mazatenango, Guatemala, and also from Chihuahua (E. Wilkenson, in Herb., J. Donnell Smith.) Cyperus ochraceus, Vahl, is also omitted from the Botany of the Biologia. It appears to be quite widely distributed, how- ever, having been collected by Botteri, as already noted by me, and is represented in Mtiller's collections from Orizava by Nos. 1981 and 1982, and was collected by Tiirckheim at Coban, Guatemala, in 1887, and distributed by Capt. J. Donnell Smith as No. 1262. ■ -Cyperus humilis, Kunth, var. ELATIOR, n. van Culms erect, 12 to 15 cm. high; cauline leaves about equalh'ng the culm; those of the involucre about 2> the longest 15 cm. in length. Otherwise nearly as in the type, which we have in C. bright, Plantae Cubanse, No. 700. »^oIlected by H. von Turckheim, on the river-bank, near Coban, Guatemala (Distr. J. Donnell Smith, No. 705). •Websteria SUBMERSA (Sauvalle.) [Scirpis submersiis. 1 i i 100 Sauv., Flor. Cubana, p. 176 (1868); W, limmphila, S. Hart Wright, Bull. Torr. Club, xiv, p. 135 (1887). When examining the specimens of this plant kindly sent me by Mr. Wright, in June, 1887, I was much occupied with other matters and failed to recognize them as the same as Charles Wright's No. 3775, which had already received a name as cited above. I do not question the validity of the genus established by him, but would suggest its nearer affinity to Heleochans^ as indicated by Sauvalle, than to Diilichium, as supposed by Mr. Wright. Heleocharis This species was described from specimens collected by Dr. Engelmann, at St Louis, Mo., and labelled by him: '' E, obtusa, Schult? var. setis brevioribiisy It has an elongated, sub-cylindrical, often acutish spike and bristles only about the length of the achenium, or even shorter. In looking over a quite extensive suite of specimens of Heleocharis ovata (Roth), R. Br. (77. obhisa, Schultes), I find considerable variation in the relative lengths of bristles and H, this character have heads elongated. The specimens most nearly H, 9 St. Louis (Engelmann, Riehl), Oquawka, Illinois (Patterson) (the var. detonsa, Gray), Tinicum, Delaware Co., Penn. (Porter) and "hills in Waltham, Mass.," (B. D. Greene) the last being the H. obiiisa, var. /?, Torrey, Ann. Lye, iii., 303. The material at command indicates that Steudel's species is a variety of the wide- spread H. ovata, as remarked by Dr. Watson, in Bot. Cal., ii, P- 222, but more material is needed to settle this beyond dispute. The Eleocharis diandra, C. Wright, in BuLL. ToRR. ClUB, x., p. 1 01, seems clearly to belong here, and was so placed by Dr. Gray in Bot. Gaz., ill., p. 81, before Mr. Wright's description was published. -^ICHROMENA CEPHALOTES (Walt.) {Scirptis ceplialotes, Walt, Flor. Car., p. 71 (1788); D. leucocephala, Michx., Flor. Bor. Am., i, p. 37 (1803).) Dichromena puhera, Vahl. Specimens collected by Dr. Wat- son in Guatemala (No. 1 6G a) are markedly proliferous, after the manner of some other sedges, the peduncles rooting at their apices. ( * I t 101 t^lCHROMENA Watsoni, n. sp. Culm stout, sulcate, nearly smooth, 40 to 50 cm. high; leaves of the stem about 5, 15 to 20 cm. long, 5 to 7 mm. wide at the base, tapering to an acute apex, about seven- nerved, the nerves impressed on the upper surface and prominent on the lower; leaves of the involucre about nine, resembling those of the stem; spikes about nine, acute, 12 to 15 mm. long, sessile, forming a capitate cluster at the summit of the culm ; scales ovate-lanceolate, acute and mucronate with the excurrent tip of the mid-nerve; achenium obovate, much shorter than the scale, transversely rugose, tipped with a broad, depressed tubercle; style very slender, two-cleft. A remarkably large species, the cauline leaves arising from loose sheaths, and those of the involucre differing from other species of the genus in being green to their bases. ♦^Collected by Dr. Sereno Watson in Guatemala, February to April, 1885 (No. 153.) -/ Dichromena nivea, Boeckl., under Rhynchospora nivea, Boeckl., Linnsea, xxxvii., p. 528 (1871.) {D. diphylla. Torn, Herb, and 1- c.; D. Revere honi, S. Hart Wright, BULL. TORR. Club, ix., p. 86 (1882.) Although this plant was collected by Lindheimer in Texas, as long ago as 1847, and known to Dr. Torrey about that time, I cannot find any publication of his name until Boeckeler's paper above cited. It does not appear in the published lists of Lind- heimer's collections. Bceckler, referring it to the genus Rkyn- chospora, gave it another name, citing Torrey's as a synonym. It appears to me that this is ample publication and that the later name of Mr. Wright cannot stand. As regards the names of Boeckeler and Torrey, both are cited as manuscript synonyms by the former, with D. nivea one line before D. diphylla~2i nice point in nomenclature but sufficient for priority. The species is represented by Lindheimer's No. 718. Berlandier's 2089, Rever- chon's 1233, and by a specimen collected by Wright, all from Texas. Also from Arkansas (Beyrich, Leavenworth.) ^SILOC _P1m ii., 272 (1806); P. rhynchosporoides "'•. p. 361 (1836); Rhynchospora ; The relationship of this sped {Scirpus nitens, Vahl, Enum. ypoide 102 \ 1 cannot yet be regarded as established. True P. nitens has a transversely rugose achenium and a short tubercle; true P. sctr- poides a smooth or but slightly rugose achenium and a long j tubercle. A specimen in Herb. Torrey, collected by Leaven- worth in East Florida and written up by Dr. Torrey as P, inter- \ media, has a strongly rugose achenium and a tubercle intermedi- ate in length, indicating that they may all be but forms of one species, to which VahUs specific name must be applied. P. Tex- ensiSj Torn & Hook., seems not much more distinct than the • others. The fourth member of the genus [P. corymbiformis ^ (Wright), Benth, & Hook., Gen. PL, iii., 1048; Scirpiis corymhi- formis, Wright, in Sauvalle Flor. Cubana, 176), has much more claim to specific rank, Firnbristylis capillaris (L.), Gray, must include a large num- ber of forms differing slightly in the amount of bearding at the mouths of the sheaths, the acute or obtuse apices of the scales and the size, markings and color of the nut. Besides the synon- omy cited in Hemsley's Biologia, we must add Isolepis ctltatt- folia^ Torn, which appears hardly separable even as a variety, while the following may perhaps stand as varieties or marked forms : KVar. PILOSA, n. van Culms densely pilose throughout; scales dark brown, acute. (Guatemala, Santa Rosa, Tiirckheim, 1887, No. 1283; Orizava, Muller, 1853, No. 1966.) Van COARCTATA (Ell.) {Isolepis coarctata, Torn) Umbels contracted ; spikes linear-oblong. Firnbristylis Vahlii, Link., Hort. Berol, i, 287, is the older name for F, congesta, Torr., Ann. Lye, iii., p. 345, as noted by Boeckeler, Linnaea, xxxvii., p. 9. Firnbristylis monostachya (Vahl), Hassk., PI. Jav. Ran, p. 61 (1848), is the name for Abilgaardia monostachya, Vahl, following Bentham and Hooker in reducing the genus to Firnbristylis. Firnbristylis sckoenoides^ Vahl, has been collected by A. H. Curtiss, in Walton Co., Florida, as I have recently been informed by Dr. Watson. I do not find any record of its occurrence otherwise nearer than southern Asia, but there is a marked tropical distribution of Cyperaceae of which this is perhaps only another example. 103 SciRPUS Pringlei, n. sp. Annual, caespitose, i to 2 inches high. Leaves capillary, all radical, about equalling the culm ; spikes terminal and also radical, the latter surrounded and much overtopped by the leaves ; terminal spikes oval, many-flowered, the lowest bract resembling the leaves, and an inch or so in length, the next 3-6 mm., the others lanceolate, very acute, about 2 mm. long, midribs slightly darker than the margins, every bract fertile ; achenia sharply trigonal, broadly obovoid, the angles slightly ridged, the summit truncate, style three-cleft, its base persistent, stamens two. Basal spikes fewer flowered, otherwise nearly as the upper ones. Whole plant yellowish green. ^^Chihuahua, near Guerrero, C. G. Pringle, 1887, Nos. 1400 and 1399? the latter specimens without terminal spikes. An interesting little species related to S. heterocarpus^ S. Wats., which was also collected by Mr. Pringle at the same place (No. 1398), and in aspect resembling Fimbristylis apus (Gray), Wats. S. heterocarpiis, is, however, coarser, its terminal spikes longer and narrower and dark brown ; the achenia of its basal spikes twice as large as those of the upper. The two spe- cies form a marked group of the genus. 5. heterocarpus is also now to be admitted into the United States lists, having been col- lected by Mr. Pringle, Aug. 29, 1884, on sandy plains south of Tucson, Arizona, near the Mexican boundary. Its range is also to be extended to the BoHvian Andes, Mandon's No. 1410 being referable to the species, differing only in the slightly coarser sur- face markings of the achenium. Explanation of Plate LXXX. Rg. I. Scirpus Fringlei, Britton, plant natural size; Fig. 2, Upper spikelet, ^ 2; Fig. 3. Pistil, X 8; Fig. 4. Achenium, X 8. Fig. 5- Scirpus heterocarpus, Watson, plant natural size. Fig. 6. Upper spike- let, X 2. Fig. 7. Achenium, lower spikelet, X 8, swollen in water; when dry it is slightly shorter and broader. Fig. 8. Style and stigma, upper spikelet, X 8. Fig. 9. Achenium, upper spikelet, X 8. Fig. 10. Scale, upper spikelet. X 8. Scirpus mucronatus, L. This old world species was collected over twenty years ago in Delaware County, Penn., by Mr. C. E. Smith and Dr. Geo. Smith, and appears to have since lain un- noticed in our herbaria, which is to a certain degree my own 104 fault, for there Is a specimen in the Torrey Herbarium dating back to 1864. Mr. Smith has sent me the following note on the locality: " It is in a small patch of Sphagnum in a field, 300 feet above tide- water." Mr. Martindale has it from the ballast grounds at Camden, but there seems no doubt that the Delaware County plant is a native. It is not quite as stout as the plants from Asia and Mauritius, but agrees very well with French speci- mens in Herb. Torrey. Scirptis stenophyllus. Ell. {Isolepis stenophylla, Torr.), appears to be a true Scirpus^ and is nearly related to S. barbatus^ Rottb., to which it has been referred by Boeckeler, Linnaea, xxxvi., p. 792, as var. Americamis. It seems to me specifically distinct, but if reducible to a variety of RottbolUs species, a result by no means impossible when more material is obtained, it must bear Elliott's name. •^EMICARPHA MICR ANTRA (Vahl.) {Scirpiis ffiicranthus, Vahl, Enum. PL, ii., 254 (1806) ; H. subsquarrosa, Nees, in Mart Flor. Bras., ii., Pars, i., p. 61 (1842.) v4lHYNCH0SP0RA AXILLARIS (Lam.) {Schcenus axillaris, Lam., Encyc, i., 137 (1791); R^ cephalantha^ Gray, Ann. Lye, N. Y., iii., 218 (1836.) In taking up the name I am guided by Boeckeler in Linnaea, xxxvii., p. 572, who states that he saw a specimen named by Lamarck in Willdenow's Herbarium. ^CLERLV GRAMINIFOLIA, n. sp. Culms 35 to 40 cm. high, slender, erect, triangular in section; leavcb 3 or 4, 12- 15 <^^^' n *- 'fid long, all cauline, narrowly linear, attenuate to an acute apex^ ^ ■ upper reaching to the inflorescence but not overtopping it ; pani- cle terminal, loose and quite simple, 4 to 5 cm. long, subtended by a Hnear bract, 2 to 6 cm. long ; heads androgynous, sessile, or on peduncles i to 2 cm. long, of from 2 to 5 flowers, the fer- tile and sterile about equal in number. Achenium globular, 2 mm. in diameter, obtuse, minute apiculate, roughened, with short projecting processes, supported on a triangular perigynium whose angles are prolonged upwards as ridges nearly to the apex of the achenium. Rootstocks fibrous. ^Collected by C. G. Pringle in wet places, pine barrens, base of the Sierra Madre, Chihuahua, Sept. 28, 1887 (No. 1401.) > 106 w Botanizing in the Strait of IVIagellan— 11. By W. E. Safford, U. S. Navy. (Continued from page 20,)* The treeless pampa-Iike scenery continued until we reached Cape Negro, about one hundred miles from the entrance to the strait. There it changed abruptly, trees began to make their appearance, and the country became mountainous. As we passed along, the channel would at times become contracted into j a narrow strait, through which the tide ran with great force, and i then it would widen out into a broad lake-like expanse, the Fuegian shore becoming faint and hazy in the distance. Shortly after reaching Sandy Point we experienced a heavy fall of hail and snow; but it melted almost immediately, and in going ashore we found several of the houses in the settlement sur- rounded by bright beds of pansies and daisies, which seemed to have suffered in no way from the inclement weather. Some of these beds were bordered by an edging of sea-thrift, and I I noticed in the gardens many other plants indigenous to the region: Calceolarias, the lily-like Syntphyostemon^ yellow violets, currants and Fuchsias growing over trellises, and the same shrubby composite {^Chilobothrium amelloides) that I had col- lected at Gregory Bay. In the kitchen gardens were patches of lettuce, radishes, cabbages and onions. Potatoes are also raised, but on account of the dampness of the climate the cultivation of cereals is not practicable.. In the vicinity of th^, ::.ettlement I found, \x\ addition to nearly ^ ti^,^^ plants occurring at Gregory Bay, a second specirs of Berberis, a currant, two species of beech, the Winter's bark, a Fuchsia, a handsome Ranunculus, and several other plants. The little Calceolaria nana was here replaced by a taller species, also herbaceous and acaulescent, Calceolaria plantaginea, with several pure yellow flowers, smaller than in that species, borne on a com- mon peduncle, about a foot high, and with leaves somewhat like those of the common plantain. The barbery {B. empetrifolia) grew in the form of a trailing under-shrub, with narrow fascicled * P- 15, line 15, for 32° read 520. This error should be rectified in the first part of Mr. Safford's paper. \ \ 106 leaves and axillary clusters of yellow flowers. The same Ane- mone and Accena as at Gregory Bay were abundant. The currant {Ribes Magellanica), the barberry bushes and the PernettycE were thickly covered with festoons of a gray lichen {Usnea barhataf\ which gave to the vegetation somewhat the aspect of that of the Oregon coast region ; and as the northern barberries are often attacked by fungi, so here the young leaves of Berberis buxifoha were of a bright scarlet color, and much distorted from the attacks of a parasitic ^cidium. The woods behind the settlement were made up chiefly of two species of beech and the Winter's bark, a tree very much like a Magnolia. Fagus antarctica^ the antarctic beech, is here fast becoming extirpated. I saw hundreds of trunks of this spe- cies, and dead trees, like whitened skeletons, still standing, some of which were very large. Two saw-mills have been erected at Sandy Point, but I was glad to see they were not in operation. Fagtis antarctica is by far the largest and most valuable tree for timber in the region of the Straits. In the western part it grows higher up the mountain side than the Fagus betiiloides^ and there it never attains the size that it does near Sandy Point. Fagus betuloides, th^ ** Qvergre^n beech/' is a much smaller tree. It has a whitish gray trunk which branches many times, the ultimate divisions bearing a flat dense crown of small, glossy, compara- tively stiff leaves. From our anchorage we had a grand view of the western mountains. Beyond Sandy Point there arose on every side a wild combination of rock and tree and hill. When it was clear, we could even see the snowy crest of Mount Tarn. I will venture here to give a short extract from Darwin's Journal, describing his ascent of Mount Tarn, in which he pre- sents an excellent picture of the country: ''The forest com- mences at the line of high water mark, and during the first two hours, I gave over all hopes of reaching the summit. So thick was the wood that it was necessary to have constant recourse to the compass; for every landmark, though in a mountainous coun- try, was completely shut out In the deep ravines, the death- like scene of desolation exceeded all description ; outside, it was blowing a gale, but in these hollows not even a breath of wind t 1 r F lOT stirred the leaves of the tallest trees. So gloomy, cold and wet was every part that not even the fungi, mosses or ferns could flourish." In another place, when describing the vegetation of ( the Chonos Archipelago, he says: "' Cryptogamic plants here find a most congenial climate. In the neighborhood of the Strait of Magellan, I have before remarked that the country appears too cold and wet to allow of their arriving at perfection." It was a pleasant surprise for me, after reading the above description, to find a wealth of cryptogamic plants on the shores of Fortescue Bay, which is only a short distance from M Tarn. /^ 'Stop (Hymenophyllufn) growth of mosses, liverworts and lichens. There also I found a third species of Berberis {B, ilicifolid), with spiny holly-like leaves and clusters of orange-colored flowers. The two species of Ptrnettya, the E^nhothnum, Empetrum, and the shrubby com- posite, which I had before collected, occurred, associated with a number of other shrubs and small trees, which I have not yet been able to determine. At Port Tamar the vegetation was luxuriant. There, beneath a dense canopy formed by the flat-topped beeches, shielded alike from the snow and the sun, growing in a damp spongy soil, and surrounded by an atmosphere laden with moisture, grew a num- ber of plants of exquisite delicacy. Filmy ferns crept up the mossy trunks of the trees, mingled with the beautiful scarlet flow- Mit ifoli flowers of a delicate rose color. Many other plants were common which I had not seen before, and T collected, besides three species Hymenophyll cimtamomea fern with a brittle glossy stem bearing a horizontally expanding umbrella of radiating fronds not unHke our Adiantum pedatam m its manner of growth {A. radiatum, L.) Extending above the flat tops of the beeches I saw half way up the mountain's side a conspicuous yellow plant. In order to get it I was obliged to walk nearly half a mile literally on the tops of the trees, as it was im- possible to advance In any other way. The plant proved to be 108 Mysodendron pimcttilatum, a parasite allied to the mistletoe, growing on the living branches of the evergreen beech. On the morning of December 2d, we left the Strait of Magel- lan, and turning northward entered Smythe's Channel, which skirts the western coast of Patagonia. " The vegetation of its banks dififered scarcely at all from that which I have just described. In addition, however, to the plants which I had collected I found a handsome shrub, Desfontainea spinosa, with beautiful scarlet tubular flowers lined with yellow and with glossy, prickly, holly- like leaves. And I also collected here a conifer, which I neglected to mention before, Libocedrus tetragona, belonging to the Cupres- smese. The Desfontainea belongs to the LoganiacccC, a family which, together with the Proteaceae, the genera Libocedrus^ Araticana and a few others, constitute the element in the South American flora which allies it with that of Australia and New Zealand. In conclusion, I may mention that as in the Northern Hem- isphere, many arctic plants reappear in the Alpine regions of Eu- rope, Asia and America, so among the plants which I afterward collected in the higher regions of the Andes of Peru there were several which in the Strait of Magellan and on the shores of Terra del Fuego grow at the level of the sea. As we advanced northward the channel would sometimes be so dotted with islands that we would almost be bewildered, scarcely knowing which was our path, which was island or which was the shore of the mainland ; and then it would contract into a straight, narrow " reach " down which w^e could see for miles, the flanking mountains fading to a deep purple in the distance. Thus we continued on our way, vista after vista opening before us as we advanced, until reaching Trinidad Channel, when we turned once more to the westward, and, leaving behind us the Af^A nil*- <*r-*/-\M fViiTk \\c^'\\f\r\rT \\r\C.C\XX\ 01 the Pacific Ocean, gi At Sea, making passage between Callao and Honolulu, Oct I0> 1887. Capsicum umbilicatum. Last season, in the garden of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station, I grew from some Capsicum seed received / / 109 through the kindness of Professor Orville A. Derby, of Rio Janeiro, a number of plants which I think are to be referred to Capsicum umbilicatum, Vellozo. As this pepper seems never to have been described from specimens, and as our plants differ somewhat from the description by Dunal, the following com- munication may be of service : Capsicum umbilicatum, Veil, Fl. flum., ii., t 7. Dunal in DC, Prod., xiii., 428. Vernacular name, *' Pimentao fundo de garraba. Bottle-bottomed.'' Shrub about 2 feet tall or more, erect, branches deep green, distinctly four- angled, minutely pubescent on younger growth, especially about nodes. Leaves deep green above, paler below, ovate, shortly acuminate, much rounded at base, extending slightly into petiole often unequally, much puffed, largest ones 5 in. long by 3^ in. broad, but usually about 2 in. long by I 7/^ in. broad, sparingly pubescent, on margins minutely ciliate, solitary below, in twos and threes above. Petioles rather short, in general ^-^ in. long, ciliate. Peduncles sohtary or rarely geminate, subangular, pendant, evenly enlarging towards calyx end, in young specimens sub-hairy. Corolla about S/i in. diameter, greenish. Calyx lobes very flat, lacerated, border thin and membranaceous, five to six-toothed, the teeth acute, ten- nerved, the five shorter nerves being somewhat obscure. Berry seated on the calyx, about l}i in. long by ^ in. diameter, turbinate, broad at the apex, scolloped, with a usually projecting nipple or boss from the center, at first green, then brown on side next the sun, finally red, cells 3-5, usually 4, acrid. The plant set out with other peppers in the spring, ripened its fruit before frost, and was reasonably prolific. The puffed surface of the leaf gave it a quite distinct aspect. In some of the fruits the boss was depressed within the scolloped border; in most, however, it was projecting. Whether this is a distinct species I do not care yet to decide, as I have three other varie- ties of a common aspect, but cliffering in the fruit At any rate It is an extremely well marked variety. E. Lewis Sturtevant. So. Framingham, Mass., Feb. 2, 1888. 110 Walter It did not occur to me at the time to look up authors intermediate between Linnseus and Marshall, to whom the tree might have been known ; and now, in pondering some of the pages of that monu- mental work, the eighth edition of Philip Miller's Gardener's Dictionary, I discover to my amazement that that renowned author knew both species of Gleditschia, and that to him belongs the honor of having given a specific name, under the Linnsean law, to the one-seeded species. Marshall's name has but three years of priority over that of Walter, but Miller's is seventeen years earlier than that of Marshall ! Hesperochiron nanus (Lindl.) ■ Nicotiana nana, Lindl, Bot. Reg. x., t. 833 (1824.) Oiivisia Calif ornica, Benth., PI. Hartw., 327 (1849.) Hesperochiron Calif amicus, S. Watson, Bot King, 281, t. 30 (1871.) The late Mr. Bentham in niihli5;hina h\<^ Onris^ia . Bentham in publishing his Ourisia Califormca, did not identify it with Lindley's Nicotiana nana. Until long after the year 1849 that was believed to be truly a Nicotiana. « The occasion of raising the species to the rank of a new generic type was the best time to have taken up the old specific name ; but it does not appear to have been then known or suspected Bibliographical Notes on well known Plants— VIII By Edward L. Greene. Gleditschia inermis, Mill Diet ed. 8 (17^8-) Gleditschia triacantJios^ /? Linn. Sp. 1057 (i753-) Gleditschia aquatica^ Marsh. Arb. 54 (1785*) Gleditschia Carolinensis, Lam. EncycL ii. 465 (17^^*) Gleditschia monosperma, Walt. Carol. 254(1788.) Acacia Abru(2 folio triacanthoSyCapsiila ovali tmiciim semen claudente, Catesb. Carol, i. 43 (1741.) | In last November's issue of the BULLETIN I had the pleasure of exhibiting what I then understood to be Humphry Marshall s right of earliest authorship in the specific name of this southern honey locust, as being three years earlier than that imposed by ! Ill that this was really Lindley's supposed dwarf tobacco ; although this might have been inferred from a glance at the figure in the Botanical Register, by any one who had seen the plant growing. The ordinal place for the genus should not be considered as settled. Eminent systematists have believed it to be of the Solanaceai, of the Gentianaceae and of the Hydrophyllaceae. The very first impressions, like first glances at doubtful words in a piece of bad handwriting, are very apt to be correct in cases of this kind. And Mr. Lindley recorded that the envelope which held the seeds from which the plants were raised in the garden of the Horticultural Society in 1823, bore the statement that it was from this plant that the Indians prepared the finest of their tobacco. Hesperochiron^ alive or dead, looks Solanaceous enough, and if it be true, and we have no reason to doubt it, that the Indians used it for tobacco, this would go far to indicate that with the Solanaceae are its affinities. Cryptogamia versus Heterophyta. The term Anthophyta, as an equivalent and substitute for the Linnsean Phaenogamia (or Phanerogamia), seems likely to come into general use in the near future. Its adoption will make necessary a corresponding word to designate collectively the Pteridophyta, Bryophyta and other plants heretofore included under the name Cryptogamia. I suggest for this purpose the term Heterophyta, which seems to me simple, convenient and significant, and exactly in accordance with the previous terms of the series and with the genius of the language. It is so appro- priate, in fact, that I shall not be surprised to learn that it has already been proposed. E. E. Sterns. New Variety ofjjythronium, L Eryth Dog-tooth Violet Sepals white, more or less sufifused with rose purple, varying to bright red ; leaves more strongly mottled with green and brown than in the type. Shaded woods near streams, McLennan county, east central Texas; not rare; flowers in Feb- ruary. The sufl'usion of red extends even to the ripening capsule, i r 112 but the variety is mainly founded upon the color of the flowers, which are said* to have, when first gathered, the ** delicate fragrance of the cultivated sweet violet, but in the course of an hour or two this odor passes entirely away," E. E. STERNS. Index to Recent American Botanical Literature. Algues Magellaniques Nouvelles. — M. P. Hariot. (Journ. de Bot., L, pp. 55-59 and 72-74; illustrated.) Siphonocladjis^ Eciocarpus^ Sphacelaria^ Ceramium^ Callo- phyllis and Hildebrafitia^ illustrated by six cuts in the text, are figured and described from Orange Harbor and the Falkland Isles. Aqiiilegia longissima, Gray, — Sereno Watson. (Garden and Forest, 1., p. 31, fig- 6.) Azolla et Salvinia dans la Gironde. (Journ. de Bot., i., p. 29.) Two more of our water weeds are causing trouble among the millers and death among the fishes in France. Instead o( Ana- charts^ however, it is Salvinia naians and Azolla Carohntana which have spread near Bordeaux so as to become a nuisance. BcEria gracilis, Gray. (Gartenflora, xxxvi., p. 392; fig. 96,) Calochortus Jlaviis, Schult, /!, and Milla hijlora, Cav, — C. G. Pringle. (Garden and Forest, i., p. 20.) Cladoniees Magellaniques, — M. P. Hariot (Journ, de Bot, 1., pp. 282-286.) Twenty-two species of Cladoniay with two new ones and two varieties, are listed and described. Fer7is — Preparation and Mounting of, — J. "O. King. (The Micro- scope, viii., pp. 78-81.) A detailed account of the method of .^bunting microscope slides of pinnules used by one of the most successful manipulators. Florule des Isles Saint-Pierre et Miqiielon, — F. Bonnet. (Journ. de Bot, i., pp. 180-186, 219-221, 234-239, 249-253, 260-266.) This is an interesting list of plants found in the last of the French possessions in North America, the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon off the southern coast of Newfoundland. It is mainly a compilation from the collections of La Pylaie, Delamare and Beautemps-Beaupre. Geraniacece — A Study of North American. — William Trelease. *By Miss S. A. Trimble, of Waco, who collected the specimens. 113 (Mem. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., iv., pp. 71-104; plates 9-12.) We valuable monographs. The present one is both systematic and biological. The new species and varieties established are Lim- MacoMiii Suksdorfii O, Acetosella, L., var. Oregana, ((9. Orega^ia, Nutt) ; and Gera- nium Caroliniafiimiy L., var. Texanum. The methods of pollina- tion and seed-dissemination are discussed and a very large num- ber of references to literature given. Irises — Note on our Native. — Sereno Watson. (Garden and Forest, i., p. i8.) Wats group and describing in a few words the geographical distribution, appeals to florists to cultivate our native species and solicits seeds and roots from the South and West for Prof. Michael Foster, Oxford, England, who is making a critical study of the genus. Lichenology — Recent Contributions to American. Enumeratis Lichenum Streti Bekringii. — Exposuit W. Ny- lander. (Caen, 1888.) Pyrenocarpece Cubenses a cl. C. Wright lectcB. — Auctore Dr. J. Miiller, (Botanischer Jahrbucher, Leipzig, 1885.) Grapkidece FeeancB. — Auctore Dr. J. Miiller. (Mem. de la Societe d'Histoire Naturelle de Geneve, 1887.) These three^ublications are of interest to students of American lichens. The " ?t gives the names of the species collected by the Nordensk' - id expedition in the region referred to, in 1878-79. It enumerates 400 species, of which about 80 are new, and is the fullest list of the lichens of this region ever published. At the end is a revision of the lichens collected by Dr. Bean in 1880, a list of which was published in the Proceedings of the U. S. National Museum, Washington, 1884; Vol. vii.. No. i. The second publication contains the determinations of Wright's Cuban Verrucariaceae, which were distributed several years since, many of which may be expected to occur within the southern Hmits of the United States. The third is a revision of the Graphidaceae of Fee's Essai sur 114 les Cryptogames des Ecorces Exotiques Officinales and Supple- ment. It is of special value because the spore characters were in his time little known, and Dr. Miiller has studied the original specimens of Fee, and of Acharius, Fries and others, Henry Willey. Lilium Grayi, Watson. — (Garden and Forest, i., p. 19, fig- 4O LoganiacecB — The Natural Order of, — R. G. Eccles, M. D. (Pharm. Record, viii, pp. 41-44.) This is an interesting review of this important order and its alUes from a medical standpoint, with much that is readable in geographical distribution and descriptive pharmacy. Micrasterias Americana, Ralfs, audits Varieties, — W. M. Maskell. (Journ, Roy, Micros. Soc, 1888, pp. 7-10; plate II.) r Musci Cleistocarpici Novi. — Carolo Miiller. (Flora, Ixxi,, pp- This includes 26 species of Acaulon^ Phascum, Archidium, Astomiim, Bruchia, Ephemerum and Lorentziella, of which ten are South American from Paraguay, Montevideo and Brazil. Outlines of Lessons in Botany — Parts i and 2. — Jane H. Newell. (Pamphlets, Svo, pp. 45. Salem, Mass., 1887.) These are intended as aids to teachers and mothers studying with their children, and as elementary guides will be found most practical and clear. The series is to consist of six, by which a practical acquaintance will be made with: I — plants and their uses; 2 — seedlings; 3 — roots;- 4 — buds and branches; 5 — stems; 6 — leaves. They are intended to be used in connection with Gray's First Lessons or How Plants Grow, and are planned to cover the winter season, so that the pupils maybe ready to study the flowers when they appear. We heartily commend the plan and effective methods of illustration. Parmelia perlata et quelques Especes affines. — W. Nylander. (Journ. de Bot, 11., 33-34-) Phacelia heterosperma, n. sp.— S. B. Parish. (Bot. Gazette, xiii-, P- 370 Pi7ius insigni's, Dougl (Gartenflora, xxxvi, pp. 120- 122 ; fig. 11 ) Pogogyne nuditiscula, Gray, (Gartenflora, xxxvi., p. 114; *• 1242.) 115 'tinus, Fr.^ et Irpex fusco-violaceus, Fr. — Note stir Specifique du. (Jo urn. de Bot., ii., pp. SO-:^2.) Kamtschaticum, Fall — E. Kegel. (Gartenflora, xxxvi., t 1260.) disp< pidees, Eriocaulees, Joncces, Mayacees et Xyridees, — M. Ph. Van Tieghem. (Journ. de Bot, 1., pp. 305-315 ; illustrated.) \ ) \ ^ A brief comparison of the roots of grasses and sedges, as described in a former essay, is followed by a description of their structure in these orders. Symphoricarpus — The Genus, — H. Zabel. (Gartenflora, xxxvi., pp. 603-606, 629-631 and 658, 659.) Herr Zabel gives in the first part of his paper a review of Dr. Gray's arrangement of the genus, followed by an account of the forms cultivated at Miinden, in which he claims that the name 5. orbiculatiis, Moench, used by Koch in 1794, has priority over 5. vulgaris, Michx, He also recognizes a new variety glaucus of i'. racemostis, Michx. Thistles — Some Common. — L. H. Pammel. (Colman's Rural World, March 9, 1888,) Mr. Pammel gives a popular account of Cnicus altissimus, van discolor^ C. arvensis and C, lanceolattis, with directions for their identification and eradication, illustrated with figures of each species. Uncimila polyclmta, B <& C—S. M. Tracy and B. T. Galloway. (Bot. Gazette, xiii., pp. 29-32; illustrated.) Undescrihed Pla^tts from Guatemala — // — John Donnell Smith. (Bot. Gazette, xiii., pp. 26-29.) Harp. Rubeleruziana, B. Pansamalana, Anneslia Quel, Myriocarpa heterospicata M. Vaccinium de France — Sur les Variations de Structure des. — Paul Maury. (Journ. de Bot, i., pp. 104-108, ii5-"7; illustrated.) Of species common to America and Europe are V, uligino- ^^m, K Oxycoccus and F. Vitis-Idcsa, of which figures are given showing the upper and lower epidermis. The author concludes t 116 that he can distinguish generic and specific microscopic characters. Vinegar Plant — Growth of, in Fermented Grape Juice. — N. L. Britten. (Trans. N. Y. Acad. Sci., vu, pp. 66-70 ; reprinted.) Describes the gelatinous, stratified cylinders formed by an organism identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiee, Reess, and the appearance of Penicillinm and other moulds on exposure of these to the air. Willows — Two Beatitiftil North American. — H. Zabel. (Garten- flora, xxxvi., pp. 410-412, figs. 98-100.) This paper gives minute descriptions of Sahx lasiandra^ Benth., var. lancifolia, (Anders.), Bebb, and S. nigra. Marsh., var. falcata, (Pursh), Gray. In regarding Andersson's 5. lanci- folia as a variety of S, lasiandra the author takes occasion to remark : " I follow in the naming the profound connoisseur of the Willows. Michael Greene has recently dedicated a new genus of Compositae, >> (J paltistris — Le mode de Fecondation du. — M Reviews of Foreign Literatures Notes on HackeVs Mo7iograph of Graminece, — Prof. E. Hackel, of St. Poelten, Austria, who is one of the best living agrostolo- gists, has recently pubUshed as a part of '* Engler and Prantl s Naturliche Pflanserifamilien^' a monograph of the order Grami- neae, which is of particular interest as representing the views 01 European botanists as to the subdivisions of this vast order. The primary divisions are the same as those of Bentham and Hooker, although not in the same relative order. But in the distribution into genera, there are many changes. Sometimes these changes are in the reduction of genera to sections, and sometimes in the elevation of sections to genera. The whole number of genera recognized by Prof. Hackel is 313, whereas the whole number given by Bentham and Hooker is 298. Tliere are a few new genera established since the pubh- cation of the ^'Genera Plantarum^' of Bentham and Hooker, which accounts partly for the increased number. It may be interestmg to note such of the changes as relate to the grasses of the United States. I 117 Hemarthrta is reduced to a section oi Rotibcellia. Sorghum, Chrysopogon and Heteropogon are made sections of Andropogon. Zizanta miliacea, Michx., becomes Zizaniopsis miliacca^ Doell. and Acherson. Calamagrostis includes two sections, Epigeos and Deyeuxia. Ammophila he recognizes as having but one species, A, artmdinacea. This excludes three North American species which Bentham and Hooker included in Ammophila, w\z.: A. longifolia, A, brevipilis and A. Curtisii, Vasey. These belong to Dn Gray's section Calamovilfa of the genus Calamagrostis, as defined in the Manual, and characterized by the hard parchment- e, one-nerved glumes, and the absence of the sterile flower or pedicel. They differ from A. arundinacca, Host, in the spicate panicle, and the five-nerved rather scabrous glumes of the latter. If, therefore, our species be placed in the genus Ammophila, ^^y ■m must constitute a section Calamovilfa. They might very well lik form a new genus. Dactyloctenium, Willd., included by Bentham and Hooker in Eleusine, is here retained as a genus. The genus Eremochloe\ Watson, receives the name Blephari- dachne, Hack., because the name Eremochloa, Biise., given to an East Indian grass allied to Hemarthria, antedates the name of Watson, Triplasis, Beauv., is reduced to a section of Triodia, Br. In this place I may remark that our Triodia seslerioides has an earlier name, i. e. Triodia cuprea, Jacq., EcL ii., 21. Arcto- phtla, Rupt, is here made a section oi Colpodimn, Trin., and the genus Atropis, Rupt. reduced to a section of Glyceria by Bentham and Hooker, is here again raised to generic rank. Geo. Vasey. New Contributions to our Knowledge of Sieve- Tubes. — ^y Alfred Fischer.* The author has introduced a simple method which enables us to obtain a more correct knowledge of sieve-tubes than we have had heretofore. When a part of a plant is cut off, the fluid in the sieve-tubes will partly flow out, and the current produced in them will cause an entirely new arrangement of their contents. The well-known illustrations of the sieve-tubes of Cucnrbita, etc., *Ber. d. K. Siichs. Ges. d. Wiss. zu Leipzig, Math.-phys. CI., r886, iii., iv., pp. 291-336, 2 pi. 118 in all our text-books, with their accumulations of mucilage above or below the sieve-plates, (^' Schlauchkopfe") etc., must therefore be considered as representations of entirely artificial conditions. The author simply immerses the entire plant, or a portion of it, (while still in connection with the plant) in hot water ; thereby the contents of the sieve-tubes will be fixed and the changes mentioned almost entirely prevented. According to their contents the sieve-tubes are divided into three groups: first, such as contain sap which coagulates when heated, and which is surrounded by a thin parietal plasma sac {^Cuctirbita) ; second, sieve-tubes containing mucilage masses closely in contact with the parietal plasma, and clear sap which does not coagulate (Hi with starch grains, with only little mucilage in the parietal plasma, and with sap which does not coagulate. This differentiation of the con- tents is met with only in active tubes, /. e, in such as have their plates open. The sieve-plates of active tubes are lined with a thin layer of callus which, in its turn, is covered with mucilage either entirely or only at the edges of the perforations. The parietal protoplasm most likely lines the sieve-plates and also the short canals piercing the same, so as to effect a connection of the plasmatic layers of the contiguous members of the tube. When a plant is injured accumulations of mucilage are formed at the plates by the streaming of the sap through the pores. At the same time the mucilaginous lining of the plates disappears, while the callus increases in thickness. Both the callus plates and the aggregations of mucilage, therefore, are artificial products, for in the living, active sieve-tubes there is only very little callus on the sieve-plates. In the living plant the pores of the sieve- tubes are not filled with mucilage as long the sieve-tube is active, but with coagulable sap in Cuairbita, and probably with watery sap in other plants. The obliteration of the cribrose tubes begins with changes of the contents and the plates. In Cucurhita there appear in the sap some drops of mucilage and a coarse coagulum. Then the sap becomes quite rigid, but soon separates into small portions which are again dissolved and removed, or the sap gradually loses its f 119 coagulable ingredients without becoming rigid, and finally the protoplasm and mucilage disappear also. The plates always oblit- erate by the thickening of the callus layer and the narrowing of the pores. The effect of the latter change is that the mucilage lining the pores is changed into massive threads {Cuciirbita) which become thinner and thinner until they disappear, being most likely transformed into callus. When the obliterating sieve-tubes are injured no accumulation of mucilage at the plates can be formed, because the mucilage contained in them is not fluid but rigid like caoutchouc. The sieve-tubes are in direct communication with one another and with their accompanying cells by means of delicate threads ; notj however, with the cambiform cells, which, in their turn, are connected by threads of protoplasm. J. S, Observations on Diatomace<£ from the Neighborhood of Hert- ford. — Isaac Robinson. (Trans. Hertfordshire Nat. Hist. Society, vol. iv., part 7.) The writer alludes to the faci that after a heavy rain the coloring matter of rivers often consists largely of diatoms. He also records his observations of cysts containing young diatoms in various stages of development. Appended is a Hst of 154 species found in Hertfordshire, mostly in the vicinity of Hertford. C. H. K. Botanical NoteSi Botanical Section of the Biological Society of Washington. We have received a brief abstract of the papers delivered at the first meeting, from the Secretary. Prof. Burgess spoke on the Fresh-water Algae, reviewed the literature of the subject, and called special attention to the work of American botanists. Prof F- H. Knowlton followed with some remarks on '' A Case of Sewer Obstruction by the Roots of Trees." Prof S. M. Tracy described some Fungi from the Arid Regions, collected during a recent trip, including twenty-five species of Erysiphe. Several new Pucciinas and jEcidiums were also collected. Miss E. A. Southworth read a paper on the Gleosporium of the Wax Bean {G, Lindermithiamim), as a result of some studies carried on under the direction of Prof. F. L. Scribnen 120 At the second and third meetings, papers were read by Dr. Mr. Fernow. Mr Foster, Prof. Van Deman and Mn Hopkins on various botanical • topics. Proceedings of the Ciub» Owing to the severity of the storm, for the first time in its history the Club failed to hold its regular meeting. On Tuesday, ■ March 20th, a special meeting was held, at which the president presided and thirty persons attended. A letter from Joseph Jackson was read, giving an account of the botanical work of the Worcester Natural History Society, stating that Mr. J. Chauncey Lyford was delivering a course of lectures illustrated with lantern slides, duplicates of which he would be pleased to loan or exchange ; also a letter from Miss Jane H. Newell, accompanied by pamphlets entitled '* Outlines of Lessons in Botany," which she will be glad to send to any teacher who will use them and give her the benefit of the results attained, with criticisms and suggestions. Price, 15 c. each. Miss Steele reported on behalf of the Herbarium Committee the completion of the work on the herbarium of the late Wm. H. Leggett, and stated that all material received up to date had been mounted and put in order. The "secretary read a letter from Mrs. Gray, acknowledging the receipt of the resolutions of sympathy and condolence from the Club. Dr. Newberry remarked on the geological history of Lirioden- dron, and exhibited drawings of a new species from the Laramie of Colorado. The following papers were read as announced: '' A Preliminary Notice of the Pteridophyta Collected by Dr. H. H. Rusby in South America during the years 1885 and 1886.'' By Mrs, N. L. Britton. "On a New Variety oi Erythro?iitim:' By E. E. Sterns, The Rev. Thomas Morong complimented Dr. Rusby on the excellence of his specimens and the r -nber of species of ferns represented in the collection, and gave an outline of his proposed trip to the Argentine Republic and Chili and the headwaters of the Parana and Uruguay rivers. ( BULLETIN I OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. Vol. XV.] New York, May 2, 1888. [No. 5- White Mountain Willows.— I. By M. S. Bebb. Plate LXXXI. It has been my good fortune for seven consecutive summers to receive from Mr. Edwin Faxon, notes and critical observations F on the White Mountain Willows, accompanied by specimens which for completeness have never been- equalled except by those of Mr. Oakes. No other botanist has given these plants so much study afield, no one has ever before, by persistent ex- ploration, continued year after year, become so familiar with their growth and development under different conditions and the extent of their distribution throughout the limited area which they occupy. Having obtained my friend's permission to make use of these notes, I trust the readers of the BULLETIN will com- mend my judgment in allowing them to retain all that interest- ing fullness of detail which they received originally in the un- reserve of private correspondence. If while editing them I am able at the same time to contri- bute somewhat to a better understanding of the species to which they relate, it will readily be seen how far I am still indebted to Mr. Faxon for the advantage derived from his satisfactory and instructive collections. Salix balsamifera, Barratt While looking over the Willows in the herbarium of the Phil- adelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, in the spring of 1879, I came most unexpectedly up^i^-'a specimen of this species which bad been collected in the White Mountains more than half a century ago ! The whole mount was curious and antiquated. The sheet of hand-made paper was stained and yellow with age. The specimen, a mere fragment of leaves only, was held securely in place by a sinde thrust of one of the round-headed, hand made 122 pins of our grandmothers, which ran through the ticket under specimen and sheet and back through the ^^^^^t again. '' Sahx ~ ? Bank of Ammonoosuc, White HiT^ / N. H., H. Little, Aug., 1823 ! " Here we have, I doubt not, the oldest herbarium specimen extant of 5. halsamifera. The collections of Drummond and Dr. Richardson, which gave Barratt his types, were made later, though only by a few years, and those of Bourgeau (upon which Andersson founded his S..pyrifolta) belong to our own day I immediately wrote Mr. Pringle, who was at this time giving to the exploration of the White Mountains the same energy and intelligent sharp-sightedness which have since distinguished nis herbonzations in Mexico, telling him what I had found. By return mall came the confident assurance that the plant would be rediscovered, followed in a few days, sure enough, by fresh specimens for verification. On June 13th, 1879, Mr. Pringle, in company with Mr. C. E. Faxon, found S. bahainifera on the Saco, near the Crawford House, after having searched for it in vain along the Ammo- noosuc. About a fortnight later, in the same summer, Mr. t" Faxon went over the ground very carefully and "succeeded in finding another clump of females on the south branch of the Ammonoosuc, about three-fourths of a mile from Mr. Pringle s habitat, and a very fine cluster of males on the east branch ot the same stream, about four miles further north, very near the railroad from Fabyan House to the base of Mt. Washmgton. As late as 1885 Mr. Faxon writes: "Although I have made frequent visits to the White Mountains since that year, I have not found any other habitats for this species," adding, " The pistillate cluster near Saco Lake and the plant north of Crawfords are in not quite so wet ground. They are both within a few feet of the carriage-road, and I think have been much injured in the winter by being broken down by snow, or by being driven over when partly covered by snow. One is very near a little brook that flows into the Ammonoosuc, and the other near a little pond, originally a mere bog-hole, but now by damming converted into a pond and dignified with the name of * Lake.' The height 01 all three localities is about 1,900 feet above the sea." It was during this season, 1885, that Mr. Faxon found '' a very 123 I much battered alpestrine form on Mt. Lafayette, alt. 4200 feet, beside the bridle - 1 near Eagle Lake." J White Mountains and returned on the 29th. The first few days were spent on the southern shore of Squam Lake, at Holderness, N. H., south of the whole range of White and Franconia Mountains. Here, at an elevation of about 500 feet above the sea, he found a little bush of S. bahamu /era, that had been cut off near the ground and then sent up new shoots. Others doubtless occur in the same neig^hborhood but none could be found. In the Franconia Notch, 30 miles further north '^ three good clusters were found in a grassy meadow near the carriage road."' We come now to last summer, when the search for this willow, which Mr. Faxon has carried on year after year with unabated enthusiasm, was rewarded by the discovery of the plant in abundance. He' writes as follows : J J 887. I have been here a fortnight and have found the Salix balsamifera quite common in and around the Larch swamps. I came too late for the male flowers, as the altitude is not more than 1,000 feet and the valley is quite warm in summer. With just now the fertile capsules opening and coalescing into huge, soft balls of whitest wool, almost hiding the beautiful red and maroon leaves of the growing tips, it is certainly the handsomest willow I ever saw." ^. bahmnifera^ Barratt. A much and irregularly branched shrub, 4 to 10 feet in height, sometimes growing in clumps of thickly-set, straight, upright stems, I to 2 inches in diameter at base, not much branched till near the top ; bark of old stems rather smooth, dull gray; branches olive, recent twigs reddish brown, or on the sunny side shining chestnut; leaves ovate or ovate- lanceolate, 2 to 3 inches long, I to i>^ inches wide, broadly rounded and usually subcordate at base, acute or acuminate, at first very thin, subpellucid, and of a rich reddish color; at length rigid, dark green above, paler or glaucous beneath and beautifully reticulate-veined, glabrous on both sides or with a few scattered silken hairs when just expanded; margin glandular-serrulate, petioles long and slender, stipules noticeably absent throughout, ^r on the most vigorous shoots minute and evanescent ; aments uorne on slender leafy peduncles; the male densely flowered, 124 very silky, obtuse cylindrical, i to i}4 inches long, scales rosy, anthers at first reddish, becoming deep yellow ; female ament less silky, becoming very lax in fruit, 2 inches or more long ; capsules rostrate from a thick base, the conspicuously long and slender pedicels six to eight times the length of the nectary ; style short, bifid, stigmas spreadmg, thick, two-lobed. ** No. 53, Herb. H- B. and T." (v. s. in Herb. Torrey). 5. cordata, var. balsamifera, Hook., Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2, p. 149 (teste Herb. Hook.) 5. pyrifolia. And. Monog., p. 162. DC. Prod., xvi., 2, 264 (v. s. Herb. A. Gray.) The following will serve better than any comprehensive description to indicate the range of variation. typica. Leaves ovate, 2 to 3 inches long, short pointed or the lower obtuse, rounded at base, at length rigid and glaucous beneath, with raised reticulate veins, minutely glandular-serru- late; fertile aments very loose, leaves of the peduncle few and large. This is the prevailing northern form, vegeta. Leaves broadly lanceolate, 4 to 5 inches long, acute or acuminate, truncate or cordate at base, coarsely and irregu- larly repand-toothed, paler beneath ; aments less spreading, not so leafy at base. lanceolata. Leaves lanceolate, 2 to 4 inches long, ^ to inch wide ; aments more slender, otherwise as in f. typica. alpestris. Low bush, 2 to 4 feet high ; leaves small, i to 2 in. long, lanceolate, pointed at both ends, rather coarsely and irregu- larly serrate, green both sides; male ament slenderly cylindrical, less silky. Eagle Lake, Mt. Lafayette, alt. 4,200 feet; also on the coast of Labrador. In open swamps and along streams from Labrador and Nova Scotia west to the Saskatchawan Valley. Chateau and Squaw Islands, Labrador, "a small shrub, i to 2^ feet high, growing y. A. Allen. Truro, Nova Scotia ) James J, Macoiiit and Burgess. Kent Fowler. White Mountains, N. H., H. by Mr. Pringle and Mr, C, E, Faxon dance at Franconia by E. Faxon, He more, Vt., E. Faxon. Province of Quebec, Prof. Dudley, Flint, Mich., Dr. Clarke, Nepigon River, Ontario, and in various West Professors Macon M nn., Bailey. Manitoba, J. M. Macoun. Cumber-. land House, Drnmmond {\%2^\ Lake Winnipeg and the Sas- katchawan, Richardson, Bourgean. A well defined species not shading off into any other, not even into its nearest congener, 125 S. cordata, from which it is always distinguished by the peculiar texture and veining of the leaves, absence of stipules and very loosely flowered fertile aments. EXPLANATION OF PLATE LXXXL 1-5. Sahx balsamipra, formatypka; I. leaf, 2-3 amcuis, 4, capsule x 8, 5 stam- ensx8; 6. var. vegeta ; 7. var. lanceolata ; 8. alpestris. Linnaeus and his Genera of Plants. By Edward L. Greene. In the October number of this journal I have said that Lin- nseus *'no\v and then seemed afifected by a singular blindness to generic characters in plants." The remark was not thrown out at a venture, nor yet with any thought of making a sensation in circles where there might be supposed to linger a shade of that Linneolatry which, up to not more than two generations ago, ruled so largely the mind and the soul of the world botanical. Before saying more I must do myself the justice of expressing my deep and sincere admiration for some sides of the character of Linnaeus, and for much of his work in botany. Without scholarship, as compared with a goodly num.ber of his botanical forerunners and contemporaries, and not scrupulous regarding the rights of others, he was still a great man, and a prince among naturalists ; and no true botanist can ever fail to have something like veneration for the name of him who gave to the all important subject of scientific nomenclature its most immortal treatise, the first edition of the Species Plantarum, and who furnished us, in his Flora Lapponica, the most charming book of botany ever written. For their Linneolatry our forefathers are excusable, and we name not their ruling passion by way of reproach; but, as a scientific cultus, it is dead, or nearly so, and it has entailed con- sequences not always wholesome, which it will take some labor of future ^fenerations to correct. In considering what were the gifts of Linnasus* regarding in- * I have been accustomed to write Linn^ rather than Linnaeus, following the usage of most modern writers, even the Scandinavian. But that is the French writmg of the name, and Dr, Asa Gray, it is well known, objected to it in English. His objections seem to me well taken. The Swedish name, which was Lind, has never been used, and betiveen the French Linn^ and the Latin Linm^us the latter seems the better choice for us who write English, notwithstanding that usage more and more favors the former. . [Note.— In justice to the author of this paper we must state that it has been in type smce last November, having been since then revised and abbreviated by him,— Eds.] 126 sight into genera, we naturally look first to the matter of the number which were founded by him. If he was really an able expositor of generical relations in the plant world we shall expect to see his name appended, as the author of them, to a large number of the genera accepted by the majority of botanjsts to-day. This rational method of giving honor to whom honor is due In systematic biology, was in use In botanical literature be- fore Linnaeus, and he adopted it, although In a partial manner which called forth severe criticism from juster men than he among his contemporaries. But, looking into almost any treatise on the genera of plants for the solution of our question, we are sure of being misdirected from the start, unless forewarned, by the long array of familiar generic names which are therein most wrongly credited to him. This is one great incubus of error which has fallen upon our science, historically considered, largely through that inordinate zeal which our forefathers had for this great man. Let us consult, in evidence, the pages of Bentham and Hooker's celebrated work. The very first order — Ranunculaceae •will illustrate our point well enough. These authors recognize in the order thirty genera. Of these no less than eighteen, or three-fifths of the whole number, are credited to Linnaeus. But, m sober truth, sixteen out of the eighteen genera ascribed to Lin- naeus by Bentham and Hooker had been well defined and named by competent botanists before Linnaeus was born; and all but one of the sixteen bore the same names as now. Linnaeus founded two of the Ranunculaceous genera, and no more ; and one of these two, namely, Cimicifuga, he reduced to Actcsa as early as the year 1753. So that when his work in botany was done there was in this great family of plants one genus, Isopynim, among all those which he recognized as true genera, of which he could say that he had been the founder of it. Over and above hopymni and Ciw- icifuga, which must always in justice be credited to Linnaeus, there remains Actcea, which, at least under that name, is his. But the pre-Linnasan botanists had defined it, and knew it well, though by another name, and one which is neither as polysyllabic nor as ill-sounding as several which have been made and received within the present century, Christophoriana. So much for that grave falsity to history, and that injustice to r t t \ \ 127 good botanists of earlier times, which blemish the pages of the most useful of our bookstand misinstruct the unwary student re- garding who, in generations past, have been blind to generic characters and who have not. And now to come down to the real matter of Linnaeus' skill, or want of it, in setting limits to genera. We have been under- stood as saying that he did not always approve himself a skilful workman in that special hne of botanical labor. That is what we meant to be saying, precisely. Nor did we suppose that any man well versed in the history of genera could question it. I am not making myself the judge of Linn^us in this particu- lar; but the opinion which I may have been the last to voice was pronounced quite unanimously, in fact if not in word explicit, by two successive generations of botanists who were dead before I was born. What was the general task which claimed the time and energies of men like Adanson, Moench, La Marck, Joseph Gaertner, Robert Brown, Haworth, Salisbury, the elder De Can- dolle, and other worthies of the first post-Linnaean epoch ? That of bringing order out of the Linnaean confusion of genera. They had both to restore old genera of Tournefort, Plumier, Dillen and many more which Linnaeus had demolished, because he had not eyes to see that they had been rightly founded ; and they had to propose new genera upon plants which, as new, had fallen into Linnaeus' hands, and so failed to obtain at first correct generical determination. A few illustrations out of the many pages of them which could easily be adduced, will suffice. Bentham and Hooker and their Ranunculaceae, already cited on a point leading up to this, may here directly serve us. Take Helleboms. It was adopted by Linnaeus as a generic name ; but with him it embraced the three genera, Helleborns, Coptis and Eran- ihis. Not ignoring here what was adverted to in a previous paper, that is to say the Linnaean NympJma, compounded of true 4 Nymphoea and two other genera, we may pass, for brevity's sake, to tile Fumariaceae, where a whole order, as known at that time, con- sisting of species of Fumaria, Corydalis, Dicentra, Sarcocapnos and Cysticapnos were jumbled together by him under the old generic name Fzunarla, The Linnaean genus Rudbeckia was 128 made up of three, including Echinacea and Hcliopsis ; Gnapha- Hum, of four, taking in Aniennaria, Anaphalis and Leontopoditim ; Pinus of five, embracing Abies, Picea, Tstiga and Larix ; all pines, firs, spruces and hemlocks and larches being, in his eye, pines. His Vacciniwn comprised also such different genera as Gay- lussacia^ Oxycocciis and even Ckiogenes, and his Pyrola was not a Moneses The order of Cactacese before his time was allowed to consist of a number of genera, and Melocactiis, Opuntia, Cereiis and Pereskia, with types oi Mamillaria diXxdi Echinocactus in the bargain — all six made up his new genus Cactus, which latter name, I cannot but remark, has lost its place, notwithstanding its having had Linnaeus for its author. Nor are these which I have given the most striking evidences of his blindness regarding genera. His Polemonium comprised not only all that was then known of the genus Gilia^ but also a Phacelia; his Ipomcea included also a Hydrophyllaceous plant, i, e., Ellisia. And, last of all which I will take time and space to tell of these multitudinous Linnaean confusions of genera, he combined under the name of Lo7iicera (pirated from Father Plumier), the old CaprifoHttm and Xylosteiim to begin with, then added Symphoricarpus and Diervilla (of the same natural order), and finished, worthily of himself, by bring- ing In a " Lonicera Marilandica '* {Spigelia Marilandicd) from the Loganiace^ and the genus Cephaelis from the Rubiacese ; so bearing away under his trophy of a name Lonicera, five or six 4 genera, according to the most approved authors, and represent- ing three natural orders. I am persuaded I need not further illustrate Linnaeus' weak- ness on the subject of plant genera, the greatest botanists of the present century being judges. Diatoms of Atlantic City and Vicinity. By C. Henry Kain. There is a popular belief that it is quite useless to attempt to collect diatoms in the winter, and while this is mainly true as regards fresh water species, it is not so with the marine forms. The only fresh water species that the writer ever collected in abundance during the winter was Meridion circulare, which was J I 129 gathered from under the ice in January; but some marine spe- cies may be found in greater abundance during the winter months ^.v-^.V-* ^^L^»X^CIXX..K. ^Ullll^ than at any other time. In order to know a locality thorouglily, however, it should be inspected both in summer and in winter. The visitor to Atlantic City who is hunting diatoms, may always be gratified by taking the street cars and riding to the inlet. Two or three hundred yards before reaching the terminus of the road, a number of large, brackish pools may be observed on the meadow^s just south of the railway. These pools are quite shallow and are prohfic collecting-grounds at all seasons of the year. If a day be chosen when the sun shines brightly, the surface of the mud is coated a rich brown by the myriads of diatoms which rise to the light, and if a gentle wind is blowing, the scum which is driven to the far shore by the wind is often composed entirely of diatoms without admixture of sand- On Christmas day, 1886, I collected in this way a very pure lot of Nttzschia epithemioides, and in another pool only a few yards away, an equally pure gathering of Navicttla veneta. Sometimes very bright brown patches of diatoms cover the surface of the mud, and the collector, in his anxiety to secure a large gathering, (s tempted to collect mud and all with the expectation oi sepa- rating the diatoms from the mud by w^ashing and whirling. The following plan will be found much better: Half fill a bottle with water; touch one of these brown patches lightly with the tip of the finger and the diatoms will adhere; then place the finger over the mouth of the bottle and shake; the diatoms are oi course washed ofTand remain. By repeating this process again and again, the water finally becomes quite brown. By the time the collector reaches home the diatoms will have settled to the bottom, and the water may be poured off and the diatoms cleaned. It is worth while to examine under the collecting lens every promising patch of brown mud, for v^xy pure gatherings of quite different species may often be collected within a few feet of each other. The species of which pure gatherings may be l^ad in these pools are Nitzschia epithemioides, Navicida veneta^ E'ptthemia mtiscuhis and Scoliopleura tumida. A {^^ rods south of the landing at the inlet is a flat which is uncovered at low water. Here may be collected Schizonema 130 Americmiiim, ScJiizonema fragili lodged upon the shells and growing upon the piling, specimens of algae may be obtained which are often loaded with Cocconets and other diatoms. Out in the bay may be found flats, often acres in extent, where eel-grass is abundant. The grass is often loaded down with alga, which is parasitic upon it, and the alga in turn is often full of diatoms. As the water is shallow^ a crab-net answers very well for dredging purposes, a single haul often furnishing a large lot of interesting specimens. I do not know what a visit to these flats in winter would reveal, but in August they are rich collect- insf-S^rounds. iy t> It is also worth while to visit Longport, south of Atlantic City, for here, when the wind is west, quantities of algae are blown over and stranded upon the shore of the thoroughfare. It may be mentioned, in passing, that the red species of alg^ are the most prolific. The pools that are so frequent upon the vast meadows that lie between Atlantic City and the mainland are also excellent collecting-places. On sunny days the surface of these pools is often almost covered with diatoms. Scoliopleiira tiimida and Pleiirosigma Balticiim may often be obtained here in great quan- tity. iprora p not uncommon. In visiting these pools it is best to leave the train at Absecon station and visit those nearest the mainland, as w those near Atlantic City are much contaminated with sewage. In the brackish ditches, the curious and ever interesting Bacillaria paradox a may often be obtained in abundance, some- times clinging to the stems of water plants, but oftener in little patches upon the surface of the water. Appended is a list of the species observed mostly during the spring and autumn months : IN THE IMEABOW-POOLS NEAR THE INLET. Amphora costata, Gregory, A. lanceolata, Cleve, A. Uneata, Greg., A, plicata, Greg., A. rectangiilaris, Greg. ; Biddtdphia rhombus, W. Smith. ; Coscinodiscus omphalanthus, Ehrenberg, C. eccentricMSy Ehr., C. lineatus, Ehr. ; Epithemia mtisctthis, / I 131 Kutzing-; Naviaila amphisbmta, Bory, N. peregrina, Ehr., N. permagna, Bailey, N. pmtexta, Ehr., N. veneta, Kutz. ; Nits- schia bilobata, W. Sm.. N. epithemioides, Brebisson, A^. marina, Grunow, TV. Sigma, W. Sm., TV. vivax, W. Sm. ; Pleurosigma W. Sm., P. fasciola Scoliopli fi ON Al^GM IN THE BAY. Achnanthes brevipes, Agardh ; Berkleya fragiHSy Greville; Biddulphia aurita, Breb., B. IcBvis, Ehr., B, pulchella, Gray; ^occoneis sattelhim, Ehr.; Grammatophora marina, Kutz.; Lie- ^nophora flabellata, Ag., Z, tincta, Grun.; Melosira nummuloides, Kutz. ; Rhabdonema Adriaticttm, Kutz., R. arcuattini^ Kutz. ; Scktzo??ema A/nertcamim, Grun., S. Grevillii, Ag. ; Striatella unipunctata, Ag. ; Synedra fulgens, W. Sni. IN POOLS ON THE MARSHES NEAR THE MAINLAND, Amphiprora puIc/ira, Bailey; Bacillaria paradoxa, Gmdm; Melosira numnmloides, Kutz. ; Pleiirosigma Baltiatm, W. Sm., P. fasciola, W. Sm., P. hippocampus, W. Sm. IN BRACKISH DITCHES AND MARSHES NEAR ABSECON. Actinoptychns undiclatus, Ehr. ; Amphiprora pnlchra, W. Sm. ; Cocconeis scutellum, Ehr. ; Coscinodiscus siibtilis, Ehr.; Cyclotella operculata, Kutz.; Navicula elegans, W. Sm., N. didyma, Kutz., N.peregriua, Ehr., TV ///.y///^, W. Sm., TV Smiihii, Breb., TV forcipata, Grev. ; Nitzschia dubia, W. Sm., TV fasciculata, Grun., ^. grannlata, Grun., TV Scalar is, W. Sm., TV 5z^w« (W. Sm.) van rigidnla, Grun. ; Rhaphoneis amphiceros, Ehr. ; Rhoico- sphenia curvata, Grun. ; Stauroneis salina, W. Sm. ; Siirirella angusta, Kutz. ; 5. Febigcrii, Lewis, 5. gemma, Ehr., 5. Jf^?//?/-- w;/a, Grun., 5. oj/^^/^, Kutz. ; Tryblionclla levidensis, W. Sm. Notes on the Flora of the Upper Chemung Valley. Unless otherwise specified, all the plants mentioned are found in the vicinity of Tainted Post, Steuben Co., N. Y., which is situated at the junction of the Canisteo and Conhocton, the tAvo streams that form the Chemung. 132 Ramincuhis mnhigens, Watson. Found in two localities, in one of which it is plentiful. Hypericum Ascyro7i, L. Not uncommon. Hypericum corymbosnm^ Muhl. Occasional. Malva moschata, L, Scarce. Lintim Virgi^tiamim, L. Not common. Polygala Se^iega, L. Plentiful in one locality. Trifoliuj/i agrarium, L. Frequent. I Melilotus officinalis, Willd. Rare. Vicia Americana, Muhl. Abundant in a meadow near Erwin Centre. Hydrangea arborescenSy L. Not uncommon in shaded, rocky places. Gaiira biennis, L. Not uncommon. CEnothcra frnticosa, L. Scarce. Thaspium barbinode^ Nutt. Locally abundant. A^^alia qninqnefolia. Gray. Occasional. Linncta borealis, L. Frequent. Lobelia spicata, Lam. Rare; seems to be disappearing. Calystegia spitkainceus, L. Not uncommon. Campamila Americaiia^ L. Several specimens along '* The Narrows" of the Chemung River above Elmira Penstemon pnhescens, Solander. Grows in great profusion along the river banks. Veronica Virginica, L, Scarce. Gerardia pcdiciilarisy L, Slope of West Hill, Elmira, Castilleia coccinea, Spreng. With yellow variety, abundant in one station. Mo7iarda didyma, L. Frequent. Mo7iarda Clinopodia, L. Occasional specimens near Painted Post, and a number near "The Narrows" above Elmira. Monarda fistnlosa Not uncommon Galeopsis Tetrahit, L. Occasional in gardens, Painted Post and Elmira. Asclepias tnberosa, L. Grows abundantly on rocky hillside east of Painted Post. Blitum capitatum, L. Rare; Mulhollen. 133 EupJwrbia corollata, L. In July, 1887, was ionwd. growing abundantly in '* The Narrows " above Elmira. Corallorkiza niultiflora, Nutt. Scarce. Calopogon ptdchellus, R. Br. Scarce. Cypripedhun spectabile, Swartz. Scarce ; Beartown. Erythronitmi albidum, Nutt. Two specimens; but the lo- cality has never been revisited at the proper season since the plant was discovered there. ChamcBlirhan hiteum. Gray. Not uncommon. Alhian cermmm, Roth. Frequent on the rocky banks of the upper Chemung. Paniciim xa7ithophysum, Gray. Rare. In a peat boo> ^ .*. *^^c*4 uv^ vr »x w pjtrp Drosera rotundifoliay L., Menyanthes trifoliata, L., Calla pain tris, L., and Arethiisa bnlbosa, L. On the borders of this swamp are found Coptis trifolia^ Salisl Geramimt Caroliniamim, L., and Vibiirmim cassinoides, L. Isabel S. Arnold. Capsicum fasciculatum— sp* nov. Stems smooth, green, round, subverrucose, swollen at the branchings and purple, dichotomous or trichotomous. Branches angular, few, erect- spreading, green, purple at insertion of petioles, subpubescent, bearing the leaves for the most part clustered or bunched at the swollen summits. Leaves spreading, crowded into bunches, nearly of one size, the larger ones 3^ in, by i^ ft m., usually 3 in. by Vl in., elliptical-lanceolate, pointed at both ends, from the base extending equally into the petiole, deep green above, paler below, the middle nerve distinct; slightly scabrous, entire or subrepand ; borne almost entirely in a confused mass along with the berries at the summit of branches, very rarely lower down. Petioles smooth, nearly as long as, or some- times even longer than the leaves, slender, margined by the extension of the leaf blade. Peduncles smooth, angular, thickish, erect, enlarging towards calyx end, rather long, i^ in., grouped in clusters rather confusedly with the leaves, but the tendency of the grouping seeming to be in twos or threes, axillary or extra - axillary. Calyx cyathiform, embracing base of fruit, obscurely 134 ten or twelve-nerved (5 or 6 distinct), subpentagonal, subtrun- cate, five or six-toothed, the teeth acute, erect, smooth. Corolla white, quite large, about 7/i in. in diameter, the divisions very long and narrow, often twisted. Berry cyllndro-conical, straight or curved, about 3 in. long, by ^ in. diameter, or smaller, usually rugose, sometimes smooth, at first a shining green, then red; two- celled ; the placenta thick at the base ; acrid. This species differs principally from Capsictmt annmim, Finger- huth, by the round stem; pubescent and dichotomous or tn- chotomous branchings ; freedom from lower leaves; the leaves clustered at summits ; all of one size and nearly or quite lanceo- late; petioles as long as the leaves; the clustered peduncles; the white corolla with deep and narrow lacineae, and the shining green of the unripe berry. The aspect of the plant is very dis- tinct, the dark green lanceolate leaves closely clustered and so dense as to overlap, the low and spreading compact, bush-like appearance, the fruit crowded with the leaves, the bare and knobby-looking stems where exposed to view. As grown by me the plant was i-l^ ft. high, and ripened its berries in Septem- ber of the year when sown. This variety was in Vilmorin's sale catalogue of 1886. Its French garden name is Bouquet rouge ; its American name Red Cluster. It is, however, well figured under the name Teitjikii- mamori in a Japanese botanical work, published in 1874, the *' So- Mokou," vol. 3, t 38. I do not find any published descriptions which can possibly refer to this plant, and in my judgment its distinctive appearance and the closeness to type of the plants from seed received from different sources, entitles us to the presumption that it is a true species. I have hence ventured upon giving to the public a name and a description, the specific name fasciciilatum referring to the peculiar clustering or tufted appearance of the foliage. E. Lewis Sturtevant. So. Framingham, Mass., April 6, 1888. Flora Temiscouatensis, During the early part Of last September my labors in con- nection with the Geological Survey of Canada took me into that very charming and delightfully picturesque district surrounding 135 t Lake Temiscouata, in the Province o( Quebec, Canada, where I was enabled, during a few leisure moments, to jot down lists of the easily recognized and common forms of plants occuring there and to obtain a collection of specimens unknown to me, or of rare occurence, for study and determination. On returning from the field last October, these lists and the plants mentioned were submitted to Prof. Macoun, the Dominion Botanist, who very kindly revised the one and identified the others. I feel under great obligation to Prof Macoun therefor. In the November issue of this BULLETIN Mr. Northrop pub- lished an interesting paper giving a ** catalogue " of the plants collected by him in Temiscouata County, from the shores of the Saint Lawrence on the north to Edmunston and Grand Falls, New Brunswick, on the south. Having recently compared Mr. Northrop's lists with mine I find that his Hsts contain a large number of species which were not contained in my completed list which made my '' Flora Temiscouatensis." But I find also that a goodly number of sr.ecies are comprised In mine which it .may not be deemed out of place to present now. These addi- tional species were all collected and recorded from the shores of Lake Temiscouata, of the Tuladi River and of Tuladi Lake, as also the other species contained in my lists, also contained in Mr. Northrop's *' Catalogue" which it is needless here to repeat. Clematis Virginiana, L. ActcEa alba, Bigelow (in fruit). Anemone Pensylva?izca, L. NympJura microphylla, Pers. Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.), Moench. Oxalis cornicMlata, L., van stricta (L.), Sav. Acer Petinsylvanictim, L. j Negiuido aceroides, Moonch (introduced). Rhus toxicodendron, L. (climbing or trailing variety.) Lathy rus palustris, L. Crat(EgHs sp. (a form with small orange-yellow fruit). Epilobinm color at iim, Muhl. Ciciita macidata ? L. Lonicera ciliata, Muhl ^tburnum acerifoliiim, L. ^ 136 Solidago latifolia, L. S. lanceolatUy Ait ■ 5. rugosa. Mill. Aster acuminatus, Michx. r A, cordifolitiSy L. Cnicus lanceolatus (L.), Willd. C, muticus (Michx.), Pursh. Gnaphaluiin deciirrens, Ives. Prenanthes altissima^ L. Taraxacum officinale ^ Weber. Chiogenes hispidula (L.), Torrey and Gray. Pyrola secwida, L. P. rohmdifolia, L., v, asarifolia (Michx.), Hooker. Plant ago major, L. Trientalis Americana (Pers.), Pursh, (in fruit). Lycopus Virginicus, L. Polygonum Persicaria, L. P, amphibiiim, L. Alnus incana (L.), Willd. Habenaria Hookeriana^ Torrey. Cypripedinm acanle. Ait. Trillium erythrocarpiiniy Michx. Smilacina racemosa (L.), Desf. Pinus StrobuSy L. P. resinosay Ait /'/a-^ .^/^^r, Link. Abies bahamea (L.), Miller. Larix Americana, Michx. Pteris aqiiilina, L. Onoclea Struthiopteris, HofFm. (9. sefzsibilis, L. Note. — The following interesting species were also collected by the writer, but at Rimouski, on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence. Viola tricolor^ Erodinm ciciitarum, Matricaria tn- odora, Salsola Kali, Cakile Americana^ Mertensia maritima, AchillcBa Ptarmica, besides others of more common occurrence. Henry M. Ami, Cor. Mem. Torr. Bot, Club. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Canada, I i i 137 Botanical Notes. Cypress Knees. — Accumulated facts render it much more easy to "put this and that together" and form reasonable deductions than in past times, yet nothing but shrewd guesses have been offered in explanation of the habit the Taxodiiim has, of throwing up the excrescences known as " Cypress Knees." The generally accepted guess is that they serve to supply th submerged roots with air, but just how this tough woody tissue can act in this manner is not clear to the vegetable physiologist. This guess was in a measure supported by the statement that the tree produced knees only when in very swampy ground, I once beheved this, but recently an instance came before me where on a dry bank, though near a lake, the knees were abundant I have seen them in dry places in Mississippi and Louisiana, but I fancied the situations were once wet, when the knees were first formed. A writer in an English horticultural journal hazards a wholly novel guess that they are abortive suckers, and in sup- port of this states that a tap-root is always found beneath a knee. This last statement of fact is wholly new to me, and I should be glad to know whether it can be confirmed by observations in our country. Thomas Meeiian. Specimens of. and form, from all parts of the country, but more especially from the west coast, are greatly desired by M. F. Crepin, to aid in the pfeparation of his forthcoming "Monograph General/' Packages may be sent for this purpose to Dr. G. N. Best, Rose- n^ont, Hunterdon Co., New Jersey. M. Crepin will give due credit to all contributors in the pages of his monograph. British UredinecB and UstilaginecB. Chas. B. Plowright, F. L. S., 8vo., about 2*jo pp. Price, 7^., 6d. The above work, which will be published as soon as the requisite number of subscribers has been obtained, besides con ■ taining descriptions of the British species ol these fungi, will also give a full account of their Biology, so far as this is at present known, including the methods of observing the germination of their spores, and of their experimental culture. Subscriptions should be sent to Messrs. Ke^an, Paul, Trench & Co., i Pater- .noster Square, London, England. ^mb 138 Notes on Medicinal Plants- The various '* Loco-weeds,'* Astragalus fnolissiimis, Terr., A. lentiginosics, Dougl., A. Mortoni, Nutt., and other species of As- tragalouSy with Oxytropus Laviberti, Pursh, have periodically attracted notice in the medical press for many years. Of late they have received considerable attention from experimenters. The Homceopathic Recorder, in its issue of September last, devotes eleven pages to a detailed account of experiments made with the homoeopathic preparations of O, Laniberti, under the direction of Prof. Wm, S. Gee, by five of his students, covering a period of nearly three weeks. From the very first, an infinity of symptoms were noted. We remember once taking, while col- lecting in central Arizona, at a single experimental dose, many times more than all these experimenters took in the course of the entire three weeks, but without result except a slight nausea, due to the unpleasant taste of the plant. Studies made at the University of Pennsylvania have failed to find in the plants any poisonous principle whatever, though it is admitted that their long continued and excessive consumption produces important destructive mental, followed by nutritive, changes in stock. ai, of Japan, reports the discovery in Ephedra vul- garis. Rich., of the alkaloid Ephedrin, which is an efficient myd- riatic. The American species are now being examined for the presence of this compound. A new anthelmintic is the Mysinaceous plant Embelia Ribes, Burm., of the East Indies- Lallemantia Iberica, F. 82: M., a very near relation of Ccdron- ella, indigenous in Asia Minor, seems likely to become an im- portant source of a new commercial oil. The Magnoliaceae are furnishing the market with a new febri- fuge bark from Michelia Nilagirica, Zenk., of India. The Anchietea sahctaris, St. HiL, a violaceous vine of Brazil, whose properties have long been known to the aborigines of its own country, is attracting some attention In Europe, in the treatment of diseases of mucous membranes. A species of Pterocarpiis, described by Aublet as Vatairea Guianensis, is found to be of service in skin diseases. It would 139 ^ iu^ v,iu.c.^..i^a,i.iv^li iiiijj. now be of great interest to secure satisfactory specimens of this plant, in order that the doubt concerning its classification might be set at rest. Announcement of the A. A. A. S. Committee on a Botanical Exchange. 7b the Members of the Botanical Club of the A. A. A, S. : Vour committee, appointed in August last to devise a method for the exchange ^f specimens among American botanists, have, after consultation with other botanists, decided that the most practical method is through the herbarium of the Department I of Agriculture, at Washington. ^ A classified stock of duplicates belonging to the Department is available as a basis of an exchange herbarium. I hose desiring to exchange specimens iihould address, for rules and other infor- mation, Dr. Geo. Vasey, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washingloii, D. C, Geo. Vasey, N. L. Britton, . Sereno Watson, B. D. Halsted, r Thomas Morong, Committee. Reviews of Foreign Literature. i^xpenmeutelle Unterstichunz Hber das Wachsthinn der Zellmem- bran. By F. Noll. (Abhandlung der Senckenbergerischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft, Bd. xv, 1887.) A short review of this paper, describing some interesting ex- periments in respect to the manner of growth of cell membrane, IS given in the Centralblatt, Vol. H, No. 4, 1888. The follow- ing is a brief abstract of the review : The author first gives a historical sketch of the opinions held, at different times, of the manner of growth of the cell membrane. The first generally adopted theory w^as that of growth by apposi- tion. Naegeli, in his work on starch grains, almost entirely over- threw this theory, establishing m its place that of intussusception. Gradually doubts arose regarding this mode of growth and the <^Pposition theory gained new adherents, until at the present time the two theories stand opposed to each other, and the ques- tion is left for future investigators to decide. The author undertakes to solve the question experimentally, by causing a difference in color between the old and new growth ^^ membrane. As the new membrane will not take up aniline ^r similar coloring stuff, the old membrane w^as colored and the new left colorless. The method used has already been success- ful in solving questions in animal physiology. Living specimens 1 140 were colored with either Prussian or Turnbull's blue. The plants experimented with were sea Algae, mostly from the family Siphonaceae, such as Caiderpa, Derbesia and Bryopsis, obtained t at the zoological station at Naples. The method of coloring consisted in putting the plants for a few seconds into a solution of potassium-ferrocyanide, then rinsing well in sea-water, then dropping them for an instant only into a freshly prepared solution of ferric chloride. This process was repeated till the plants assumed a light blue color. In order to prove what effect this might have on the life energies of the plants so treated, colored specimens were com- pared with uncolored ones. No difference could be detected between the two classes as to rapidity of growth, motion of pro- toplasm, or form assumed by growing parts. The cell membrane was colored uniformly ; the cuticularized layer a dark blue, the cellulose a lighter color. This color disappears in living plants after a few hours, but may be called back again by putting them into a solution oi potassium-ferrocyanide, acidified with pure hydrochloric acid. That the coloring process had produced no change in the quali- ties of the membrane was shown, in that no change could be detected in form, elasticity, ductihty, etc. The ability to assume other forms, wood, cutin, etc., was not changed. By watching the disposition of the new particles as the new uncolored membrane was formed, the author believes to have proven beyond controversy that in these sea Algae, both apical growth and growth in thickness of wall takes place by appo- < sition. By apical growth is meant here the extension of a wall at the extremity of a cell, by which means the cell is lengthened in that direction. He says this growth takes place as follows: "When the colored plants grow on farther, the points of the young shoots break through the old colored membrane." That is, the old membrane grows thinner at that point or surface where the new is to appear, a new colorless membrane Is laid on by appo- sition, grows gradually thicker, while the old grows thinner, the ■original thickness being thus preserved till at last, the old mem- brane bursts and the new grows on. This, he says, is the so- 141 1 called eruption growth, the old membrane having burst, the young shoot is built out of entirely new material. In a similar manner the growth of the cell wall in thickness proceeds, by new layers added on to the old blue membrane. As these new layers were added it was proven that foreign sub- stances, like balls of dead protoplasm, could be enclosed in the cellulose of the wall, and the author believes this to be the origin I the wall. Wiesner to be an essential part of The increase of the wall in surface, so far as it is not brought about by the apical growth referred to above, is said to take place by means of the stretching rendered possible by the influ- ence of the protoplasm ; this extension, he says, is not as great, however, as Naegeli affirms. I The growth of the leaf-h'ke organs of Caulerpa takes place by new pieces of membrane, periodically breaking through the upper edge of the old. Occasionally the point of vegetation was seen to divide and two leaflets were formed, whose junction he , . supposed might be the place where the reproductive organs were formed. These observations were particularly well confirmed in the nearly transparent structures o{ Bryopsis and Derhesia, while exact ■ measurements show^ed that no supplementary increase of the thickness of the blue zone had appeared, or, what is the same, that no growth by intussusception had taken place at the same time apposition was afoins- on. That this was not due to the iron iD^"*t. in the coloring matter was proven by comparison with uncolored plants. The manner of origin of the new layers is represented by the author in the following manner : The outer layer of protoplasm becomes gradually more and more laden with particles of carbo- hydrates, while the proteid matters retreat from the outside, until at last, instead of the outer layer of protoplasm, a cellulose lamella IS formed, which sits firmly upon the old wall. This is, indeed, a process of intussusception, but it takes place in particles of living protoplasm and not in those of a dead wall. Some examples are given of membranes which do not appear to be a regular formation, but occurring now and then. Such 142 all are partition walls occurring with no dependence upon division of nucleus, also the threads or beams (balken), as they are called in German, which are thrown across from wall to wall, apparently as supports. These appear first as protoplasm strings, and are afterward transformed into cellulose. Catilerpa is not the exam- ple referred to. Other plants submitted to this test were Codhim tomentosmn and C. Bursa, Dasycladiis clavceformis, Udothea cyathiformis. Polysiphonia variegata and a few out of the Cladophoraceae, of which gave similar results as to the question of apposition. The author concludes from these results that, in general, the growth of cell membrane depends on apposition, and that there remains no longer any direct proof of growth by intussusception. Not having access to the original article, it is impossible to determine from the review just what the author means in refer- ence to the manner of growth in surface of a cell wall after the foundations are once laid. This is one great difficulty in the apposition theory, which offers no satisfactory explanation of the phenomenon called surface growth, that is, growth in the other two dimensions before growth in thickness begins. The only reference to this point is the one quoted, in which the author refers such growth to the stretching of the wall caused by the influence of the protoplasm. Also at the end of the review it is stated that the author believes with Sachs and de Vries that all growth is dependent upon turgor, and holds Krabbe's view essen- tially wrong; further, that the acceptation of turgor as the neces- sary condition to growth excludes the necessity of the notion ot growth by intussusception. How this excludes such necessity is not made clear in the review. Neither does it appear by this experiment that growth by intussusception is, with absolute certainty, disproved in the case of surface growth. For allowing that it does take place, that new uncolored particles of cellulose are shoved in between the old colored particles, the only visible effect of this would be to render the color of the old membrane lighter blue and it seems this is exactly what does take place of itself, as he states, In living plants — the color fades in a few hours. There is also one other point of interest not referred to, that 14-3 is, the manner of growth in the ''balken " of Caulerpa. This seems especially desirable to determine, inasmuch as it has been made the means of supporting both theories, first by Naegeli, as proving intussusception, afterward by Strasburger, as evidence of the opposite theory. It would seem that the test of coloring the old membrane might have thrown light on this question, but the author expressly states Caulerpa was not the plant in which the origin of the balken was traced. It is quite possible the weight of these remarks would be removed by a perusal of the original, and their only excuse is, the interest awakened in the old question by these experiments, and the hope that the same or similar methods may be of use in helping to a knowledge of the mystery of the manner of growth of the cell wall. E, L. G. Index to Recent American Botanical Literature. Agarics of the United States. — Genus Pamts.—Y^^^^xd. J. Fors- ter. (Journ. MycoL, iv., pp. 21-26.) Fourteen species described. Aquilegia loiigissima. Gray. (Garden and Forest, i., p. 3 1, fig- 6.) Archcsan Plant from the White Crystalline Limestones of Sussex Comity, New Jersey. — N. L. Britton. (Annals N. Y. Acad. Sci., iv., pp. 123, 124, plate vii. ; reprinted.) Asa Gray. Among the many memorials which have been pub- lished, the following are worthy of record : " In Memoriam," containing the funeral services as held in Appleton Chapel, Harvard College, Feb. 12, 1888 (pamphlet 8vo, 49pages, Cambridge University Press); "Asa Gray, i8iO-i888,"" by Prof J. D. Dana (Am. Journ. Sci., xxxv., pp. 181-202, reprinted) ; and reviews by J. D. Hooker (Nature, xxxvii., pp. 375-377), C. S. Sargent (Garden and Forest, i., Nos. i and 2, accompanied by a fine photogravure reproduction of the St. Gauden's bronze medallion), W. G. Farlow (Bot. Gaz., J »» ■ ■ * Meehan (W Hoff- n^an (Pharm. Rundsch., vi., pp. 49-56, with portrait and chrono- 'ogical list of works), M. T. Masters (Gardeners' Chronicle^ iii., p. 144 T- 144), and resolutions by the New York Academy of Sciences, (Trans, vii.) Memorial services were also held by the Bi- ological Society of Washington, April 5th, when J. W. Chickering, Jr., Dn Geo. Vasey, Prof. L. F, Ward and C. V. Riley reviewed X)r. Gray's various services to science. Botanical Works of Geo, Engehnann, Collected for Henry Shaw, Esq. Edited by Wm. Trelease and Asa Gray. (4^0, pp. 548, 102 plates. Cambridge, 1887.) This elegant tribute to Dr. Engelmann's memory, has been widely distributed to institutions and societies through the intel- ligent liberality of Mr. Shaw. It contains his complete works, reprinted from the various reports, journals and transactions of societies where they originally appeared, prefaced by a fine por- trait and interesting biographical sketch by Dr. Gray, from the Proceedings of the American Academy. The table of contents " will excite the surprise of those who thought themselves well acquainted with Dr. Engelmann's work." Many of the plates and cuts have been reproduced only with much trouble and ex- pense. Mr. Shaw has conferred a great service to botanical science by this magnificent monument to his friend and associate. A few unbound copies may be had from Prof. Wm. Trelease, at the Shaw School of Botany, St. Louis, Mo., at cost price, $12.00. Botany as a Recreation, — F. LeRoy Sargent. (Pop. Sci- News, xxii., pp. 3, 17-18, 35-36, 51-52.) Brodicsa {Triteleia) Howellii. J. D. Hooker, (Bot. iVIag., t. 6989). California dry-winter flowers. — Byron D. Halsted. (Pop- Sci. Month., xxxii,, pp. 770-^^6,) Carex — Notes on, IX, — L. H. Bailey. (Bot. Gazette, xiii., pp- 82-89.) Still the genus yields new forms, indeed two new species, ten new varieties and a hybrid are here proposed. Chionophila Jamesii, Benth, — Sereno Watson. (Garden and Forest, i., pp. 79, 80, fig. 15.) Collection of Ferns made by Baron Eggers in St, Domingo, — J. G. Baker. (Journ. Bot, xxvi., pp. 33-35.) h 145 Nephrodhmi myriolepis, Acrostkhiim Eggcrsii and Lygodium gracile are here described. Doassania, Cornu.— Revision of the Genus.—], B. De TonI (Journ. Mycol., iv., pp. 13-19.) Eleven species are recognized, five of them American. Flora Peoriana.~F rederick Brendel. (8vo, pp. 89, Peoria, 1 887.) This is a very interesting essay on the results of thirty-five ( years' observation on the vegetation of an area of about three f hundred square miles. It contains, besides the enumeration of 835 Phanerogams and Pteridophytes, partial lists of Bryophytes and Thallophytes, accounts of the geographical distribution of I the plants, a list of Illinois plants not found at Peoria, and much other valuable information. Forest Trees of the far Northwest — Geo. M. Dawson. (Garden and Forest, ?., pp. 58, 59.) L Forests of the South— The hard wood.— Karl Mohr. (Garden and Forest, i.. pp. 34, 35.) Forests of Vancouver Island — John Macoun. (Garden and For- est, i., pp. 46, 47.) Fungi from Western Kansas. — Notes on. — W. T. Swingle. (Journ, Mycol., iv., pp. 27-29.) A Bartholomew in Rooks County. Fungi, Kajisas Paraxitir i bvM of together with their Host Plants. — W. A. Kellerman and M. A. Carleton. (Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., x., pp. SS-gg\ one plate.) Two hundred and sixty-six species are enumerated ; the spores of the PucctnicB are figured. Fungi—New Kansas.—]. B. Ellis and W. A. Kellerman. (Journ. Mycol., iv., pp. 26, 27.) Six new species in Vermicularia, ^cidium, Phleospora, Septoria and Phyllosticta. Fungi ^ North American — Index of Habitats Centuries, XI to XX. Compiled and published by W. C. Stevenson, Jr. pp. 4. Fungi^ Nova Scotian. — Additions to the List of—]. Somers. (Proc. and Trans. Nova Scotian Inst, Nat. Sci., vii., pp. 18, 19.) 1 146 Grass Flora of the Nebraska Plains. — Chas. E. Bessey. (Amer. Nat., xxii., pp. 171, 172.) Hairs of the Plane Tree. (Gard. Chron., iii., p. 370.) The writer records that the stellate hairs of Platanus occide?i- talis and P, orie^italis are the cause of irritation to the mucous membranes of the throat and nose, and calls attention to the fact that this was known to Galen, Dioscorides and Plato. L Heleocharis prolifera, Torr. — Arthur HoUick, (Proc. Nat. Sci. Assoc. Staten Island, March 10, 1888.) Mr, HoIIick describes the occurrence of a plant in a deep spring on Staten Island, provisionally referred to this species. I Hydrophyllum Canadense, Etinie anatomique. — M. Garcm. (Bull. Trimes., Soc. Bot Lyons, v., pp. 77-85.) htdigenous plants^ Pharntacopmal. — R. G. Eccles, M. D. (West- ern Druggist, X., pp. 43-46, 79-81.) Iowa PeronosporcB and a dry Season. — Byron D. Halsted. (Bot Gaz., xiii., pp. 49-59.) Iris bracteata. — Sereno Watson. (Garden and Forest, i., p. 43> » fig. 8.) Isoetes. — The distribution of — L. M. Underwood. (Bot Gaz., xiii., pp. 89-94.) Prof. Underwood enumerates the species of Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia, South America and North America, quoting freely from Baker and Engelmann ; reaches some interesting gen- eral conclusions and describes two new species, Isoetes Mexicana^ ' collected by C. G. Pringle, Oct., 1887, and distributed as No. 1447, and / maritima, from Vancouver Island, collected in August, 1887, by John Macoun. Kansas Forest Trees, identified by Leaves and Fruit. — W. A. Kellerman and Mrs. Kellerman. (Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., X., pp. 99- n I ; also reprinted.) Lentiniis lepideus, Fr,, and Trametes Pini, Fr, — Notes on, P. H. Dudley. (Journ. N. Y. Micros. Soc, iv., pp. 118, 119) Lichen new to the United States, — E. A, Rau. (Journ. Mycol., iv., p. 20.) Trypethelium heterochrons (Mont.), Tuck., fron^ Lake Osceola, Fla. 147 Lichenology — Recent Contributions to American. Lichenes Fuegice et Patagonice. — Exposuit W. Nylander, Paris, 1888. Greenland's Lichen- Flora.— By J. S. D. Braiith and Chr. Groenlund, Copenhagen, 1888. The first of these works contains an account o^ the Lichens of the region mentioned from the collections of C. Spegazzini in 1882, of Cunningham in 1868, and other collectors. But the author does not seem to have known of the collection of the Hassler Expedition of 1872, the lichens of which were collected by Rev. Thomas Hill, and a few of them (new species) were described by Tuckerman in Abs. Lich., No. 4, 1877. The nam- ber of species in Nylander's list is nearly 100, several of which are new. Other additions would probably be made by a compe- tent student of the Hassler collection. The second work is the fullest list of Greenland Lichens yet n^ade. It is preceded by an interesting account of the Greenland Lichen literature and collectors. The number of species is about 150- The work is in Danish, except a few notes in Latin. H. W. List of Plants collected by Miss Mary B. Croft, at San Diego, Texas, during the years 1885 and 1886. — N. L. Britton and H. H. Rusby. (Trans. N. Y. Acad. Sci., vii., pp. 7-14; reprinted.) An enumeration of 175 species, including Houstonia Croftice, n- sp. Anemone heterophylla, Nutt., is reduced to a van'cty of A. dichotoma, L., and several changes are made according to the principle of using the oldest specific or varietal names. Local Floras.— The study of— Q&v2\6."^lcZKxt]xy. (Journ. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc, iv., pp. 25-30.) Loganiacecs.—The natural order of—^. G. Eccles, I\L D. (Pharm. Rec, viii., pp. 41-44.) Mahonias or Ash Barberries. — W. Goldring. (Garden, xxxiii., PP- 19S, 199; illustrated.) M. repens, M. nervosa, M. fas- cicularis and M. Aqnifolium are figured. Manual of the Microscope in Vegetable Histology. By Edward Strasburger, translated from the German by Rev. A.B. Hervey. (8vo., pp. 382, Boston, S. E. Cassino, 1887. Price, $2.50). p 148 This is the second Endish translation of Strasburger's Kleine gllOlX LlC*Xi^.^LiV^lX W. ^.x^^^...^ Botanischer Practicum. As the original, it contains thirty-two chapters beginning with the use of the microscope, proceeding to the examination of cells and tissues, the epidermis being treated separately, passing to the study of vegetative organs, and next to the various groups, beginning with protophyta and ending with angiosperms. The volume is well illustrated and handsomely printed. The appendix treats of various re-agents recommended for use. Marah over Megarrhiza^ Torr. — Priority of Dr. Kellogg' s Genus. Mary K. Curran.. (Bull. Cal Acad. Sci., ii., pp. 521-524.) It appears that the generic name Marah, Kellogg, was pub- lished in the Proceedings of the California Academy, Vol. i., p. 38, in 1855, while Dr. Torrey's Megarrhiza came in the follow- ing year. If the reference of these plants to Echinocystis by Bentham and Hooker and Professor Greene is to obtain, the rel- ative age of the other two generic names has no special impor- J. T. Rothrock. (Proc. Acad. Nat. tance. Mimicry among Plants, Sci. Phila., 1888, pp. 12, 13.) Professor Rothrock groups the cases of mimicry under two heads; i. Resemblances between plants in groups clearly dis- tinct. 2. Resemblances between plants in the same natural family, and gives interesting examples of both. New or rare Plants.— Asdi Gray. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., p. 73.) This is a paper found on Dr. Gray's study-table, and contains notes on Hibiscus incanns, Wendl., Blepharipappiis l(Evis, Hiera- cium Howellii, n. sp., and Troximon barbellulatiim, Greene. Pathology of Pollen in jEstivis or Hay-fever. Samuel Lock- wood, (Journ, N. Y. Micros. Soc, iv., pp. 99-105, one plate.) Prof Lockwood, presents an illustrated paper on the relations of pollen in hay-fever. His most pertinent suggestion is as to its action as a *' pseudo-parasite." Referring to the well-known disposition of pollen to send its tubes down into moist surfaces, he thinks that this action may be induced when it comes into contact with the mucous membrane of the nose, thus causing the acute stinging pain which is such a persistent symptom of the » 149 disease. The plate illustrates pollen oi Ambrosia and SoUdago. Plants—The earliest. Sir Wm. Dawson. (Pop. Sci. Month., xxxii., pp. 787-795 ; illustrated by six. figures.) Relation of Sarracenia purpurea to S. variolaris. — W. P. Wilson. (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1888, pp. 10, 11.) Professor Wilson concludes from the facts that the first leaves of these species "are perfect miniatures of each other," and that the abundant nectar secreting glands of S. variolaris are repre- sented by inactive or rudimentary structures in S. purpirea, that the latter is a retrograde development from the former. Typha.—]. Schneck. (Bot. Gaz., xiii, p. 98.) The author calls attention to the use of the leaves when dried for making tight the joints of headings and between the staves of barrels. Uredi7ie(2.—New Western,—^. M. Tracy and B. T. Galloway. (Journ. Mycol ^cidi Histology.— E. S. Bastin. (W^ 1-4, continued.) Vegetable Cell G. L. Goodale. (Am. J '^ '/ filifera. — C. S. Sargent. (Garden and Forest, i., pp. "]%, 79. figs. 13, 14.) Proceedings of the Club The regular monthly meeting was held in Hamilton Hall, Columbia College, April 10, 1888, President Newberry in the chair and eighteen persons present. Mrs. Annie Chambers-Ketchum, Mrs. Edw. Heylyn, Rev. Geo. D. Hulst, Prof. Thos. C. Porter and Wm. Bryce, Jr., were elected active members. Miss Isabel Mulford, of Vassar College, Miss H. J. Biddle- come, of Columbus, Ohio, Miss Cutter, of Lee, Mass., and Edwin Faxon, Cambridge, Mass., were elected corresponding members. burg, Miss A. B. Rich and Arthur Rollick. J Dr. H. H. Rusby presented a letter from H. B. Harris, Third { * ^ 150 Assistant Postmaster General, in reply to his application printed in this Bulletin, January, 1888. p. 27, in which the decision is made by the Department THAT NATURAL HiSTORY SPECIMENS WITH WRITTEN DESCRIPTIVE LABELS ARE ADMISSIBLE TO THE MAILS AT THE FOURTH-CLASS RATE OF POSTAGE, WHICH IS ONE CENT AN OUNCE. The following amendment to the By-Laws was adopted: VII. There shall be appointed upon the adoption of this by-law and at each regular annual meeting thereafter two dis- tinct Flora Committees, of three members each, — one for Phaner- gamia and one for Cryptogamla — whose duty it shall be to pre- pare complete and accurate lists of all the plants, native, natur- alized and adventive, occurring within 100 miles of New York City, and to have such lists published with as much description and illustration as they shall deem best, and the funds obtainable for the purpose shall warrant. The President appointed J. F. Poggenburg, N. L. Britton and E, E, Sterns, Committee on Phanerogamia ; Mrs. N. L. Britton, M. O. Steele and S. E. JelHffe. on Cryptogamia. Miss Steele exhibited a specimen of Pentstemon Icevigatiis^ var. Digitalis, collected by Miss P. A. McCabe, at White Plains, Westchester Co., a plant not previously reported as growing wild east of the Hudson. Mr. Sterns exhibited specimens of Lanrus iiohilis, X., fr^ni Edisto Id,, S. C, where it is thoroughly naturalized and known as ** Sweet Bay," This adds a new plant to the North Ameri- can flora. He showed that a lighted match held beneath the leaves causes a series of explosive ruptures of the epidermis, probably resulting from the vaporization of the oil globules. The papers announced for the evening were read: i» On some peculiarities of the fruit of Smila'x, by E. E. Sterns. 2. On White Mountain Willows, by M. S. Bebb, read by the Sec- retary, and illustrated by specimens. Dr. Britton exhibited a specimen of Qtiercus Muhlenbergtt, Engelm., var. htimilis, from Lake Grinnell, N. J., in which the scales of the acorn cups were transformed into leaves over an inch long, showing their homology with an involucre. Miss Rogers presented dupHcates of a number of Long Id. mosses for distribution. BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB Vol. XV.] New York, June 2, 1888. [No. 6. The Development of Symplocarpus foetidus (L,), Salisb. By Aua F, Foerste. Plate LXXXII. Among the most interesting studies in animal or vegetable morphology are the homologies of aborted or almost obsolete organs which once had a purpose, but now are cast aside as en- tirely useless. Although the existence of such organs in vege- table life is not so much a matter of general information, it is Here that some of the most curious and readily understood ex- amples are to be found. It has already been noted that Apios itiberosa^ rejects entirely the terminal part of each panicle, and all but the lower two or three buds of each of the remaining racemes, using the scars left by the rejected buds as nectar-glands. Usually, however, rejec- tion does not take place in this literal fashion, but consists merely in a decrease of size and loss of function. Thus in Syinplocarpus fa^hdus t most of the '* flowers " are aborted, only a few of the earlier formed developing to maturity. Which shall be the flowers of the next season is already evident during the previous summer. | As many as three or four flowers may blossom in the spring. Since at this time of the year the comparative mor- phology of the plant is most readily studied, the following notes may^be considered as referring chiefly to plants as they appear in the spring : The outer covering of the growing portion consists of two or three large enfolding scales representing petioles ; these are very "^uch decayed. Under favorable conditions small aborted mem- branaceous spathes may be detected apparently in the axils of * Bulletin, XI., 1884, p. 123. t Am. Nat., 1S83, p. 1109. : Am. Nat, 1885, p. 301. 152 alternate scales. These, however, are frequently absent, proba- bly having been decomposed. Following these are healthy scales untainted by decay, the later forms of which develop at their tip, more or less gradually, small leaf-blades, which increase m size in succeeding scales until the normal leaf-form is attained (figs. 6, 7, 8). Apparently in the alternate axils of these scales are from one to four fully developed flowers (fig, s), succeeding which in regular order are only aborted flowers, apparently m alternate axils of the later scales and in the alternate axils of all true leaves (figs. 9, 10), until a few scales have been formed to serve as an external covering for next spring, when again a few flowers will develop to full maturity. It was stated that one or two aborted flowers produced previously to those w^hich develop normally are membranaceous ; the same is true of the first two or three aborted flowers succeeding those of normal develop- ment. The remaining aborted flowers cannot at this season 01 the year be distinguished from those which shall develop in the succeeding season (figs. 16, 17). Examining these specimens a second time more carefully, it will be found that the flow^ers are not in the axils of leaves or scales, as at first supposed, this place being occupied by a small leaf bud (fig. 13). These leaf buds are quite small, even in the earlier scales, and decrease rapidly in size until finally they can be detected only by the expert dissector (fig. 17). In this they offer a marked contrast to the flower, which can readily be seen even in the aborted state, long after the detection of the leaf buds has become difficult. The flowers, on the other hand, will now be seen to be situated towards the right or left of the leaf bud (their position being variable in different plants, but continuous for the same specimen), and to be enfolded by the basal edges ol a scale, whose axil is on the opposite side of the plant, and never subtends a bud ; so that there are alternately scales (or leaves) with and without leaf buds. The flowers are in the axils ot neither scales nor leaves. At this point, when everything seems to be in confusion, al the materials are at hand for the ready understanding of the structure of this plant The flower in each case represents the end of the entire stem, to which all succeeding parts are bu 133 t axial in position. The scale or leaf in whose axil the flower at first seemed to be, is but the first leaf on the stem represented by the flowen The scale or leaf, the basal part of whose lateral edges slightly enfold the flower, is the second leaf of this stem, in whose axil all the succeeding growth of the stem is but a bud which has never been arrested in its development The spathe of the flower is the third leaf of this axis, and a second spathe which is occasionally present is the fourth leaf Both the buds which are arrested and those which are not arrested in develop- ment are alike in the fact that the first leaf of the new axis is al- ways opposed to the subtending leaf in whose axil they are found (fig. 13). Thus all the parts of a plant are brought back into a normal method of arrangement. When it comes, however, to a consideration of the phyllotaxy of the plant, the question presents more difficulties. The first two leaves of each axis seem very much to be opposed to each other, the meeting of the basal edges of second leaf at the flower (instead of the buds defining the axil of the first leaf) alone suggesting that this opposition is more apparent than real. It will also be noticed that the spathe is turned in such a way as to suggest that its axis lies at a right angle to a line connecting the axils of the first and second leaves.* When a second spathe (fig. 12) occurs, it seems to fall almost above the axil of the first leaf (fig. 13), So that it has seemed reasonable to consider this a case of a one-third phyllotaxy. In that case we meet the diffi- culty of always finding the first leaf of each new axis not directly opposed to the subtending leaf, but a httle to one side and al- ^vays in a definite direction. This could be explained by the assertion that it is not unu- sual in monocotyledons to find a slight lateral displacement of this first leaf, or by an equally valuable suggestion that the phyllotaxy may be far more complicated than here represented, but approaching the one-third arrangement. It seems, how- ever, just as well to adopt the simpler view, especially since much displacement must necessarily take place in such a complicated structure as the apex of this crowded root stock. , ■ -- — — ^ * * The folding of the edges of the spathe gives the appearance that the midrib of the same lies between the spadix and the rest of the plant, rather than to one side as '^ore careful dissection would indicate. 154: Considering now the true flowers, no arrangement on the spadix consistent with the ordinary views of phyllotaxy can be made out. The flowers are arranged vertically along the axis of the spadix In such a way as to form diagonal rows. In one specimen at hand at present writing, there are nine rows of flow- ers passing diagonally around the axis in one direction, and nine in the other direction, forming thus eighteen vertical rows. These rows are apt to be more or less disturbed by lateral pressure, es- pecially at the top of the spadix (fig. ii). In like manner, it will be noticed that the sepals enfold each other in every order possible on the same spadix, so that no conclusions can be drawn from their arrangement. As to the seeds, there seem to be no radicles, the very first roots being thrust out from the central vascular parts of the as- cending stem (figs. 3, 4). This continues to be the manner 01 production of all succeeding roots. In old rootstocks the vas- cular portion is yellowish in color; the surrounding parts are almost white. This white portion surrounds the bases of the roots, and is readily separable from the same, suggesting that it is only a pithy structure which has grown out from the more vascular parts of the rootstock, and which in its growth has more or less enfolded the roots. It will also be noticed that the roots are much wrinkled, suggesting a contraction of their length (fi 5). Knowing that the seeds germinate usually within an inch of the surface of the ground, it has seemed reasonable that this was an arrangement to draw the rootstock, which otherwise would become serial, dow^n into the loose mud, each year's growth meaning a new grip on the plant, and a renewed hauhng process back into the earth, which succeeds so well that the top of the rootstock as a rule is found at least several inches below the sur- face of the ground, EXPLANATION OF PLATE LXXXIL 1. The lower part of a seed showing the depression, x Yz. 2. A section across the upper part leaving the plumule, X >^. 3. The same, germinated, X ^. 4. A section of a young specimen, showing the origin of the first roots from the stem, X Yz. 5. A plant, the earlier scales broken away to reveal the young flower, Feb. i5' X X- ^'^^ showing the wrinkled roots. g- 155 6, 7, 8. Various stages in the variations from scales to leaves in the same, x Yz 9- Scales and leaves removed, showing an aborted flower of the season. 10. The spadix taken from the same. 11. The spadix of a normal flower, x 12. A spadixj the regular spathe broken away, revealing an abnormal second spatheat the base of the spadix. I3» The arrangement of two successive terminal stems of the plant, with their leaf appendages. The leaves are successively numbered, No. III. in each case sig- nifying the spathe, the position of the second spathe being indicated in the first stem. I4> 15* Two methods of representing the arrangement of the plant as it might be expected to exist if the normal one third arrangement were adopted. In Fig. 15 No. II. should be on the second line, not the first. 16. The position of the ^' flowers" and leaf buds, irrespective of leaves or scales : ^j e, f represent membranous aborted spathes ; b, c, d represent the bases of the stalk supporting the flowers which arrive at perfection. The remaining flowers are also aborted, although it is barely possible that / or m are far enough along in the series to develop into mature flowers next season. 17* The same uncoiled and more graphically represented, 18. A vertical section of one of the true flowers while still in the bud, x 2. The Fresh-water Algse of Maine.— L By F. L. Harvey. r -■ The species of Maine Algae enumerated below were observed during the fall of 1887. The gatherings were taken from sheltered coves and pot-holes along the Penobscot in the vicinity of Orono ; also from the clear running water of spring brooks, and from Chemo Pond and stream five miles east of Orono. Quite a number of species were ob- served in the stagnant water of an old well on the college farm. As no observations have before been published upon the fresh-water algae of Maine, it is thought best to include, with the novelties, all the species observed, for the purpose of showing geographical distribution. Descriptions are given of the new forms and those not ob- served before in the United States. Some of the forms should be figured, but there are not enough to make a full plate, so it is thought best to defer the il- lustrations until more observations are made, and include them With others in another contribution. The references to plates and figures are to Wolle's Desmids and Fresh-water Algse of the United States, The systematic arrangement of the species is that given in the same works. The writer is greatly obliged to Mr. WoUe for professional 156 courtesies, the majority of the species enumerated having been confirmed by him. Class I. — Rhodophycete. Family III. — Batrachospermaceae. I. — BatrachosperniMm ino7iili forme, var. SUBULATUM, n. var. A small form, dusky purple, whorls dense, barely distinguish- able except by crushing; branches and branchlets terete, some- what tapering, with a slightly wavy outline ; tufts one-half to nearly one inch high. Mr. WoUe considers this a distinct variety. Whether possibly only a condition of growth, remains for future observation to determine. Plentiful on rocks and in pot holes on the Penobscot river at Old Town. October. Class IL — Chlorophyce^. Family VI. — Q^dogoniaceae. Wittn, p. 102, PL XC— In an old well on the college farm. Oct. In fruit. A species of CEdog mium is associated with the above, but the specimens were sterile at the time of examination and not determinable. Family VIII. — Confervacese, 3. Draparnaldia glomerata, Ag., p. 108, PL XCIL — In con- structing a dam across the Penobscot at Old Town quite a num- ber of pot holes were exposed, and In these the above species was found in, abundance, associated with the Batrachospermnni mentioned above. Oct. 4. Stigeoclonium suhsecwtdum, Kg., p. II2, PL XCIX. I>^ an old well on the college farm, which has been filled to within a few feet of the surface. Plentiful. Oct. Interesting as the only locality given by WoUe is South CaroUna. Specimens of Ulothrix were also observed in a gathering from the Penobscot, but were not in a condition for specific de- termination. Family XII. — Volvocace^, 5. Volvox glohator, L., p. 158, PL CLI. — Found sparingly in several gatherings from pools and small ponds about Orono. 6. Pandorina mortim, Bory., p. 161, PL CLIII. — In stagnant pools- Much more common in gatherings made than Volvox^ 157 Family XIII. — ProtococcaceiE. 7. Scenedesmus obtusus, Meyen., p. 173, PI. CLVL— Found in a gathering made from a small pool near the Penobscot, and which stood for two months in the laboratory before it was ex- amined. Plentiful. Oct. 8. Sciadium arhuscula, A. Br., p. 174, PI. CLVII. — Two or three specimens observed in the water of the old well. The specimens invariably had eight rays in the umbel and were simple. Family XVI. — Palmellaceae. 9. Dictyosphm-hmi reniforme, Bulnh., p. 186, PI. CLVI. Quite plentiful in a pool near the Penobscot, opposite Great Wor"ks, collected by Mr. L. H. Merrill. 10. Glceocystis ampla, Kg., p. 196, PI. CLXVI.— Common in standing water about Orono. Pool near Penobscot at Great Works (Mr. L. H. Merrill). 11. RapJiidium polymorpJmm, Yxq?>.,vax. co7itorUwi (Thur.), Wolle, p. 198, PI. CLX.— Rather common in pools and small ponds near Orono. 12. EremosphcBra viridis, D, By., p. 200, PI. CLXVII. Very abundant in a gathering made near Great Works by Mr. L. H. Merrill. Specimens, shedding the membranous envelope, undergoing fission and forming reddish brown resting spores, were observed. Family XVL — Conjugatas, ^3* Zygnema uisigne, Kg., p. 223, PI. CXLIII. — Common in small spring brooks and ponds. Finely in copulation. Oct 14- Zygnema anomahnn (Hass.), Kg., p. 224. This in- teresting form was collected in abundance in a small spring pond near Orono by Roy Harvey. The colorless gelatinous sheath soon after gathering is liable to become almost invisible. Filaments with sheath, in our specimens, measured 40 )a\ with- out sheath, 22 /<. The specimens wxre all sterile, though col- lected from a spring in December, after the pond had been frozen for two months. They were in fine vegetative condition. pectinatnm Abun- 158 dant in pools along the banks of the Penobscot, also in ponds and springs inland. Finely in fruit. Oct. Several species of Spirogyra occur in abundance in Maine waters, but none have yet been found by me in conjugation. Family XVII. — Desmidie^e. i6. Hyalotheca disilliens (Smith), Breb., p. 22, PL I. — Very common in sheltered places along the Penobscot, and in small ponds, springs and stagnant pools. 17. Desmidmm Swartzii, Ag., p. 26, PI. II. — Common m shallow streams, small ponds and ditches. 18. Sphmrozosma pulchriim, Bailey, p. 29, PL IV. — Old well on college farm. The gelatinous envelope was apparent m our specimens. 19. Penium Digitus (Ehrb.), Breb., p. 34, PI. V.— Pot holes at Old Town. Pool at Great Works in gathering made by Mr. L. H. MerrilL 20. P. interriiptwn, Breb., p. 35, PL V. — Both large and small forms observed in gatherings made at Old Town and Great Works. Not plentiful. 21. P. Brebissonii (Menegh.), Ralfs, p. 36, PL V.— Pools along the enobscot Not scarce. . 22. Closteriitm Ltintda, Ehrb., p. 40, PL L. — Pot hole at Old Town ; also from Great Works in gatherings made by Mr. MerrilL 23. C, Cticmnis, Ehrb., p. 40, PL VL — Pools in Penobscot, at Old Town and elsewhere in ponds. the 24. C. striolatum^ Ehrb., p. 42, PL VL — Pools near Penobscot at Orono. From a gathering made by Mr. Merrill near Basin Mills. 25. C. Venus, Kg., p. 44, PL VIL-Pot holes at Old Town. 26. C Ehrenhergii, Menegh., p. 45, PL VII. — Pools near the Penobscot at Great Works in gatherings made by Mr. Mer- rill. Also from various small ponds about Orono. 2J, Docidium Trabecula (Ehrb.), Na^g., p. 48, Pis. IX., XL {p, Ehrenbergii, Ralfs). — Common in stagnant ponds and sphagnum swamps. Orono, 2%. Cosviarimn granatiim, Breb., p. 60, PL L. — From agath- 159 enng made in a pool near the Penobscot, and which stood in the laboratory two months before examination. F 29. C ttcmidttm, Lund., p. 6\, Pis. XV., XVIIL— Pools along the Penobscot. From the gath- 30. a Meneghinii, Breb., p. 65, PI. XVI ering which stood in the laboratory. 31. C, U7idtdatum, Corda., p. 6^, PI. XVI. — Pools at Old Town, Great Works, etc. 32. C. crenatum, Ralfs, p. 6^, PL XLIX. — Pools and shal- low ponds along the Penobscot. 33. C. pyrainidattmt, Breb., p. 69, PL XIV. — Pool on the Pool near the college farm. 34- C' pachydernmm, Lund., p. 70, PI. XV. Penobscot, on the college farm. SS^ C. Botrytis, Menegh., p. 74, PI. XIIL—Pools near Old Town, Great Works and Orono. 36. C. dentatum, Wolle, p. ^6, PI. XIII. — Pools along the Penobscot, Orono. 37. C. amoenum, Breb., p. "J^^ PL XIV. — From gathering near Penobscot, which stood in laboratory for two months before examination. 38. C. sitbiobatum, Archer, p. 80, PL XVIII. — With the above. 39- C. Qiiasillus, Lund., p. 84, PL XVII.— With the above. The form observed was more robust than that figured by Wolle. 40. C. Broomei, Thwaites, p. 86, PL XVII. — Common in pools and ponds, Orono. 41. Xanthidiiim cristatwn (Breb.), Ralfs, f Old well, college farm, Orono. 42. X fasciadatum, var. subalpimim, Wolle. ^ Wolle, Fresh Water Algas U. S., p. 34, PL LVI.— Old well, college farm, Orono. 43. X, anttlopcsum (Breb.), J college farm, Orono. PlentifuL Old well, 44- Arthrodesmus convergens (Ehrb.), Ralfs, p. 95, PL XXIII. — Old well, college farm, Orono. 4^. Etiastrum verrucosiim CEhrb.V Ralfs, p. 100, PL XX VI. Work and Orono, associated with the variety mentioned below. 160 ■ 46. E, verriicositm^ var. simplex^ Joshua. — This form is new to the U. S. In a paper dated February, 1885, Wm. Joshua, F, L. S., Eng.j describes this variety from specimens collected at Pictou, Canada. His diagnosis is as follows: '* Of stout habit, terminal lobes very short and with very shallow incisions, central inflation either none or very small ; no other. Length, 85 /^; width, 65 // ; apical lobes, 35 fx wide'; thickness, 25 //." The nearest form to this variety is Cos^nariiim trilobatulunty Reinsch, but not smooth hke it, and somewhat larger. It is granular throughout, but most densely at the angles of the lobes. It appears to stand on the border between Eziastriim and Cos- marium. Shallow pools along the Penobscot at Old Town, Great Works and Orono. Sparingly in the water of springs and sphagnum swamps. Associated with the type form. 47. E, elegans, Kg., p. 106, PI. XXVIL— In gatherings from Great Works (Merrill). Also in shallow pools and ponds, Orono. 48. E. binale (Turpin), Ralfs, p. 107, Pi. XXVIL— Associ- ated with the above. 49. Micrasterias rotata (Grev.), Ralfs, p. 109, PI. XXXI V. From gathering w^hich stood in laboratory two months. Penob- scot, near Orono. 50. M. denticidata (Breb.), Ralfs, p.. 109, PI. XXXIV. With the above. 51. M. Americana (Ehrb.), Kg., p. 112, PI. XXXII.— From old well on college farm, Orono. 52. Staurastrum Avictila, Breb., p. 123, PL XL. — Old well, college farm, Orono. 53. 5. polymorphttm, Breb., p. 126, PL XLIL— Old well, college farm ; also in stagnant water of small ponds ; common. 54. S. crenulattim (N^g.), Delp., p. 126, PL XLIL— Old well, college farm; also in many ponds about Orono; common. 55. S. p2inctulat2im, Brth., p. 127, PI. XLI. — Potholes Penobscot; also in shallow pools, Orono. 56. S, pygviceum, Breb., p. 128, PL XLIL — From the gath- ering^taken near the Penobscot that stood in the laboratory tw^^ months. in 161 57- -S". cyrtocerum, Breb., p. 128, PI. XLII.— Small pools and ponds about Orono. ^?>. S. macroceriim, Wolle, p. 134, PI. XLIIL— Chemo pond, five miles east of Orono. 59- -S". Sebaldi, Rei'nsch, p. 138, PL XLVI.— Old well, col- lege farm, Orono. 60. 5. Brebissonii, Arch., p. 141, PI. XLV.— Old well, col- lege farm. Interesting, as Florida was the only habitat before known. &\. S, Saxonicmn, Buinh., p. 141, PI. XLV. — Pools along the Penobscot at Old Town and Great Works. 62. S, Saxonicum, Bulnh., var. PENTAGONUM, n. van — Struc- ture similar to the type form ; size slightly smaller, 62 /f diame- ter ; end view pentagonal ; sides somewhat concave or straight First observed in gatherings from a shallow pool on the bank of the Penobscot at Old Town. Later it was found at other points along the river about Orono. It is usually associated with the type form. ^l^ S. furcigertnn, Breb., p. 146, PL XLVIIL— Pot holes and pools, Penobscot River, Orono. 64. 5. spojigiostim, Breb., p. 148, Ph XLVII. — Pools along the Penobscot, Orono. Class III. — Cyanophyce^. Family XVIII. — Nostocaceae. 65. Tolypothrix 7Husctcola, Kg,, p. 264. PI. CLXXXI. — ^Old well, colle^ie farm. Plentiful. 66. Hapalosiphon Brataiii, Kg., p, 275, PL CXCVL— With the above. T 67, Nostoc commtnufum. Kg., p. 2Z2. — Abundant in a gath- ering made from a pool In the Penobscot at Great Works by Mr. PL CXCVII.— This form Merrill. 68. Nostoc rtipestre^ Kg., p. 283, was found in a lake near Houlton, Me. Several species of Oscillaria have been observed, but they have not yet been studied enough to give determinations. 162 Some Peculiarities in the Seed of SmilaX; Tourn. Moderate pressure upon a fresh ripe berry of Smilax miricu- lata, Walt, forces out of it one, two or (commonly) three more or less rounded masses of grayish horny albumen, each enclosed In a thin smooth brownish closely adherent coat, marked with a darker- colored, suborbicular hilum at the base, and with a distinct dark raised point or minute tubercle at the opposite end, indicat- ing the position of the small white oblong embryo. These albu- minous bodies have been universally taken for the complete seeds by writers upon Smilax from Gsertner to Gray. A careful dis- section of some scores of ripe berries of ^\ auriciilata, Walt, and green but full-grown berries of 5. lanceolata, L.^ enables me to assert positively that this view is not strictly correct, at least as regards these and some other closely allied species. The firm outer skin of the fresh ripe berry of 5. aiirtciilaia encloses a thin layer of subfarinaceous, bvit more or less juicy pulp, within Avhich are three cells (sometimes fewer by abortion) with very thin membranaceous walls. Each cell is filled by a transparent bag of more or less elastic tissue, suspended by a short funiculus to the upper inner angle of the cell In each case this bag contains not only a seed, ordinarily so-called, but also a small quantity of very soft, moist, dark-colored pulp, mainly lodged between the hilum and the funicular extremity of the bag. The elasticity of this bag is such that it may be stretched without breaking, to twice, thrice or even four times its original length, and will afterwards contract to scarcely more than its first size. This peculiarity is so marked that it has given a name to the common southwestern Smilax (the subspecies S. Wrightii of Alphonse de Candolle) of which a trustworthy Texan correspond- ent* writes: ** It is commonly known as * bramble ' or 'stretch- berry,' the latter name from the thin, rubber-like covering over the seed, which is often used by children to put with chewing-gum, making the gum stretch like rubber." t In the green but fuU- • Miss Sarah A, Trimble, Waco, Texas. t This elastic seed coat is so obvious upon an even moderately careful examina- tion that it is hard to believe that it has altogether escaped the attention of botanical writers. Nevertheless, despite extended and diligent search, I have not yet found the slightest reference to it Moreover, the phraseology of leading authors, in more than one instance, distinctly implies that they were unaware of its existence. Among 163 grown berries of 5. lanceolata the elastic coat is even more readily detected than in the ripe ones of S. mtrictdata ; the dark pulp, however, appears as a layer of firm, green, fleshy tissue, thick at the base and thinly enveloping the entire mass of albumen, which is still white exteriorly and yielding (though tough) in texture- Under careful dissection the funiculus sometimes separates at its base and remains attached to the seed — projecting from the elas- tic coat as a minute thread-form body, perhaps a fiftieth o{ an inch in length. More often, in the ripe berry, it gives way at the other extremity and remains attached to the angle of the cell, presenting at the free end a saucer-like, sub-circular expansion, by which it was attached to the hilum. It is absolutely certain that the elastic exterior coat and the enclosed pulp layer are borne upon the funiculus and must be regarded as integral parts of the seed, or as adjuncts to it, and not as any part of the pericarp. It may be questioned whether the elastic coat is testa or aril. I am myself strongly inclined to believe that it is merely the developed outer coat of the ovule and therefore the testa of the seed. Accepting this view, the brownish closely adherent covering of the albumen (testa of A. de Candolle) is really the tegmen. This structure is simple enough, and is paralleled in numerous bitunicate seeds. The fleshy and subsequently pulpy intermediate layer remains, how- ever, a curious anomaly. Gray appears to hold (Struc. Bot, ed. 'S79, p. 277) that the coats of the ovule are never separated. They clearly seem to be in this case, and yet to no obvious pur- pose. It is a suggestive fact that in the ripe fruit the pulp enclosed within the testa (if testa it is) presents decidedly an appearance of decomposition rather than o{ wholesome maturity. Apparently from some distorted or at least unusual impulse, the outer coat of the ovule begins to develop some little distance below the inner. Nature, it seems, abhorring the vacuum thus formed, fills the gap with tissue, which merely serves as a pack- wnlers carefully consulted on lias point may be named Tournefort, Linnaeus, Gaert- "er, Michaux, Nuttall, Torrey, Gray, Chapman, Wood, Kunth, Grisebach, A. dc Candolle, Bentham and Hooker and Engler and PrantL The hilum seems to be unmentioned, except by Kunth (Enumeratio) and Grisebach (Mart. FI. Bras.); only Gaertner notices the tubercle at the apex. Strangely enough, Gartner figures the ":mbryo at the wrong end of the seed ! 364: ing, and ultimately decomposes without having contributed any- thing to the vital growth or protection of the seed. Of course ' this view is speculative, and close microscopic observations upon the ovule, both before' and after fertilization, are essential to a decisive interpretation of the structure I have described. It may even appear that the elastic coat and the intermediate layer are both developed after fertilization and are, therefore, of the nature of a double aril, tenacious without and pulpy within, A consid- erable resemblance certainly exists between the external coat and the loose membranaceous aril in Castalia, Salisb., more especially as both originate at a point below the summit of the funiculus. An aril, however (see Gray's definition, I.e., p. 308), is an acces- sory seed-covering, *' more or less incomplete," whereas in S^mlax the external coat is complete in every respect. At any rate, whether testa or aril, the whole subject Is novel and interesting, and is strongly commended to physiological botanists and micro- scopists, who may have access to the fruit of Smilax in its earli- est stapes. E. E. Sterns. P. S. — Since writing the foregoing I have examined fresh ripe berries of S. Waltert, Pursh, and sub-species 5. Wrightity A. DC. (== 5*. taimioides^ of Chapman's Flora, in part.) In the former the exterior coat is thin and easily broken, and its elas- ticity is not especially marked. In 5. Wrightii, however, the " stretch-berry'* of the southwest, this coat is extraordinarily elastic, and can be readily extended without breaking to five or six times its original length ! A still more recent examination, this time of very young berries of 5. pnmila, Walt., barely one- fourth the size of the ripe fruit, shows the outer coat as complete in form at this stage as at maturity, and already strikingly elastic. Although this is a strong confirmation of the testa theory, microscopic study of the ovule is still essential to settle the question absolutely. E. E. S. Another Station for Rhododendron Vasey Rhododendron Vaseyi, Gray. Proc, Am. Ac, xv., 4S: Bot. Gaz., viil., 282.— A third locahty has atjast turned up for this shrub, which is so conspicuous and singular that one wonders at its so long evading notice. The pecuhar flower-buds were 165 detected by Mr. S. T. Kelsey, about a month ago, on Grandfather Mountain, Caldwell Co., N. C, and now, 23d of May, hesends vouchers in the form of beautiful clusters of fresh flowers. He writes: " It grows just everywhere in clumps and patches on the southern and southeastern slopes, at 4,500 to 5,500 feet elevation, but most abundant and vigorous in moist stations, and is associ- ated with Rkododendron maximum, R, Catawbiense and Kalmla latifolia. The locality is only two or three miles from Linville/' This ground has been hunted over by famous botanists of old. Both Michaux and Fraser knew Grandfather in the last century, and Lyon and Curtis in the early part of the present one. Dr. Gray, in a letter to Sir William Hooker, has given an account of his predecessors in its exploration, and of his own researches into its Flora. A land made classic by such associations, and rich in numerous rare, and even in some endemic plants, has attracted many herbourizing lesser botanists; but all this time Rhododen- dron Vaseyi has concealed itself even better than Its less showy neighbor Shortia. It will be remembered by those who had the opportunity to furnish him specimens, how delighted was Dr. Gray to find an American true Azalea with a rotate- campanulate corolla, which even proved upon better examination to be bilabiately irregular. He considered it one of the most interesting of the now very numerous cases of remarkable relationship betw^een the Chino- - Japanese and the AlJeghanian floras. The present flowers are true to the amended description in the Gazette. They are bright purple, varying to pinkish-white, and scentless. The shrub is IQ to 15 feet high and is nearest in ^^abit to Rhododendron calendnlaceum, Mr. Kelsey states that it is easily transplanted, adapts itself readily to cultivation, and is already an ornamental bush in many house-yards at Highlands, where it flowers profusely before any leaves appear. Baltimore, Md. John Donnell Smith. Aquilegia CanaderJs, L., var. flaviflora (Tenney), Britton. An account of a yellow variety oi Aquilegia Canadensis in the April Bulletin suggests calling attention to the following in the Flora of Essex County, Mass. (Essex Institute Bulletin, 1880). 166 Aqinlegia Canadensis, L., var, Phippenii. — Flowers salmon colored, leaves lighter green; transplanted to the garden it seeded freely and invariably produced its like. Discovered by Mr, G. D. Phippen in a ravine in Salem pastures, about 1844. Found again in the same locality by the present writer, 1875 and by Mr. David Waters in 1880. A white variety was detected by Mr. Abraham Bosson (1854) among red Columbines, but did not prove hardy on being transplanted. (See '^ Notice of three varieties of native Columbines,'' Proc. E. L Vol. I, 1856, p. 268). The ''Notice of three varieties of the native Columbines" in the Essex Institute Proceedings of 1856 is by Rev. John L. Russell and possesses much interest. One was a double flowered form, another the white variety which, transplanted to a garden, perished "after growing two or three years," and the third was the one above referred to. « Mr. Britton's description perfectly coincides with the speci- mens in our herbarium and my recollection of them in the living state. The fact that seeds ''produced their like" is of special interest. As the plant was, so far as I knew, local and as Mr. Phippen was its discoverer, and had made many interesting ex- periments on this and other Columbines, I was led to connect his name with the variety in the list of county plants. Since writing the above I have seen Mr. Phippen who says that hundreds of seedlings of this peculiar variety have been cultivated in his and his brother's gardens continuously for forty years and more to the present time, and that watchfulness among the numerous progeny for a more intense color became unneces- sary, when at least ten years ago, his nephew, E. A. PhippeHf brought home a root with pure yellow flowers from the same locality '* Columbine Hill " which has continued to propagate it- self and flowered freely the past year. Salem, April 9, 1888, John Robinson. [Prof Tenney's name, published in 1867, antedates the one given the plant by Mr. Robinson. — EDS.] Saxifraga Virginiensis, Michx., var. pentadecandra, Sterns, A year ago I recorded in the Bulletin, (Vol. xiv, p. i-^)' the discovery near the east shore of Manhattan Island, about on 167 a line with i6oth Street, of an apetalous form of Saxifraga Vir- guuensis. In two plants out of a dozen the five petals, in fully half the flowers, had been regularly converted into stamens, making the total number fifteen, five single ones alternating with five anteposed pairs. Visiting the station again this spring, (May 6th), I found three more of these apetalous saxifragas, agreeing exactly with those previously collected, although none of them . was so perfectly developed as the best of last year's specimens. Hardly more than on^ or two oi the flowers displayed the full fifteen stamens, and many had fewer than ten, though even in these the characteristic anteposed pairs occasionally occurred. In the three plants in question, there were no indications at all of norrr^al petals ; in a fourth, however, with the taller stem and looser flower cluster of the specific type, a great many of them Avere white and obviously petaloid, and y^t much reduced in size and in some cases with partially formed anther cells. This tran- sition state is very common in many plants where stamens are turning into petals. The interest in this case arose from the fact that here the much rarer change of petals into stamens was actu- ally and visibly taking place. The discovery of these additional specimens strengthens my opinion that a saxifrage of this apeta- lous fifteen-stamened form, occurring by chance, matured seeds from which the plants collected in two successive years were pro- duced. To my mind we have here a very curious and interest- ing, though as yet scarcely successful, attempt on the part of nature to estabfish a good variety by perpetuating what must nave been originally a mere teratologicalVariation. E. E. Sterns. Rules for the Botanical Exchange Club. It having been decided to organize the American Botanical ^ i^^uii v^i^^iui^\j \,\j wig Exchange in connection with the National Herbarium in the De- partment of Agriculture, the Botanist of the Department will act as Director of the Exchange, and the following rules will be fol- lowed in its managemet, until further notice. I- Persons desiring specimens are required to contribute a number regarded as equivalent in value to those called fon The specimens wanted in return may be selected when the others are sent or at any time afterw^ard. 168 2. The number of the specimens returned will be at the dis- cretion of the Director, and will depend on the rarity and condi- tion of those furnished. In the case of well-known plants they I will probably nearly equal the number sent. 3. In the case of small plants, several specimens should be furnished under one number, as in such cases a single specmien is not a satisfactory representation of the species. 4. Specimens may be called for by species or genera or by the locality from which they are wanted. To save time the species may be indicated by the numbers which they bear in any well-known American catalogue, the name and the edition 01 the catalogue being given. 5. Specimens sent must be accurately named and bear the date and locality of collecting, with the name of collector. Little value will be attached to specimens which are imperfect or poorly prepared. 6. The Director of the Exchangre will, reserve the right to in- dicate his judgment in cases where specimens seem improperly named, but the responsibility of the names will in other cases rest with the original sender. 7. For the present, well prepared specimens of all phaenoga- mous and higher cryptogamous plants will be received, and also specimens of thallophytes, the last mentioned to be In charge of the Chief of the Section of Vegetable Pathology. Hereafter lists will be published of plants especially desired or of which no more specimens are needed. 8. An account of the specimens received from each person will be kept, and of those sent in return, and also of any other specimens which he desires or can supply. The Exchange w thus serve as a bureau of information upon this subject. 9. Conditions of membership : Any botanist may become a member of the Exchange Club by paying annually to the Director the sum of two dollars, this money to be used in payment for postage, printing and inciden- tal expenses. 10. Address specimens and communications to the Director of the Exchange. ill t. Dr. Geo. Vasey, Botanist Department Agriadtiire^ Washington^ D. C 169 Reviews of Foreign Literature. Flora of the Hawaiian Islands : A description of their Phan- eroga7ns and Vascular Cryptogams, By William Hillebrand, M W Hillebrand, (8 vo., pp. 6^-^, four maps and frontispiece. Heidel- berg, London and New York, i888.) The Sandwich Island Flora, from its great luxuriance and variety and its marked isolation, is one of the most unique and interesting. It has been studied by botanists of several countries, notably by Dr. -Gray, in working up the collec- tions of the Wilkes Expedition, and by Horace Mann, who with W. T. Brigham, collected there during parts of two seasons. The present volume, (for a copy of which we are indebted to Mn W Sd brings together for the first time complete descriptions of the species. The author spent some twenty years as a successful physician among the Hawaiians, and his leisure time was mainly devoted to the preparation of this work, which is a model of care- ful and accurate investigation. The number of new species and varieties described is very great The total number of species included is about i,ooo, oi which 155 are Pteridophyta. It is believed that of these, 115 have been introduced since the dis- covery of the islands in 1779, and 24 others introduced by the natives in pre-historic times. But the most interesting fact given among the statistics of the Flora is, that of the 860 native species no less than 653 are endemic. th Botanical Notes. From the Bulletin of Harvard University ol May, 1888, in e Records of the Corporation, we quote the following: "Meeting of March 26, 1888. — The President, at the request of Mrs. Gray, as executrix of Dr. Asa Gray, announced the be- quest of Dr. Gray to the College, as follows : *' ' I give and devise unto the President and Fellows of Har- vard College, in trust, to aid in the support of the Gray Herba- rium of Harvard University, all my copyrights of books of which I am tlie author, upon the condition and obligation that the said President and Fellows shall make proper provision for the re- t> if r 170 newal and extension of these copyrights by new editions, contin- uations, and supplements, such as may be needed in the study of botany and as may best enhance and prolong the pecuniary value of this bequest.' " '■ And it was thereupon voUd, that Dr. Gray's bequest be gratefully accepted upon the terms named in his will, and that the thanks of the President and Fellows be sent to Mrs, Gray for the kind manner in which she has given notice of the bequest to the Corporation. '* Voted, to proceed to the election of a Fisher Professor of Natural History, whereupon, ballots being given hi, it appeared that George Lincoln Goodale, A.M., M.D., was elected. TrypetJieliiim heterochrous (Mont.), Tuck. — A plant of this name has been announced in the Journal of Mycology as new to the United States. Tuckerman would never have been guilty of such a solecism as giving a masculine termination to an adjec- tive qualifying a neuter noun, and he has in fact only referred Verrticaria heterochrous, Mont, to 'Trypetheliimi by implication in his Genera, p. 260. The same plant is mentioned as North American in the supplement to the Introduction to the study of Lichens under the name of T, Kunzei, Fee, on the authority of Dr. J. Muller, in h good authority. — H. W. Iris cristata in Ohio, — Dr. Watson writes that he has received this plant from Mr. R. H. Ingraham, of Youngstown, collected in ravines in Trumbull Co , and suggests that it should be found in Western New York as well. Specimens of Hickories zvanted, — Dr. Thomas F. Lucy, of Elmira, N. Y., wishes us to state that he desires specimens of the genus Carya from all parts of the United States in flower, fruit and leaf, together with notes as to habitat, size of trees and ap- pearance and characters of the bark, as he intends to make a critical study of the genus. Index to Recent American Botanical Literature. Asa Gray, Notice of. — Walter Deane. (Pamphlet pp. 24, Cam- bridge University Press, 1888). In quoting by pages this must not be confounded with the original reprint from the Bulletin. a * 171 Cypripediitms. — Rocky Mountain, — Sereno Watson. (Garden and Forest, i., 138. Dandelion,— The Common, — F. LcRoy Sargent (rup. Sci. News, xxii., 65-67, illustrated.) Delphini7im viride,—Ztr^no Watson. (Garden and Forest, i., 149, fig. 2g,) EntomopktkorecB of the United 5/^/^^,— Roland Thaxter. (Mem, Bost Soc. Nat Hist, iv., 133-201; eight plates. This is in the main a monograph of the fungus genus Em- pusa^ the members of which 'maintain a parasitic existence within the tissues of insects. Mr. Thaxter recognizes twenty-six species, sixteen of them new to science. Entoinophthora and Triplo- sporinm are relegated to subgeneric rank. E, Phytonomi, J. C Arthur, is referred to Enipnsa sphcerosperma (Fres.), Thaxter, and E. Calopteni^ Bessey, to Empnsa Grylli (Fres.), Nowakowski. The monograph is prefaced by an account of the structure, Hfe history and habitat of the organisms and of their classification by European mycologists. Besides Empnsa^ the genera Mas- sospora. Peck, and Basidiobohis^ Eidam, are recognized, each with a single species. A list of papers consulted and indices of hosts, and of genera and species are appended. The w^ork is superbly illustrated by lithograph plates of Meisel, from figures drawn by the author, there being 429 illustrations. Mr. Thaxter desires to continue the work so as to include all North American ento- mogenous plants. Tliose who have it in their power to aid him m the procuring of additional material, should consider it a privi- ^^ge, for work of this very high order of merit deserves every encouragement Flora de Mexico. — Bosqnejo de la Geograjia y Rasgos principales de la. — W. T. Hemsley, translated by Dr. Jose Ramirez, from the Botany of the Biologia Centrali- Americana. (La Natu- raleza, 2d series, i., 67-81.) Forest Vegetation of Northern Mexico.— C. G. Pringle. (Garden and Forest, i., 70, 116-117, 141-142, illustrated.) Fuciis,~The Apical cell of—W, McMichael Woodworth. (Ann. of Bot, i., Nos. 3 and 4; reprint, pp. 9, plate x.) X Laboratory of Harvard College. Crypt 172 Fungi, — A supplemental list of works on North American. — W. G. Farlow. (Bibliog. Contrib , Library of Harvard Univer- sity, No. 31, pp. 9.) 17 titles of papers issued before 1887 — and thus addenda to the previously published list — are given, while the mycologic lit- erature of 1887 includes about 88. We note with regret that Dr. Farlow does not propose to continue this valuable work. Germination of Dodder- Cuscuta Gronovii, — Henrietta E. Heaker. (Amer. Nat, xxii., 254.) Guatemala. — Undescribed plants from, — ///. — John Donnell Smith. (Bot, Gazette, xiii., 74-77 ; one plate.) The third installment of Captain Smith's novelties includes Mimosa sesquijuga,Melampodium hrachyglossum, Ardisia Tuerck- keimii^ Coha^a trifiora^ Beloperone Pansamalana^ Tltrysacan- thus geminatuSy Scutellaria lutea, Dorstcnia Choconiana^ Wats., var, integrifolia and Asplenium Vera-pax, the last represented natural size on the accompanying plate. Heuchera sanguinca in Mexico. — C G. Pringle. (Garden and Forest, i., 152.) Hymenocallis humilis and H, Pahneri, — Sereno Watson. (Gar- den and Forest, i., 114, fig. 23, 138, fig. 25.) Illinois Grapes. — Notes on some, — J. Schneck. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., 95.) Notes on the habitat and occurrence of six species of Vitis, Lichens from the Easter Islands, — F. H. Knowlton, (Bot. Ga- zette, xiii., 94-95.) Usnea barhata (L.), Fr, Physcia stellaris, L. and a species of Parmelia, all determined by Mr. Willey. Microbes and Fungi. — H. F. Wegener. (Rocky Mountain Drug- gist, i., 6^) Our Native Ferns and their allies, with synoptical descriptions of the American Pieridophyta North of Mexico. ByLucienM. Underwood, Ph.D., Professor of Biology in Syracuse Uni- versity. — ^Third edition, revised, 8vo., New York, Henry Holt & Co., 1888. It is seven years since the first edition of this little book was published, and six since the second. Meanwhile, the number of true ferns known to inhabit the region covered has increased 173 from 140, first to 145 and now to 156, the Increase being mainly in the extreme Southwest, though Florida has its share. To the 156 true ferns must be added 11 Ophioglossacccs and 56 other fern allies, scouring-rushes, club-mosses, quill-worts, etc., making the whole number of Pteridophyta here recognized, 223 species. The classification and nomenclature of the ferns in the main fol- low the system proposed by Mettenius, and accepted by the writer of this notice. A deviation from classical botanical usage is the writing of substantive specific names without a capital ini- tial, as Equisetnm telmateia and Aspidiwn thelypteris. The first ten chapters of the book are mainly devoted to the habits, structure and physiology of ferns and their allies, and con- tain a good deal of interesting reading. Chapter viii, on " The Fern's Place in Nature," contains an attempt to show the position which ferns, etc., hold in reference to plants of higher and of lower rank. The system advocated is called the " American System," though it must be admitted that many American bot- anists of the highest rank would not recognize it as being of either value or authority. Spertnaphyta, the name which is of- fered as superseding Phanerogamia, is scarcely admissible on grammatical grounds, \Spermophyta would barely do, but the word should be Spermatophytd\, and the policy of coining new names for groups already well named is not good. Pteridophyta and Bryophyta have not yet been generally accepted as preferable to Acrogens and Anogens ; and the other four " branches," Pro- tophyta, Zygophyta, Oophyta and Carpophyta, the " American " representatives of Sach's four classes, Protophyta, Zygospores, Oosporece and Carposporece, are of such ill-assorted nature that any conservative botanist who has looked Into the matter at all, would expect them to wither away. It Is a pity to see such teachings gravely set forth in text-books which are otherwise w-ell-planned and likely to be of use. Daniel C. Eaton. ^anicwn—Synopsis of the Genus. Geo. Vasey. (Bot. Gazette, ^^^i-, 96, 97-) Phlox adsurge7is, Torr. — Sereno Watson. (Garden and Forest, »•, 66, fig. II,) ^Preliminary Catalogue of Anthophyta and Pteridophyta reported 174 as growing spontaneously within one hundred miles of New York City.— Torr^y Botanical Club. (8vo., pp. xvi. + 9^) New York, April 25th, 1888; price, $1.00.) This catalogue has been prepared by a committee of the Club to meet a demand for accurate information regarding the plants A of the vicinity of the city, and '' especially to provide a con- venient check list by means of which to secure from the botanists of the region a series of fresh and detailed reports as to the plants of their respective localities." Maps showing the exact limits of the district included are appended. Eentham and Hooker's " Genera Plantarum " has been closely, but not invari- ably, followed in the arrangement of orders and genera. A special effort has been made to maintain for each plant enumerated its earliest specific or varietal name, and the reasons for the adoption of this principle are given. This has caused numerous changes in nomenclature, but in all such cases the names used in the last edition of Gray's Manual are all given as synonyms and are thus readily traced. The list of ballast plants is very long and doubtless nearly complete, being compiled from the notes and herbaria of Judge Brown and Messrs. Martindale, Burk and C. E. Smith. The Catalogue is a part of a long- cherished plan of preparing a complete descriptive local flora. Prumis piimila in North Carolina. — E. R. Memmlngcr. (Bot. Gazette, xiii., 95, 96.) Relation of Climate to Vegetation. — D. P. Penhallow. (Canad. Rec. Science, iii., 107-124.) Tertiary Plants of California — List of, — J. G. Cooper. (7^^ Ann. Rep. State Mineralogist, Cal., 1888, 300-308.) Ttibercles on Leguminous Roots. — W. G. Farlow. (Garden and Forest, i., 135.) Umbellifera;— Notes on Western.— L — John M. Coulter and J. N. Rose. (Bot. Gazette, xiii., 77-81.) In turning their attention from the East American forms to West Those here characterized are Pencedamim Canbyi, P. SatidbergH, An- gelica Llendersoni and Sanicnla Llozvellii, with notes on other species and genera. f 175 j^ we re Proceedings of the Club. The regular monthly meeting was held May 8, l888, the President in the chair and 44 persons present Miss Kittie O. Fernie and Mrs. Theron G. Strong- elected active members. Prof Frederico Phillippi, Santiago, Chili, and Miss Jane H. Newell, Cambridge, Mass., were elected corresponding members. Mr. Sterns reporting for the Catalogue Committee, stated that the work had been finished and the books distributed to all active members. He also expressed the regret of the commit- tee at the accidental omission from the list of authorities con- sulted, of Mr. Jas. N. Bishop's valuable " Catalague of Phaenoga- mous Plants of Connecticut,'* an omission doubly regretted, because in addition to his published work, Mr. Bishop had by correspondence rendered efficient assistance. Mr. Northrop reported the occurrence of a tree o^ Pnimis se- foHna, 13 ft 2 in. in circumference, on the road from Bridgeton to Roadstown, Salem Co., N. J., remarking that this is probably one of the largest individuals of the species at the North. He Helonias D Prof Schrenk remarked on the differences between Mentha piperita and M. viridis. In the former he had found the cen- tral spike of the inflorescence invariably over-topped by the lateral ones when the plant reaches maturity. In M. viridis the central spike remains the longest. The leaves of the two are readily distinguishable, even from the smallest fragments, for those ^^ M. piperita contain in their glandular hairs, abundant crystals of menthol, which are persistent in herbarium specimens collected ^ ^ M. Dr. Eccles reported the results of a series of experiments on various liquids as preservatives of the colors of flowers. He found that Simple Syrup gave the best results, lasting over three weeks. Glycerine preserved colors, but caused marked shrinkage. Mr. Sterns exhibited Saxifraga Virginiensis, var. pentadecan- dra from the original station on New York Island, (see this num- t>er, p. 166^ and requested observations on the fertilization of SjHtlax, stating that he had been unable to find any record of 176 insect agency. Prof. Schrenk remarked on the habit of flies visit- ing the flowers S. herbacea after the plant has been taken indoors. - Dr. Britton spoke of the introduction of Neliimbo speciosa, Willd., into ponds and streams in Mercer and Burhngton coun- ties, N. J., first planted by Mr. E. D. Sturtevant in a pond two miles east of Bordentown, and read extracts from a letter from Dr. C. C. Abbott as follows : The plant was introduced by Mr. Sturtevant some seven years ago and is now thoroughly estab- lished. It has been taken to various parts of Mercer and Bur- lington counties, and wherever the water has been deep enough to prevent the ice reaching its roots the plant has flourished. When once established it crowds out other water lilies and even Calamus. Cows are fond of the leaves and devour them greedily when five or six inches above water. He also distributed speci- mens of Viola tejtella, Muhl, collected by Miss A. B. Rich^at Bridgeton, N. J., stating that in his opinion this violet is native to America and distinct from V, tricolor. Dr. Eccles spoke of the practice of using the comma after the name of a plant or animal, and thus before the author of the name, remarking that while this was the practice in the BULLE- TIN and had been adopted by the compilers of the new catalogue, that certain other journals and recent authors were omitting it The President remarked that the best English authors use it. Dr. Rusby then read the announced paper of the evening, ''On Andean Fern Habitats," profusely illustrated with specimens. Proceedings of the Section of Histology and Crvp- TOGAMIC Botany, May 22d.— Prof. Schrenk showed sections from the bulb of Phajiis gr an difo litis, illustrating the origin of starch-grains from rod-Hke masses of protoplasm in the leucoplas- tids and stated that as the coatings nearer the outside were ex- amined, gradually chlorophyll grains were found instead of starch. He also exhibited two excellent mounts oi Fimaria hygrometricay (pi. m and pi. f ) the cell contents fixed by chromic acid, one per cent, solution. Mrs. Britton exhibited twelve slides and some excellent draw- ings by S. E. Jelliffe of Ulota phyllantha, Brid, the flowers and fruit of which she had discovered in Howell's last distribution on specimens from Yaquina Bay, Oregon. The specimens are complete, showing beautifully the '' brown articulate cyHndrical bodies " at the tips of the leaves. The specimens are mostly old, so that only a few showed well the characters necessary for a de- scription and drawings of the fruit, heretofore unknown, which will appear in a subsequent number of the BULLETIN. BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB Vol. XV.] New York. July 2, 1888. [No. 7. An Enumeration of the Plants Collected by Dr. H. H. Rusby in South America. 1 885-1 886.-I. GENERAL FEATURES OF THE REGION TRAVERSED. The collections recorded in this series of papers were made during a two years journey along the Pacific coast and across the continent of South America, the special object being the investi- gation of Medical Botany. The route of travel covered regions the most diverse as re- gards all the conditions of plant life. North of Guayaquil the coast is verdant, the luxuriant tropical vegetation reaching the very water's edge. But a short distance south of that city be- gins an entirely different region. The eastern cordillera of the i Andes divides South America into two portions, having almost nothing in common. While only a few miles in width, this cor- dillera marks differences in soil, climate, and general appearance, as great as any to be observed upon the globe. Upon the Pacific side there is a very general dearth of mois- ture, rain being in many places almost unknown, while upon the eastern slope rain is so constant that months may pass when the sun is seen for scarcely an entire hour, and the humidity is so great that clouds of rising vapor sometimes obscure the view of even the nearest objects. The laden clouds that sweep in from the tropical Atlantic lose little of their moisture in crossing the Ama- zonian basin; any loss is but temporary, the equilibrium being at once restored by the soaking up of a fresh supply from the enor- nious water surface that the region presents. But immediately on reaching the mountains, great volumes of water are precipi- tated. The lightened clouds endeavor to escape upward, reach the colder strata, and suffer fresh precipitations. This process is continued over a belt of two hundred and fifty miles of steadily increasing elevation, until the winds which cross the cordillera V. 'I 178 [ carry only the merest traces of moisture. Throughout most of this heavily watered region, the vegetation is of the densest char- acter. Allowing for the breaks caused by the streams, it might be said that an arboreal animal, ascending a tree upon the An- dean foothills, could pass to the Atlantic without once descending to the ground. The species and genera of this eastern Andean region have in general a very wide range. With the latitude, varies the alti- tude at which they grow. As we pass to the cooler southern region, a species or its representative creeps down upon tne mountainsides. Thus, the Desfontainea spmosa, Remy., which I collected abundantly in northern Bolivia, gradually descends, until in the neighborhood of the cape, Lieutenant Safford nnds it near the sea level, constituting a characteristic feature of the landscape. Sometimes also, a species has its limits as to altitude very narrowly and sharply defined, but will be represented at successively lower elevations by other species exceedingly closely related. Of this, the Cinchonas furnish us a striking example. Each altitude has its own species — if species they can be called and they usually overlap to but a trifling extent I have (in two cases) looked along a mountain side where miles of Cinchona Calisaya had been planted, and seen the upward limit defined to within fifty feet by a line of dead or dying trees. In general, we are disappointed by the scarcity of flowers as compared with the abundance of plants. To this rule, trees and many herbs are exceptions. But in the case of shrubs and vines, of which latter there is everywhere a multitude, it is strikingly true. It is probably to be accounted for by the steepness of the land and a climate highly favorable for the reestablishment of de- tached fragments, torn away and carried to a new position. Un- able to obtain the light and air necessary for a high floral de- velopment, they have learned to depend upon a less complicated method. Turning to the western side, we find, as stated, a region m which almost every condition is reversed. With more or less scanty rains, strictly limited to a few months or even weeks, we get a treeless and almost shrubless region, with a temperature subject to very sudden and great variations. The amount of 179 moisture increases with the altitude. Upon our school-maps great deserts are located on the table lands of this region. The real deserts, however, are not there, but along the coast Upon the highlands there is sufficient moisture to redeem the country from barrenness, and it is a fairly good stock country. As upon the eastern side, so upon the western, the highland vegetation creeps down the mountains as we go southward, until at Val- paraiso it reaches the ocean. North of Valparaiso there is thus left a true desert along the coast, which widens as we go north- ward, until at the boundary of Chili and Peru, we find miles of pure, absolutely barren sand. To the patient and industrious botanist this coast desert will furnish a far more interesting field than the luxuriant regions to the eastward. There is no regular water supply, the showers being infrequent and spasmodic, with years sometimes elapsing between them. But when they do oc- cur in sufficient quantity we find a rich and beautiful flora, springing up, maturing and perishing in an incredibly short period of time. What special provisions are required, and what lessons in physiology are to be learned, while watching the pro- cesses of birth and extinction which are here going on ! Long after the flora of the Amazonian basin shall have been satisfac- torily classified, this desert region Avill be contributing its annual quota of undescribed species. With this very meagre general outline before us, we shall notice briefly the special localities where the collections were made. A part of a day each were spent at Guayaquil, Zorritos, Payta and Coquimbo, and two or three days at Lima, but only fragments were collected. Zorritos stands at the northern ex- tremity of the desert, and is watered with moderate frequency. The Prosopis, Cereus, Amarantacese and Chenopodiacese, re- niinded me strongly of the gravelly hills of the Mohave desert. Payta is one of the dryest spots in the world, and Coquimbo is but little better. Lima, like Tacna, stands near the foot of the r^ountain. At the latter place a week was spent in the early part of February. No rain had occurred, and the fifty species collected were all from irrigated grounds. Tacna has one small stream, conducted through the town by a paved channel, and it 180 does duty in great part as a sewer, besides furnishing the only water supply. From Tacna, the route lay seven days by mule, to La Paz. At nine thousand feet, 17° south latitude,* the veg- etation is sufficient to afford pasturage for the llama. At twelve thousand feet we are upon the table-land, w^hich is, in part at least, volcanic, and at first thickly covered with loose rounded stones. Farther on it becomes sandy and rocky by turns. We cross many superimposed small ranges, and skirt the bases of much greater ones. The landscape is much like that of our own south-western plateau, except that there is less grass. What fre- quently appears like a grassy plain, proves to be covered with plants like dwarf Hypoch(2ris or Perezia, only an inch or two in height, and presenting a green cushion of needles in the form of spines terminating the erect linear leaves. Numerous species oi Adesmia, rarely rising above a foot from the ground, and often very closely prostrate, cover much of the country. Near the eastern verge of this table-land, in a basin two thousand feet deep, with nearly vertical walls of clay or gravel, is situated La Paz, at an elevation of about eleven thousand feet. Here I spent some two weeks during the months of February, March and April, collecting one hundred and fifty or more species. This was during the latter half of the rainy season, when the walls of the basin, and the gravelly and rocky hills along the La Paz River to the south, were richly clothed with plants in flower. The remainder of the time during this period was passed across the range in Yungas. Returning early in April to the coast, I proceeded to Valparaiso, where three months were spent Here the season is earlier, and winter was just setting in when I arrived. A winter there is about the same as in northern Florida, the orange surviving, but not thriving. Some twenty-five or thirty stray specimens were found in flower before I returned to La Paz. It being then early in June, I found a dry and wintry season prevailing, with a most dreary prospect for a collector. For a longtime business detained me in the city, save for a fe\v short excursions across the mountains, and one long stay in the province of Yungas, made, unfortunately, at an unfavorable season for collecting. Just as the rains w^ere beginning the next Janu- J •Distances, latitudes and altitudes are given approximately. 181 ary, I was obliged to leave La Paz on my journey to the Atlan- tic. Thus, out of almost a year spent in this interesting region, fortune had favored me with only about two weeks favorable col- lecting. But extensive collections had been made meantime upon the eastern slope at Unduavi and Yung-as. Unduavi is one of several little hamlets upon a mountain stream in the first valley to the eastward of La Paz. But I have characterized by this name the entire collecting station constituted by this valley and Its enclosing mountains. At 12,000 feet beghas the semi-alpine flora generally associated with Aspiditim aciileatiim and the smaller species of Acrostichitm, At 10,000 feet the shining, coriaceous leaves of the tropics begin to be seen, and at 8,000 feet the vegetation is truly tropical^ including bamboos, fuchsias and begonias. The whole surface is characteristically rocky, the soil being very scanty indeed, but rich. At Unduavi, between 8,000 and lOfioo feet, I collected 150 species in flower in Octo- ber, in three days. Crossing the northern wall of this valley, we find upon the summit, at about 1 1,000 or 12,000 feet, a cold, boggy and cloudy region, where sphagnums and long drooping lichens abound. Upon the other side we are in Yungas, referring not to the polit- ical boundary, but to my collecting station oi that name. De* scendingto 7,000 feet, we enter the great Andean forests which be^ come heavier and heavier, though scarcely denser, as we descend. The trunks and greater branches are scarcely to be seen for the epiphytes upon them, chief of which are orchids, bromeliads, fcrns, mosses and aroids. At 5,500 feet we strike the coca and cinchona belt, and at 4,000 feet we find the heat becoming op* pressive and the air sultry. From 3,500 to 5,500 feet is prob- ^bly the region of greatest rain-fall. The Yungas collections were chiefly made at elevations oi 3,000, 4,000 and 6,000 feet. Leaving La Paz on the loth of January, 1886, we were at once overtaken by the unprecedented rains of that season. At Sorata, on the base of Mount Iliampu, we were detained by floods from the latter part of January till about the first oi March. But little could be dried, and that little with the greatest difli- <^^Ity, many of the collections being repeated once and some of them twice. In transit to the coast moreover, the continuous 182 M weather in making tude of 1,500 feet, the forests are broken by patches of pampa, which are projected into them from the South, and the varying conditions of lake and river, forest, plain and bog, produce a flora of surpassing interest. Nearly two months were passed in Reyes, and although sickness materially interfered, a handsome repre- sentation of between 400 aad 500 species was secured. Th*^ whole of this collection, with the most of what we had brought rains succeeded in penetrating some of the bales. A fine and little known alpine flora exists on Mt. Tliampu. The altitude and conditions of this locality are a parallel of those of Unduavi. One day's journey to the northward we reach Ingenio del Oro, a gold washing establishment. This locality is also very similar to Unduavi, but has the richest flora (March) of any locality that I have ever visited. It is above timber line. Three days of mis- erable exposure were passed here, and all our collections spoiled. | Two days more brought us to Mapiri, a section almost precisely like Yungas, where, at 2,500 to 5,000 feet, I remained during enormous collections, which arrived home^ after great vicissitudes, in very fair condition. Mapiri is the great centre of Cinchona culture in South America, and large collections of these plants were made, among them being many new hybrids. The run of eighty-four miles to Guanai, 2,000 feet elevation, was made on rafts by the force of the current in a little less than eight hours. | Arriving at Guanai three weeks earlier, we should have encoun- tered one of the most interesting floras in South America. How- ever, as we lost nearly everything collected at this place, it mat- tered but little. The forests at that point consist almost wholly of Mimosece^ in prodigious variety. These had all gone to fruit and made rather ill looking specimens. At this point the succu- lent plants, such as Begonia, Oxalis and Bromeliacese began to appear much less prominent. I had early abandoned the collec- tion of such plants, foreseeing that they would crowd out all other work, owing to the unlimited time necessary to dry them. Upon new and larger rafts we floated in eight days to Reyes, the mountains becoming smaller, and the banks lower and lower as we proceeded, until, just at the port of Reyes we cut through the outermost range of the Andean foothills. Here, at an alti- 183 from Guanai, 9,000 specimens in all, was found one morning sunken with our boat under fifteen feet of water. From this point on down the Beni, the country rapidly assumes the char- acter of the Brazilian forest, with a dense tangle in the sombre shade below and a wealth of floral life high above upon the tree tops. The month of July was passed in journeying down this river and making occasional short stops to collect At the junc- tion of this river with the Madre de Dios, the centre of the rub- ber production of that district, two months were spent, and the finest part of my collection was prepared. Just below this junc- tion begins the series of falls produced by the river's cutting its way through a series of low hills. During the two months that were required to make the tedious transit of these falls, I had ample time to complete my collection with a handsome addition. Many of the Andean species with which we had already become famihar, here re-appeared. The entire collection includes somewhere about three thous- and numbers, of which an average of ten specimes were collected. THALLOPHYTA. (I.) — Diatoms. The following species were found by Prof. C. H. Kain in a gathering from Sorata, Bolivia : — Amphiplenra Lindhcinierii, Grun.; A pelliicida, Kiitz.; Amphora ovalis, Kiitz.; Cocconcma lanceolata, Ehr.; Cocconeis Pediaihis, Ehr.; Cymhella stomato- phora, Grun.; Epithemia gibla, Kiitz.; and var. ventricosa, Grun.; E. Argus, Kutz.; Encyonema ventricosa, Kiitz.; Gonpho- nema constricta, Ehr.; Melosira varians, Ag.; Naviada elliptica, Kiitz.; N. tenella, Breb.; Pleurosigma Spencerit, W. Sni ; Stiri- fella cardinalis, Kitton, rare ; Synedra capitata, Ehr.; S. Ulna, Ehr.; and var. amphirhyncluis, Ehr.; 5. Crotomnsis, Grun.; var. constricta, Kain, n. var,, a provisional name for what may be a new species. It is sometimes the case in this gathering that Amphiplenra pelhicida and A. Lindheimerii are both slightly sigmoid, so that they in some degree appear like Pleurosigma. (II.)— Alg^. Determined by Prof. W. G. Farlow. Coralina Ckilensis, Dec, Tacna, Chili, and Pisco, (281, 282). ■i 3 184 Prionitis pectinata, J. Ag., Tacna (283). Gymiiogougriis fiircellatiis, J. Ag., Tacna (284) Ulva nematoidea^ Bory., Tacna (286). (IIL)— Fungi. / Dclermincd by Prof. Farlow Lentinus villosus, Kl., near Yungas, Bolivia (248) Exidia Auricula- Jiid(S^ Fr., Mapiri, Bolivia (252). Polyporus sanguineus, Fr., Yungas (254). P, biformis, KL, Yungas (255). Xylaria multiplex, Kunze (?), Yungas (257b). (IV.) — Lichens. Determined by Dr. J. W. Eckfeldt.^ Ramalina calcaris^ Yx,, v?ir. fraxinea^ Fr. Usnea harbata, (L.,) Fr., v^.x,Jlorida, Fr., near Yungas (277). Evernia sulcaia, (Sw.), Nyl, Sorata, (269), and Unduavi, (272). Alectoria Canariensis, Nyl.. Unduavi, Bolivia (268). Theloschistes chrysoptJialmiis, (L.), Norm., Sorata (270), var. JlavicanSy (Fr.), Wallr., Sorata {26"]^ Parmelia Camtschadalis, (Ach.), Esch., La Paz, Bolivia (273)- P, caperata, Ach., Yungas (262). P, perforata, (Jacq.), Ach., var. hypotropa, Physcia hypoleuca, (Muhl.), Tuckerm., Sorata (266). Sticta damcecornis^ Tuck., Yungas and Mapiri (258). S. crocata (L.), Ach., Yungas (278). Leptogiiim foveolatnm, Nyl, Syn. i., 124, Yungas (263' Stereocaiilon furcatnni, Nyl., Yungas (260). 5. tomentosiim (Fr.), Th. Fr., Yungas and Sorata (271). Cladonia cariosa (Ach.), Spreng., Yungas (259). C, floerkiana, Fr., Yungas (275). C. ceratophylla, (Sw.), Eschw., Yungas (276). Ccenogoniimi Linkii, Ehrenb., Yungas (280). BcEontyces fungoides, Ach., Unduavi (251). Cora Pavojiia, Nyl., Yungas (249). *Dr. Eckfeldt regrets that more attention was not given lo the collection of Lich- ens in a region so interesting. It may be stated that the collection of the loAver cryptogams was purely incidental, my excessive labors entirely preventing any specia work in that direction. H- H. K.- V - 185 Bryological Notes, [P^or many years Prof. J. Macoun, Naturalist to the Geologi- ; cal and Natural History Survey of Canada, has been collecting, ( examinhig, and having accurately determined, by eminent bryo- logists, the moss flora of the Dominion of Canada. During the past winter he has issued the first century of a series of the Canadian Cryptogams, which will be followed by others. At the last session of the Canadian Royal Society, held in Ottawa, he read a paper, the combined production of himself, Dr. Kindberg, of Linkoping, Sweden, Dr. G. Venturi, Austria, and Dr. Dusen, Sweden. The latter gentlemen examined all the specimens and their determinations are embodied in the paper, together with descriptions of all the new species and varieties. Up to the present time, 888 + species of mosses are recorded from all North America north of Mexico. In the paper submitted, 467 species were enumerated, and of these forty-one were new i species and sixteen new varieties. Besides those new to science. ( twenty-seven others were added to those enumerated in ** Lesque- reux and James' Mosses of North America." As only about two-thirds of Mr. Macoun's species have been examined, and much material is still in his hands to work up, we may confi- - dently look forward to many more additions when the remainder of the paper shall appear next year. — Ed.] LIST OF NEW SPECIES NAMED BY KINDHERG. Dicranella parvtila, Rocky Mountains. Dicnmiivi scopariforme^ D. stenodictyon^ Rocky Mountains ; D, subulifolmm, D. Columbiae, Vancouver Island ; D, sulcatu7n, D. nigosiim, Nova Scotia. Barbula inegalocarpa, Vancouver Island. Grimnia araiattfolia, ** '* 4 Raconiitritun Macoimii, Rocky Mountains; R. obscitriun, Van- couver Island. Merceya latifolia^ Vancouver Island. Physcomitrium megalocarptcm, Vancouver Island. Philo7wtis leiophylla, Vancouver Island. Bryitm angustirete^B. Vancoitverense, B. hydrophihun, B. mecse- oidcs, Vancouver Island ; B. denticulatinn. Rocky Mountains. 186 Atrichum leiophylhim, Vancouver Island. Neckera Macoiinii, Vancouver Island. AntiU'ichia teiiella, A. oligoclada^ Vancouver Island. Thelia compacta^ Ontario. Leskea nigrescens^ Ontario. Pylaisia Selwyni^ Ontario. Homalotheciiim corticola^ Ontario, Macottnia sciicroideSy Rocky Mountains. Thuidmm lignicola, Manitoba; T, Vancouveriinse, T^ les-. keoides^ Vancouver Island. Hyprmm ka^natidens^ H. brevinervey H. myurellum, Vancou- ver Island ; H. Dawsoui, from Rocky Mountains; H. aneuron, 3.nd U. Ame7^tcamcw, (rom Ontario ] H. Macoimii, H, cristitida^ H. CanadensCy Vancouver Island. ADDITIONS TO AMERICAN BRYOLOGY. Andraea alpestrisy Schimp., Nova Scotia; Andraea Hiinttt^ Limp., Vancouver Island. Dichodonthtm Jlavescens, (Dicks) Lindb., British Columbia. Dicranum congesttim (Brid.), Lindb., Rocky Mountains. Pottia interjnedia^ Turn., Gaspe Coast Barbula migiistata, Wils., Rocky Mountains; B. ruralifor- iniSy Besch., Vancouver Island. Webera gracilis^ Sc\\\q\c\\,^ Gaspe, Quebec. Bryum Archangelictcm, Schimp., Gaspe, Q.; B, Doni, Grev., Vancouver Island ; B, elegans, Nees., Gaspe, Q.; B, coiitextum, Hornsch. and Hoppe; B, ;;/?/r^/^, Wils., Vancouver Island; B. Blindiij Bruch and Schimp., Rocky Mountains. Mnimn inclinatiim. Lindb., Rocky Mountains. Polytrichum sexangiilare^ Floerk., Rocky Mountains. Orotheciiim intricatiini, Hartm., Rocky Mountains. Heterocladium heteropterum, Bruch, Vancouver Island. Thindiiiin decipicns, DeNot, Rocky Mountains. Hypnwn jiiratzka, Schimp.; //. Sommerfeltii, Myrin., On- tario; H. fastigiaturn.'Qvxd., Vancouver Island ; //- Vaucherh Lesq., Antlcost! ; H. Goulardi^ Schimp., Rocky Mountains. Pottia littoralis. Mitt, British Columbia. Sphagnum mediziiHy Limpr., Nova Scotia. Fissidens picsilltis,W\\s., Ontario. John MacOUN. isr th The Genus Disporum, Salisb. An anonymous writer in the Botanical Gazette for June, selecting the genus Dispomin, Salisb., 1S15, apparently as an example for the basis of argument, discusses the method to be adopted in transferring to it the species of Prosarfes, Don, 1839, these two genera having long been sliown to be practically iden- tical, which circumstance he deplores for the curious reason '*that it IS an advantage to keep the groups apart on account of their difference of habitat." He gives a Hst of the presumed American ecies under Dispoi'iun, and concludes that inasmuch as this is e first time that these binomials have appeared in print, they must be attributed to the editors of the Gazette, Professors Arthur, Barnes and Coulter, or ** in the necessary process of condensation this becomes inevitably A. B.C." He entirely overlooks In his effort to find the just course to pursue, the very simple and ad- vantageous method of citing the author of the original name in a parenthesis, thus giving due credit to all concerned. Now, leaving out of consideration the injustice done the editors of the Gazette in the assumption of the anonymous writer in sup- posing that they would have treated the genus in this manner and thus ''making them say what they do not say " it is also to be remembered that the printing of a mere list of names does not constitute publication and fortunately the unjust attribution of eight species of Disporum to Arthur, Barnes and Coulter can never come to be recognized. It is not as simple as A. B.C. In the light of present knowledge the species should stand as foil o^vs : (A) Asiatic D. calcarattim (Wall.), Don. var. HtDiultonianHm (Wall.), Baker. D, sessile (Thunb.), Don. var. minus, Miquel. var. stenophylltnn, Franch. & Sav. D. Chinense (Kcr). {Uvularia Chinensis, Ker, Bot. Mag., t 916; D. pullum, Salisb.) var. PARVIFLORUM (Wall.) \UviiIaria pannflora, Wall., Asiat 188 Researches, xiii., 378; D. piillum, Salisb., var. parvu flormn, Baker, Journ. Linn. Soc, xiv., S^Q-) D, Lescheua?iltiantim (Wall), Don. D. smUacimmi^ Gray, (B) American. D. Menziesii (Don). {Prosartes Menziesii, Don, Trans. Linn Soc, xviii., 533, read Dec. 3, 1839, and probably issued during that or the next year, although the volume bears date 1 841; (JJvularia Smithii, Hook., Flon Bor. Amen, ii., 174, t. 189, 1840). D. LANUGlNOSUiM (Michx.) {Streptopus lamtginosns, Michx., Flor. Bor. Amer, i., 201 ; Prosartes lanuginosns^ Don., Trans. Linn. Soc, xviii., 532). D. MACULATU.M (Buckley). (Streptopiis mactilatics, Buckley, J Prosartes maculata, Gray, loc. cit., xlvii,, 20i). A specimen from the moun- tains of Georgia, contributed by Dr. Chapman, has dots on some of the perianth segments and none on others, but possesses the wooly ovary of the species. D. TRACHYCARPUM (Watson), Benth & Hook. [Prosartes trachycarpa, Watson, Bot. King's Exp., 344). This ranf^es southward to the Mo^rollon Mountains of Arizona ^^^ ^^v.^*.,^. ._, ^^ tXi^. ^Ti.^^ w (Mearns, Nos. 41 and 69, 1887; also Bill William's Mt., Central Arizona (Rusby, No. 843, 1881). D. HOOKERI (Torr). {Prosartes Hookeri^ Torr., Pacif. R. R. Rep., iv., 144). var. OBLOXGIFOLIUM (Watson). [P. Hookeri, Torr., var. ob loi I gi folium, Watson, Bot. Cal., ii., 179). D. TRACHYANDRUM (Torr.) {Prosartes trachyandra, Torn, loc. cit.) D. MA JUS (Hook,) {Uvularia lajiuginosa, Pers., var. major ^ Hook, Flor. Bor. Amer., ii., 174; Prosartes Oregana, Watson, Proc. Amer. Acad., xiv., 271). D. PARVIFOLIUM (Watson). {Prosartes parvifoliuy Watson, Bot. Cal, ii., 179.) N. L. Britton, 189 I Wood A Suggestion Concerning Smilax herbacea, L- The ablest botanists have hitherto failed to deal conclusively with our common herbaceous Smilax (carrion flower). Wood accepts three species, 5. herbacea, L., S,pedtmcularis, Muhl., and S. lasionenron, Hook. Gray includes these all under S. herbacea, making Muhlenberg's plant barely a variety, and Hooker's a mere form. Chapman agrees with berg's species as a good one. Alphonse De Candolle distributes the Linnaean species, as found in North America, into five varieties including the type, two of them equivalent to 5. pcdiiJi- ailaris and 5. lasioneiiro7i. Ignoring such fluctuating characters as shape of leaf, degree of pubescence and length of peduncle, I find the following four apparent varieties : <^. Peduncles about three, in the axils of bracts below the leaves, which are all in a cluster above, at the summit of the low stem. (Specimens in the Columbia College herbarium.) b. Peduncles about six, in the axils of the lowermost leaves; stem tall, leafy and branching above. (Plant collected on New York Island.) c. Peduncles about six, in leaf-axils nearly midway of the plant; leaves and branches above and below on the tall stem. (Plant from J. R James, Oxford, O.) d. Peduncles numerous, commonly produced from the same axils with the branches, scattered midway and upward on the tall and leafy stem. (Plant from W. A. Kellerman, Manhattan, Kans., and specimens in C. C, Herb.) Van a, the simplest form, chiefly southern, the one specially described by Chapman, equals var. ecirrhaia, A. DC. Var. b is "^uch more developed, but the position of the inflorescence is not altered. Var. r., however, shows a decided change in this respect, the new position being exactly analogous to that of the fructifi- <^at]on in Osmunda Claytoniana. In var. d. the species reaches the acme of vigorous development, putting forth freely both re- productive and vee^etative branches from the self-same axils. The arrangement of the forms here proposed, although some- ^v^hat promising, is still merely tentative, and botanists will confer a special favor and help settle a sadly confused species, by informing 1 4 ■i 190 me whether the plants in their respective locahties fall exactly under one or another of these suggested varieties, or are inter- mediate in character. The requisite observations are very simple and can be easily made, at least as to pistillate plants, at any time durinsT the summer. E. E, STERNS, 23 Union Square, N. Y. On Some Inaccuracies in De Candolle's ''Cultivated Plants." In his *' Origin of Cultivated Plants" (Second Edition, Paris, 1883), M. Alph. De Candolle says (page 177), that '^ the expedi- tion of Alexander is probably the event that made the Peach known to Theophrastus, who speaks of it as a Persian fruit ; and a reference is given to Theophrastus, Hist., iv, c. iv. Now an attentive study of this fourth chapter of the fourth book of Theophrastus can find no mention of a Peach or of any fruit or tree that may be supposed by any stretch of construction to mean a Peach. A iirjXov iiTjdtKbv 7) nEpaiKbv there is, but the description attached to it clearly applies to the citron. This is recognized by M. De Candolle himself in his history of the Citron. *' Theophrastus," he writes, **was the first to speak of it, and under the name of the Median or Persian apple in a phrase often repeated and commented on two centuries ago/' and the reference to Theophrastus, book iv, chapter iv, is the identical passage given for the Peach. Again, M, DeCandolle writes of the Bigarade (page 146), "it, as well as the sweet orange, was unknown to the Greeks and Romans"; while on page 148 he says: '* If the sweet orange had been cultivated in very ancient times in India ... it would certainly have been found, cultivated and propagated in the Roman Empire in preference to the Lemon, Citron and Biga- rade'' This last sentence is not only inconsistent with the for- mer so far as regards the Bigarade, but it Is inaccurate in the case of the Lemon. The inference that the Lemon was cultivated or known in the Roman world is nowhere supported by M. De Candolle with proof; whereas Gallesio, whose ** profound re- searches " he largely quotes, says that he could find no trace of the fruit in Italy before it was taken there by the Crusaders. ■ K. B. Claypole. 191 Botanical Notes. Is there a second species of Conradina ? Mr. Gerald McCartliy recently found on the banks of the Congaree River, near Colum- bia, S. C, a " shrubby bush " which closely resembles in foliage and appearance Conradina canescens. There were found upon the specimens, however, a few calyxes in fruit, which prove that it cannot be that species. The calyx is not at all villous; the lower teeth are broad and barely acute ; the upper lip is nar- rowed to the obscurely three- toothed apex; and the seeds are more than twice as large. A single imperfect corolla detected among the leaves is vtry much like that of C, canescens, but there is only a single pair of short, stout filaments. Whoever maybe collecting in that region during the coming season should look for this plant m flower, S. W, Nezv Botanical Laboratories and Museums at Harvard Uni- versity. — We have learned with much pleasure that Professor Goodale has succeeded in obtaining the sum desired for the erec- tion of an addition to the Agassiz Museum. It is, perhaps, known to our readers that the Museum of Comparative Zoology constitutes the north wing, and the Peabody Museum of Archae- ology the south wing of the proposed University Museum. The Botanical Section, now in process of erection, will occupy seventy feet of the Oxford Street front of the quadrangle. In the plans which we have received we note that ample accommodations have been provided for Professor Goodale's and Professor Far- Iow*s laboratories, and for suitable lecture rooms. Parts of the first, third and fourth floors of the building, which is to be six stories high, have been reserved for the Botanical Museum. It is proper to state that these new arrangements do not contem- plate any change in the status of the Herbarium. The only es- sential lack that we notice in the plans is that they provide com- paratively little north light, the exposure being chiefly east and west A Syllabus of '' A Course of Lectures on Forest and Forest Prodttcts, by Professor G. L. Goodale, M.D.," delivered before the Lowell Institute, Boston, February and March, 1888, has been issued, including plans for twelve lectures and covering a 192 wide field in structural organography touching upon economic and horticultural questions. We commend the outline to teachers. Cypress Knees, — Since sending you my note, (p. 137), P^o- ■ y fessor Shaler has recorded that young trees appear in water- covered districts where it is evident a tree from seed could not have sprung. The suggestion Is made that such trees may have sprung from fallen branches rooting in the water and mud. Those versed in the propagation of evergreens could not admit this. All experience is against the power of this class of coni- fers to push out roots from mature wood, though many will from half-mature wood, or cuttings from the same season s growth. The fact, however, that young trees do appear in places w^here a seed could not sprout and successfully grow to a young tree, as recorded by Prof Shaler, is a valuable contribution to our knowledge. It accords better with the English suggestion that the '* Knee *' is an abortive sucker, than a rooted branch. The arrested growth may be so accelerated as to become a true tree trunk in some instances, just as the branch arrested to make a larch cone, a pear or a rose, will sometimes be so accelerated as to produce another growth from the axis, as is constantly the case in the pineapple. But the '' rooting branch " hypothesis of Prof Shaler, or the " arrested sucker " of the anonymous English writer, ought to be easily confirmed by those who are in the vicinity of a Cypress swamp. Some evidences of these transition stages should surely exist. The subject has a broad interest. Should it be proved by actual evidence that the " Knee " of the Tax odium is an abortive sucker, w^e shall all want to know how an abortive sucker becomes hollow, and the answer cannot but have a great value in vege- table physiology, and kindred branches of the science. Meehan Knees mentioned bv M Bulletin for May, I would remark that this tree will certainly make "knees " on high land. They are, however, not so prom- inent as in the overflowed swamps, since they do not have to project so far to reach the light and air. They certainly do not always have tap roots below them, for I recollect that in the grounds at " Hampton," near Baltimore, in an out-of the-way 193 spot, when the lawn mower could not work, my men were often bothered by their scythe blades striking the ** knees " of a large Cypress tree. I had the **knees" chopped off level with the ground, and each cut off just as an upward curl in the root a little thickened and pointed above, and in most cases the root was en- tirely severed. These were mere little protuberances, however^ as compared with the great knees seen above the water in Southern swamps. A longitudinal section of one of these pro- jections, showing the course of the sap and woody layers, I think would prove them to be merely convolutions of the roots peculiar to the genus, perhaps intended as braces for the tree in the soft soil in which its roots run so shallow. It may be of interest to note that we have found Sedum NevH on top of the Blue Ridge just north of Rockfish Gap, Va. This is two hundred miles northeast of the most northern point given by any^authority at my command. The plant was found among other interesting specimens by Professor Seaman and a party of boys from the Miller School. We note the fact that a great many of the wild blackberries are producing rose-colored flowers this spring. Can it be owing to the cool and wet weather ? W. F. Massey, Stellai'ia ptibera. — ** Stem pubescent in one lateral or two op- posite lines." Not being able to understand from my own view of the morphological significance of the hairy line as developed m Stcllaria media, the common chickweed, how there could possibly be hair m two opposite lines, I obtained fresh plants for study. I do not find the two opposite lines in any specimens before me. But an interesting fact worth recording, is that the flowers ^fe proterogynous, and that not only are the lower verticils arrested in their final development until the pistils have become perfect, but the second movement in the accelerated growth downward is so nicely regulated, that the inner cycle or verticil of five stamens shed their pollen before the five stamens in the outer ones. I have often noted this nice distinction in the double <^ycles of proterandrous hexandrous monocotyledons, but this is the first instance I can recall in proterogynous flowers. Thomas Meehan, 19i The formation of Alkaloids in Plants. — Professor W. H. Dunstaa has been indicating to the chemists' assistants of London the proper direction and method of pursuing the investigation of the above subject The experimental studies of the pure chemist have shown the series of re-actions by which we may pass from starch through carbo-hydrate to organic acid, and thence to alkaloid. In the case of malic acid our knowledge is exceptionally extended, the series of intermediate compounds being almost completely established, and its relations to certain alkaloids very clearly pointed out. These steps being thus shown to be probable, it remains for the pharmacist to complete the evidence by actually detecting the indicated intermediate compounds in the plants. Those interested will find in the Pharmaceutical Record for April 15th, an excellent report of the lecture, taken from the British and Colonial Druggist. H. H, R. The Botanical Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia has organized a series of field excursions similar to those of the Club. On July 4th the trip is to May's Landing, N.'j., leaving Market Street at 8 A.M., and on July nth to Cape May, leaving at 7 A.M. Mr. Martindale will direct the party. We wish our neighbors all success and pleasure in these trips to an extremely interesting region. All interested in botany are cordially invited to join. Reviews of Foreign Literature. Die Wechselbeziehnng zwischen Pflanzen nnd Ameisen im tropt- schen A^nerika, A. F. W. Schimper. Jena. Gustav Fischer, 1888. This is the title of an article forming the first part of a collection of botanical notes from the tropics. The author believes to have discovered some interesting factsin reference to certain relations be- tween animals and plants, by which both are benefited. He states that everywhere in tropical America, in woods or gardens, the trav- eler is surprised by seeing hnes of moving leaf fragments, which are found to be carried by a procession of ants. A similar fine of ants may be found traveUng in the opposite direction to certain trees and shrubs where they cut out pieces of leaves, some as 195 w large as our cent piece, and carry them away, presumably to use them in the construction of their dwellings. This species of ant IS named leaf-cutter and is known to be the greatest enemy to vegetation in the tropics. It chooses, for the most part, plants f not indigenous to the country. From this fact the author sees a result of natural selection, as only such plants could continue to hve and flourish which were not visited by these destructive ants. There arc many other species of ants found there, among which is a kind extremely hostile to the leaf- cutters. It is found that wherever these ants have taken possession of a tree, the leaf-cutters are driven away or hindered from attacking the tree, and the result is a flourishing growth, while those trees lacking this protection are injured and stunted by the destruction of their leaves. It has long been known that certain plants in the tropics were inhabited by ants, and the idea entertained that a mutual benefit was thereby attained. The previous observations lacked definite proof, but those more recently made by Schimper he believes ry 9J> ited by ants extremely hostile, not only to their leaf-cutting neighbors, but to any other disturber of their habitation. A sharp stroke given to the tree w^as sufficient to call out a large number of these ants, whose bite was extremely poisonous, and the person rash enough to venture this experiment was glad to escape. Fritz Miiller describes the manner of the development of these ant colonies as follows: The ant who is to become queen mother of the colony bores or eats her way into the hollow stem of the tree. The opening thus made is shortly afterward- closed np by the growth of the surrounding tissues, and not only this, but there is a farther development of abnormal tissue at this place, which is filled with a nourishing sap for the food of the ^nt She lays her eggs in the cavity of the stem, from which ^I'e hatched the working ants, who soon open another communi- cation With the outer world. Schimper found that the trees containing these ants were never disturbed by the leaf-cutters, while other trees of the same 196 species {Cccropia adcnopns), but free from these ants, were visited regularly by the leaf- cutting ants and their leaves cut into frag- ments and destroyed. From this fact he drew two inferences: first, that the Cecropia was a favorite of the leaf-cutters; second, that the tree protected itself from their assaults by special adapta- tion to the wants of the protecting ants. A close examination of the anatomy of the tree confirmed the latter inference, showing a most curious and wonderful contrivance to favor the entrance of the protecting ants. The tree itself has been compared to a huge candelabrum, the limbs growing out horizontally at first, afterward bending sharply upward with few, but large leaves. It was found that the queen mother entered the hollow limb always at at a certain place. This was through a little depression at the top of the internode. This depression originates first from pressure of the axillary bud; when this is grown out and the pressure thus removed, the outer walls of the depression, instead of incrcasmg in thickness like the ordinary outer walls, remain thin and soft, no hardening takes place, the membrane remaining in this con- dition till after the entrance of the ant has been effected, when the before described abnormal growth takes place. Another species was found to lack these colonies of protecting ants, but m their stead was provided with a wax coating on the outside cells so smooth as to effectually hinder the leaf-cutting ants from reaching the leaves. Now in these trees the same depression is caused by pressure of the axillary bud in the first stages of its growth, but when the pressure is removed the subsequent devel- opment of the thin-lined cavity entirely fails. The ordinary thickening processes take place, and no chance is left for the entrance of the protecting ants. Still another difference was discovered between these two species, which Schimper also regards as an adaptation to the needs of the protecting ants. On those Cecropia trees on which they were found, under the petiole of the leaf just at its basis, the surface, for the space of a square centimeter, is covered with vel- vety hairs. On similar trees, lacking these ants, the same clus- ters of hairs are found, but on their surface little egg-shaped bodies loosely connected with the hairs. Fritz Miiller was the first to suggest the probable use of these bodies, that is, to serve 197 t as food for the protecting ants. Schimper found by experiment- ing that the bodies were constantly reproduced, so furnishing daily food. On cutting through the cushion of hairs the httle ^gg-like bodies were found in all stages of development. Also, by removing the outer leaves of buds on those trees where the ants were Hving, the bodies were found in abundance and were seized upon and eaten with great avidity by the ants. These egg-shaped bodies were found to consist largely of albuminous matter and essential oil, substances which are not otherwise given off by plants, except in case of seeds. So rich an offering of plant-production without some corresponding use is hardly credible, therefore Schimper concludes that these are built up by the plant specially to maintain the colonies of ants without whose protection it would be unable to reach any degree of perfection. Another tree possessing similar features is a species o( Acacia, Here the ants make their homes in the large hollow thorns. Food IS also provided for them, in the shape of similar bodies of an al- buminous nature, which occur in peculiar organs on the tips of the leaves. Still other plants are described as possessing similar remarkable examples of adaptation. In the third chapter of this article, the author treats of the so- called extra-nuptial glands, that is, those not situated in the imme- diate vicinity of the reproductive organs, whose use, therefore, cannot be to attract insects as aids to fertilization. The so-called -Belt-Delpino hypothesis regarding their use was confirmed by his experiments. That is, that these organs serve as a means of at- traction to those insects, which, in their turn, protect the plant from msects which are more injurious, in fact fatal to its growth and full development. He found that nearly all the plants supplied with these glands were visited by ants, and, in several cases, was able to prove directly that they afforded protection against the leaf- cutting species. It is difficult to find any other use the plant can make of the honey so secreted ; that it is not a waste product^ whose retention might injure the plant, was shown by separating the glands from the plant, and it was found to thrive equally well as those whose glands were left intact. A considerable amount of honey was found secreted by these glands, as by carefully re- 198 moving It the process of secretion was found to be kept up for several weeks. He proved also that the honey was a product of the single leaf to which the gland belonged. By darkening the leaf no honey was secreted. It is also said that these organs are much more common among the tropical plants than among those in the temperate zones, all of which facts go to make probable the theory of plant adaptation to its surroundings. E. L. G. Peculiar Properties of AdJiatoda vasica, Nees, — One of the most interesting, and, as it may also prove, important of recent investigations of plant properties is described by Mr. David Hooper, Government Quinologist in India, in the Pharmaceu- tical Journal and Transactions of April 7, and is in relation to the Acanthaccous shrub Adhatoda vasica, Nees. The leaves, which are variously used as a domestic drug and dye, are chiefly interesting on account of their use in agriculture. Great injury is inflicted on the rice crop of India by the masses of Algai and other aquatics which infest the partially submerged grounds. It was noticed by Dr. G. Watt that the natives protected them- selves against these enemies by casting into the water large quantities of the Adhatoda l^^ve^. This observation led Mr. Hooper to undertake the examination of the plant. He suc- ceeded in isolating a peculiar acid w^hich he called adhatodic acid, and an alkaloid which he called vasicine, the adhatodate of vasicine being regarded as the active principle of the leaves. *' A sample of pond-water containing Spirogyra and numer- ous animalcules was mixed with a strong infusion of Adhatoda leaves. The chlorophyll gradually disappeared from the weeds, and the cells became broken up. The oxygen was given on with less frequency, and at length ceased. Some insect pupae rose to the surface of the water and there died. Numerous Paramecia remained active for some time, but eventually suc- cumbed to the action of the poison. In twenty-four hours the beaker containing the water showed only a brown mass lying at the bottom, while some water in a beaker at the side, without this treatment, contained the green aquatic weeds evolving oxy- gen, and the animalcules alive." Farther experiments upon insect vermin, and upon frogs, 199 t * promptly produced poisonous effects. But Upon the higher ani- mals, no such effect resulted. Some of the results recorded seem very strange as compared with others, and we shall verify and extend the experiments as soon as a supply of the leaves can be obtained. Should it be found that their destructive effect extends to the lowest forms of vegetable life, it may prove that we at last have an agent of de- fense against not only insect pests and parasitical diseases of plants, but against some of the sporadic human diseases. H. H. K.. Index to Recent American Botanical Literature. Avielanchier alnifolia, Nutt. — S. Watson. (Garden and Forest, i'- ^Ss, fig. 34.) Anthiirmm Chamberlami, Mast n, sp. (Gard. Chron., iii., 462, fig. 6j.) This is a new species from Venezuela. Ashnina triloba, (Garden, xxxiii., 321, illustrated.) Bald Cypress. — How it convej'ts Lakes info Forests. — A. H. Cur- tiss. (Garden and Forest, i., 123.) Brodicea Bridgesii, — Sereno Watson. (Garden and Forest, i., 125, fig. 24.) Bulletin from the Botanical Department of the State Agricul- tural College, Ames, Iowa, — Byron D. Halsted. (Pamph., 8vo. pp, 118, four plates, 1888.) 'This second of Professor Halsted's bulletins contains de- tailed accounts of the work accomplished at Ames in 1887. Some of the papers have appeared in other publications. Among those here first printed we note " Preliminary List of the Weeds of Iowa," containing 297 species ; '' Oil glands on the Anthers of Cucurbitaceous Plants," "Observations on x alls' ' d. study of dimorphism in the common species, " Notes on Pollen " of numerous plants, '' A Provisional List of Fungi," a '' List of Cah- fornia Parasitic Fungi," observed by Professor Halsted, and 1 numerous short notes of interest and importance. Calycanthus floridus and C. occidentalis. (Garden, xxxiii, 392, illustrated.) Camassia Cusickii. —Set tno Watson. (Garden and Forest, i., 172, fig. 32.) 200 Cassandra calyculata, (Garden, xxxiii., 392, illustrated.) Castalia Leibergi, — A nczv Water-lily, — Thos. Morong. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., 124-125, one plate.) A small pond in Northern Idaho yields this interesting plant, the only species of its genus as yet detected in West America. Catalpa bignonioides. (Garden,xxxiii., 393, illustrated.) Celastriis scandens. (Garden, xxxiii, 393, illustrated.) Contribittions to Ame^'ican Botany — XV, — Sereno Watson. (Proc. Amer, Acad. Arts and Sciences, xxiii., 249-287 ; reprinted.) r Dr. Watson's latest contribution contains (1.) Some new species of plants of the United States with revisions oi Lesqnerelia [Vesica7'ia), and of the North American species of Draba, the proposed new genus to include all the American plants hitherto referred * to Vesicaria with the Alyssnm Lescnrii, Gray, 33 species being recognized, several here first described. "Of Draba we have 32 species, D, Breweri and D. snbsessilis being addi- tions to the previous lists; D. arabisans, Michx , is reduced to a variety of D incana, L., and several other changes in nomen- clature are made. Descriptions are given of the following new species : CheirantJms occidentalis ; Caulanthns Lemnioni ; ■m Stlene Luisana ; Calandrinia How el Hi ; Sidalcea Hendcrsont ; Tr i folium Howe llii ; Astragalus sylvaticiis ; Lathy rus ctnctus ; Ivesia Shockleyi ; Pyrus occidentalis; Saxifraga occidentahs ; Hartwrightia Floridana, Gray, a new genus and species in Com- positae; Pentstemon Shockleyi ; Eriogonum pendnhim ; E. ciiha- rmforme ; Tilla?idsia Wtlso?ii ; Brodicea Hendersoni ; Calochor- tus Hozvellii and Jiincus Oreganus. (11.) Some new species of Mexican plants, chiefly of Mr. C. G. Pringle's collection in the mountains of Chihuahua in 1887, i^i which a large number of novelties are characterized, among them Prionosciadinm, a new genus of Umbelliferae with three species. (HI.) Descriptions of some plants of Guatemala, mainly from Dr. Watson's collections in 1885, containing Lotiteridiuvi^ a new genus in Acanthacese, and a number of orchids described from specimens which have flowered at Cambridge. Cypripedium fascicu latum, KelL (Gard. and Forest, i., 90, fig. 16.) Delphinium viride, — Sereno Watson. (Garden and Forest, 1., 149, fig- 29.) r 201 Dougtasia Icevigata, (Gard. Chron., iii., 524, fig. 71.) rcpeiis, (Garden and Forest, i., 154.) Contrary to the experience of almost everyone who has at- tempted to transplant this unwiUing emigrant, it has been suc- cessfully grown at the Arboretum at Brookline. Much pains were taken to establish it. Erysiphe(E and PeronosporecB. — Notes dn Western — S. M. Tracy and B. T. Galloway. (Journ. Mycol., iv., Z?i~Z^') Erythronitim albiflorum and E. Hendersonii, Watson. (Gard. Chron., iii,, 556-652/ figs. 74, 86.) Etudes sur /e Peristome, VIL — Philibert. (Rev. Bryol. xv., 37-44.) This includes comparative studies in homologous parts of the m inner peristome and its variations in Cinclidhmt and Fontuialis, Euphorbia Jacquiniceflora. (Garden, xxxiii., 486, plate 6^0) Evolution in the Plant Kingdom. — John M, Coulter. (Amen ^ Nat., xxii., 322-335.) Ficiis anrea — The wild fig-tree of Florida. — C. S. S. (Garden and Forest, i., 128, illustrated.) Flora of Bergen County, N. J.— Notes on the — Willard A. Stow- ell. (Journ. Trenton Nat. His. Soc, i., 345-347.) A brief account of some rarer plants of the region. ^ Flora of Milwaukee County.—^. M. Wheeler. (Proc. Nat. flist. Soc. Wisconsin, 1888, 154-190.) A Hst of 691 species of Anthophyta and Pteridophyta, with localities. Flora Ottawae7isis, (Ottawa Nat., May, 1888.) The additions made during 1887 number twenty-four species and include eight of mosses, three of which have been heretofore undescribed ; Leskea nigrescens, Pylaisia Selwyniy and thecium corticola, named by Kindberg. Homalo CardoL Miquelon J ) The collections on which these lists are based were made by ^r. E. Delamare, including Phanerogams, Vascular Cryptogams, bosses, Sphagnums, Hepatics and Lichens, with a short list of Algas. The list is not a bare enumeration, but includes descrip- tive notes and comments, is written in a pleasant style and records some interesting comparisons in geographical distribu- tion. Among the notable plants the authors record Schizoea 202 pusilla, though unfortunately without any exact notes as to local- ity. This may be based on De LaPylaie's specimen, though no mention is made of the fact F Ftmgi from various Localities — New species of- — J. B. Ellis and B. M. Everhart. (Journ. Mycol, iv., 44-46.) 15 species de- scribed, Gesnera longiflora, (Garden, xxxiii., 340, plate 644.) Heliconia Choconiana. — Sereno Watson. (Garden and Forest, i., 161, fig. 31.) Hepaticce from California. — Some undescribed, — Lucien M. Un- derwood, (Bot Gazette, xiii., 112- 114, four plates.) De- scription of three new species and a new variety of Juftger- mania and of Grimaldia Califomica, from the manuscript of Dr. Gottsche, all collected by Mn Bolander. HepaiiccB Paraguay eiisis^ Balansa lectm^ R, Spruce determinatcB. R. Spruce. (Rev. BryoL, xv,, 34.) This includes thirteen new species of Frullaniay Lejeuma, w Radula, Aneura^ Metzgeria^ Riccia and Ajithoceros. Hepatic(^ in Prov. Rio Janeiro a Glaziou lectcs^ a R. Spruce deter mi7iat(B, — R. Spruce. (Rev. Bryol., xv., 33.) Fifteen new species and thirty-three others with varieties are enumerated. Heterosporum Ornithogalli. (Gard. Chron., iii,, 659, fig. 88.) This fungus attacks the bulbs of Ornithogallum nutans and may be looked for on 0. timbellatum. Heuchera sanguinea in Mexico, — C. G. Pringle. (Garden and M Forest, i., 152.) Hypoxylon and Nmnmularia — Synopsis of North American Species of. — ^J iv., 38-44.) (Journ. My col James Bay — Notes on the Flora of. — ^James M. Macoun. (Bot. Gazette, xiii,, 11 5- 118.) Leersia and Muhlenbergia — Rootstocks of. — W. J. Beal. (Am. Nat, xxii., 351, 352, Plate IV.) A comparison of these structures in the several species. List of Diatoms from Granville, Ohio. — J. L. Deming. (Bull. Sci. Lab. Denison Univ., iii., 114, 115.) ?/ 7/ Utica, for April , May 203 I portion of June.—]. V. Haberer. (Pampli., 8vo , 20, 1888.) A neatly printed paper, published by the Asa Gray Botanical Club. Localities and habitats of the species enumerated are given and special attention devoted to the time of bloomin cr 4>' Lobelia syphilitica— Cross- fertilimtion of,~Q, L. Payne. (Bull. Sci. Lab. Denison Univ., iii., 111-113.) Mildews of niinois~Some,~L. H. Pammel (Journ. Mycol., IV. 36'Z^) Seiaginella Pringlei, Baker.— C. G. Pringle. (Garden and Forest, i-> 185.) This is as much a resurrection plant as 5. leptophylla, and is recommended for planting on rock-work Taxodiuvt distichum—Knaur on, (Gard. Chron., iii., 560, fig. 77.) lecoma radicans and Bignofiia capreolata. (Garden, xxxiii., 348; illustrated.) Ulota Phyllantha, Brid., La fructification de.—Y. Renauld, J. Car- dot. (Revue Bryologique, xv., 36.) These bryologists have examined and described the fructifica- tion of this moss from specimens collected by Thomas Howell in Oregon, identical with ours. T much regret to state that I wrote to J. Cardot in March, calling his attention to my discovery of the fruit, and received a letter from him dated April 3d, acknowl- edging the interest of the discovery ; therefore I claim priority by several months, having illustrations and description ready for publication before this number of the Revue Bryologique was received.* E. G. Britton. Urceolina pendida. (Garden, xxxiii., 436, Plate 648.) This handsome Amaryllidaceous plant was discovered by Mr. Pearce in Peru in 1863. Violets of British Columbia. —yi. Lopatecki. (W. Amer. Sci., 'v., 38.) A list of forms observed, with localities. ^illotvs, Notes on North American^ tvith a Description of Nezv or l7nperfectly Known Species, /— M. S. Bebb. (Bot. Gazette, iii., 109-112.) Salix commntata, with three varieties, and 5. denudata are new species from the Pacific Coast. y^^^ca filamentosa. (Garden, xxxiii., ZZS ; illustrated.) '"See this volume, p. 176. -J 204 Proceedings of the Club J President presiding, and thirty-two persons present. Miss / _ G, Tyler transferred to the list of corresponding members. The Secretary read a copy of the circular letter of introduc- tion prepared for the use of the Rev. Thomas Morong in his travels in South America. Mr, Lighthipe announced that it was proposed to hold a Sum- mer Assembly of the Agassiz Association, at Asbury Park, for one week in August, and invited the members of the Club to attend. Miss spectabilis and RhamuHs catharticus, from Garrisons, N. Y., May 30th, and Miss Rich reported a single plant of Penstemon pubesceiis at W. Mt. Vernon. June 9th. Mr. Lighthipe reported Obolaria Virgiiiica, from Rocky Hill, N. J. Miss Steele distributed spec- imens of Getiin vernmn, which is abundantly naturalized in Pros- pect Park, Brooklyn. Mrs, Britton distributed specimens of Tri- folium incarnattim and Z hybridunty from New Dorp, Staten Island. Dr, Britton showed fresh specimens of Jtuiciis Balticus, collected at New Dorp, and new to the local flora. Mr. Northrop Whiteston ; of Hyper\ ipediwu p from South Yonkers, N. Y., with only one perfect stamen and one aborted into a.bract-Iike appendage. Dr. Rusby exhibited speci- mens, fresh and dried, of Anhalonium Lewinii, Henning, from the plateau of Central Mexico, stating that it is used by the Indians as a non-alcohohc intoxicant, and is now being introduced into medicine. The paper announced for the evening was given by Dr. N. L. Britton, who exhibited a collection of specimens made by Dr. E. A. Mearns, U. S. A., from the Mts. of Arizona. Dr. Rusby gave a general description of the region as seen by him in 1883, and Dr. Newberry also remarked upon his ex- ploration in 1858. On motion the Club adjourned to the second Tuesday in October. BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB Vol. XV.] New York [No. 8. 4 The Fruit of Cal^canthus, L, A recent close inspection of sev^eral hundred ripe pods of Calycanthus glaucus, Willd., gathered on the Cumberland Moun- ] . tains in Eastern Tennessee, enables me to give a somewhat detailed account of this rare and interesting fruit. The best description oi it known to me Is that of Nuttall (Gen. N. A. PI., ''Capsule turbinate," says this delightful old botanist, "as large as a small pear^ marked with vestiges of the calycine laciniae, at length becoming perfectly dry, but never opening." A few of the pods I examined were almost typically turbinate, perfectly flat across the top and tapering to the base, but curving slightly outwards. The prevailing shape, however, was more nearly obovoid or pyriform, the upper third being rounded. Some were slender and elongated, resembling small cucumbers, and one was distinctly ovoid, broadest below the middle and tapering upwards. Many were very irregularly protuberant or collapsed, these vari- ations in form depending on the development or abortion of the ovaries within, and several were remarkably incurved, the summit and base almost meeting after the fashion of a campylotropous ovule. This curious form results from the development of two or three ovaries ohc above, the other and the abortion of all the rest. "g seemed to belong to two or three distinct species, but the com- plete gradation of intermediate forms made It impossible to draw ' ^"^Y specific line. As to size, Nuttall's rather vague ''as large as a small pear" (or Wood's ''size of a fig") may be taken as a correct average statement, but as a matter of fact the pods ex- amined, all mature and containing perfect achenia, ranged from half an Inch to over three inches In length, and from one-third ^^ an inch to an Inch and a half In q-rcatest diameter. The 206 bulkiest were barely two inches long, those of greater length being invariably somewhat attenuated (cucumber-shaped). Baillon, in the Histoire des Plantes, Vol. I., figures the fruit of C. l(^vigatus, Willd., as an oblong spheroid, with a distinct cylin- drical neck, like that of a bottle. None of the pods I examined showed exactly this form. The summit in some cases was tapering-elongated, quite commonly a little protuberant, some- times perfectly flat, and in a few instances distinctly umbilicate, (Wood's '^ involute at top'' indicates that his specimens were of this latter form.) Nuttall's " marked with the vestiges of the calycine laciniae '' is equivalent to Wood's *' longitudinally veined. These markings are really the ridged margins of the adnate por- tion of the bracts, the free portion being entirely deciduous. The sepals and petals^ are also deciduous, but their bases persist, forming a ring often obscure but sometimes quite distinct. Another ring is formed within this by the short, persistent, pubes- cent and usually more or less recurved filaments. It is worthy of note that these enter the orifice of the fruit and are adnate to its inner surface. In very rare cases this orifice Is large enough to allow the ripe achenia to escape; most generally it is too small for this, and not seldom it appears quite closed. Nuttall's state- ment that the pod never opens is therefore strictly true only in the sense that it never dehisces or ruptures in any way. ''Becom- ing perfectly dry '* is a correct characterization ; " and rigid" might properly have been added, as they resist considerable pressure but break finally instead of yielding, Nuttall does not note the color. Most of those examined were of a blackish weather- beaten brown. In fact, taken In bulk, the pods of Calycanthus at a casual glance closely resemble the perfectly ripe fruit of Jiiglans cinerea, L., though far less uniform in either size or shape. The original color at maturity, judging from the fresher specimens, is an orange brown. The wall of the pod is thin, and the large cavity is ordinarily about half filled by the loose achenia. When shaken, the resem- blance to a baby's rattle is very marked. The inner surface is of a rich reddish-brown color, with a slight and scattered silvery- white pubescence. The adnate filaments mark the surface above with radiating ribs. In well developed specimens slight ridges -r \ 207 rise spirally from the base, intersecting each other, and forming shallow, rhombic hollows. The lower angles of these are marked by the white spatula-shaped scars left by the detached achenia. To my surprise these indicated two distinct phyllotaxies, the is and the -g^T. The achenia are more commonly sessile, or nearly so, but are also sometimes raised, not on a stipe, but on a curious rough pedestal — a shapeless hardened mass of tissue, apparently deposited by sheer excess of vital force. Nuttall's account of the achenia, or '' seeds " as he na'ively calls them, is sufficiently full and accurate to be worthy of quotation : ** Brown, nearly as large as horse-beans, naked, smooth, shining, about sixteen in each utriculus, of a roundish oblong form, marked with a longitudinal suture and a central hilum ; shell hard and cartilaginous, peri- sperm none or a small central portion, gelatinizing when moist- ened ; radicle descendant, cotyledones convolute, white and large, of an oleaginous bitter taste.'* The color is that of freshly browned coffee, and I have twice known the Calycanthus achenia to be mistaken for coffee beans. The length varies from a half to a third of an inch, and the diameter is about half as great. The weight ranges from three to five grains. They are not strictly naked, but have commonly a little spreading silvery pubescencCj especially about the base. The number is greater than Nuttall represents. In ten pods ^f the average full size I counted re- spectively, i6, 17, 17, 18, 19. 20, 20, 26, Z^ and 31, in all 214, or an average of over 21. The pod containing 31 had also five or six abortive ovaries, indicating about 35, or at most 40, as the maximum possible number. The minimum is one, several minute pods being completely filled by a single fully developed achenium. Both sutures are well defined, the ont next the wall being marked by a single crest, and the one towards the axis of the pod by two parallel crests with a slight furrow between. These are slender, sharp and more or less corrugate-wavy. The " hilum " (if the term maybe used with reference to an achenium), IS not central as ii\ a bean, but is distinctly basal. In Gray's Structural Botany, the embryo of Calycanthus is figured with the radicle projecting considerably below the cotyledons. In the numerous seeds I dissected it was always entirely enclosed within their coiled bases. The cotyledons are so brittle, that even after 208 prolonged soaking they break into several pieces in unrolling. Their shape is evidently between cordate-orbicular and reniform. The testa is thin, yellowish, membranaceous, only slightly ad- »j herent, and marked by a slender but distinct rhaphe. The em- bryo is decidedly oleaginous, leaving an oily mark when crushed on paper, and, to my taste, is distinctly bitter, though not ex- tremely so. The albumen, ( '' perisperm " of Nuttall), when present, forms a slender, more or less irregular plug, inserted in the top of the seed opposite the radicle. The pods are evidently borne, as a rule at least, on two- (rarely four-) leaved stems, these leaves making the stems branches, instead of peduncles, and the inflorescence, strictly speaking, terminal instead of axillary. The pods persist through the winter, and are finally worn or torn off by wind and weather, like the fruit of Platanus, It is a curious fact that they are sub- ject to the attacks of birds, several of those examined having large holes pecked in the side. The persistence of the peculiar and pleasant odor of the plant is also noteworthy, even the per- fectly dry fruit being strongly aromatic when crushed. The pods above described were ^nt me last November by Mr. J. H. H. Boyd, postmaster at Cagle, Tenn. In an accom- panying letter Mr. Boyd made the following remarkable statement : Hundreds of cattle and sheep have died here in the past five years from '*bubby" [the eccentric local name of the shrub]. The seeds only are poisonous. When a brute gets a sufficient dose, from five to ten well filled pods, it makes for the nearest water and often falls dead while drinking, or it may live three or four weeks and then die. The symptoms are like those of a man extremely drunk, except that any noise frightens it Stamp the ground hard, close to a brute poisoned with '*bubby/* and it will jump and jerk and tremble for several minutes That Is our method of telling when they have taken it. The eyes turn white and glassy, and while lying they throw back the head and look as if dead already. ** Bubby '' does not seem to hurt a brute so much if it cannot get water. Our best remedy is apple brandy, strong coffee and raw eggs poured down as soon as possible after finding. It is certain that " bubby '' is the most poisonous of any shrub or weed in existence here, from the fact that when brutes have once eaten it, they will take it every time they can get it It grows on every hillside, along all branches [creeks], in every fence corner and almost everywhere here. il 209 Inquiries addressed to two other postmasters in the same county elicited replies fully confirmatory of Mr. Boyd's surpris- ing assertions. In other words, three separate individuals, miles apart, with no opportunity for collusion, and with no apparent motive for deception, agreed in declaring that the fruit of Caly- ca7ithus was fatally poisonous to cattle. Nevertheless, their as- sertions were discredited because they were not scientific ob- servers, because of the long-established reputation of the plant as perfectly harmless, and especially because, in an experiment made by Dr. T. F. Allen last December, the contents o{ ty^o pods, administered to a dog, produced no visible effect upon the animal. In this state of the case, and in view of the difficulty of making experiments here upon cattle and sheep, the evidence of a competent local authority became very desirable. This is fur- nished in a letter dated June ii, 1 888, from Dr. B. W. Sparks, of McMinnville, Tenn., who writes in the following unequivocal strain : In regard to the '' bubby,*' "sweet shrub," {Calycanthus glancus, Willd.), if you ask me, *' Do I believe this plant to be poisonous to cattle and sheep ? " most assuredly it is. It will poison cattle, sheep, goats, deer and all other ruminating animals, but does not have any effect on the horse, mule and ass. At least this is my experience. It will poison the squirrel, rat and *^og, when ground or unground. I cannot speak for the hog family. I have known and made many experiments on rats and ^ogs ; it is as sure death to them as strychnine or arsenic; symp- toms in over-doses identical with those of strychnine, which I need not repeat In my opinion it has an alkaloid allied to strychnia. This alkaloid, named calycanthine, has been successfully ex- tracted by Dr. R. G. Eccles, who also detected traces of a second alkaloid, provisionally termed calycanthoidine. Upon the whole, despite the negative result of Dr. Allen's experiment (with an evidently insufficient dose), it seems now pretty well established that the seed of Calycanthus contains a virulent toxic quality. Some further scientific experiments are still very desirable, however, to determine fully its exact charac- ter, the nature and limitation of its effects, and especially its pos- sible value as a medicine. E. E. Sterns. 210 An Inviting Field for a Collector. By W. E. S afford. On sending a package of plants collected by me in the Straits of Magellan to Dr. R. A. Philippi, of Santiago, Chile, the recog- nized authority on Chilian botany, he kindly determined for me a number of species which I had been unable to classify ; and in his letter he says : " I have received on different occasions lots of plants of the Strait and have been therefore highly astonished to find that among the seventy-eight species you sent me not less than four were undescribed, and of these two may, perhaps, be erected into new genera^the petals of the Ranunculns [?) abe7Ta7is are so aberrant, and the corolla and stamens of Mtcromeria{?) pustlla are likewise different enough from the same organs in the genuine species of that genus." The Raniuicidus (f ) to which Dr. Philippi refers is the glossy- leaved '* Ranunculns or CaWia, somewhat like R, Ficaria^' which I collected at Gregory Bay, (see p. 19 of this volume), and the Micronuria {?) pusilla, Phil, is a small labiate from the same lo- cality. The other new species are a Draba and a Vicia, which Dr. Philippi has described as D, Saffordi and V, Saffordi, The discovery of these four new species in one day's collecting within a radius of two miles, shows how imperfectly the botanical field of the Eastern Strait-region has been explored. I am sure a bot- anist could find no field more inviting and at the same time ac- cessible than the immediate vicinity of Gregory Bay.. The regular lines of steamers to Valparaiso pass through the Strait, and all stop at Sandy Point, only a few miles farther on. At Sandy Point one could easily get an assistant and proceed in a boat to Gregory Bay. He ought to reach there by the first week in November, taking with him a supply of canned meats and veg- etables from the United States. At Gregory Bay he could find comfortable shelter in the home of the shepherd. He would, I am sure, be amply rewarded for any little priva- tions by the result of his season's work ; and if he be fond of shooting, he could vary the monotony of his life when his presses are full, and at the same time supply his table with an abundance / 211 of snipe, ducks and upland geese, all of which are remarkably tame and are very good to eat. The field would yield as good results to the ornithologist as to the botanist. Apia, Samoa, May 20, 1888. Cheilanthes vestita, Sw., on New York Island. The eastern range in the United States of the genus Cheilan- thes, Sw., was extended to the Hudson and beyond by Prof. Eaton from a report of the collection of C. vestita, (Spreng.), Sw., by W. W. Denslow, in " clefts of rocks, island of New York," {vide Gray's Manual, p. 659). This collection was made over twenty years ago, somewhere on "Washington Heights," but the exact station seems to be nowhere recorded. I have seached in vain for L 4 any mention of a rediscovery of this station, and there has been some fear that this rare fern had become totally extinct on Manhattan Island. It was, therefore, with especial gratification that I found it, on the afternoon of July 15th, upon the summit of the rocky ridge west of the Kingsbridge Road, about on a line, I judge, with the future 195th Street. The bluff at this point IS too steep to be climbed with safety, but may be readily ascended farther north by a path just beyond a little white frame building close to the road, called ''Beck's lawood House." The exact w station is a number of rods south of the head of this path, near a rounded expanse of naked rock which forms the brow of the bluff at that point.. Eight or ten plants were found within a space of two yards, and a rod or so away there is a scattering cluster of three or four more. They are growing in very thin soil, in shallow hollows (scarcely clefts) of the rock. IMost of the fronds are of quite moderate size, only three or four inches in length, the largest under six, exclusive of the stipe. The agree- ment of the specimens collected (three fronds only !) with the de- scription and figure in Gray's Manual is very close, except that the scattered hairs are whitish in color rather than rusty, and, ough the longer ones are discernibly articulated, they are not ** prominently " so. Increased age, however, will doubtless bring the fern into conformity with Prof. Eaton's description in these respects also. The only other fern noticed in the immediate neighborhood was Aspienium platyneuron, (L.), BSP., (= A. th 212 ebeneum, Alt), which is frequent along the same ridge farther to the south. The most striking feature of the vegetation near the Cheilanthes '^t^ixon is the vigorous abundance of Opnntia vulgaris. Haw. I also found, close by, Asclepias verticillata, L., which I have not detected anywhere else on the island. E. E. Sterns. P. S.— Since writing the above, I learn that Judge Addison Brown detected the plant during the interval between Denslow's collection and mine. He says, in a note dated July 25th: '* I suspect the location of your specimens is the same that I founds My loca- tion was near the top of the high ridge, looking west, and about one-fourth mile to the south of the Inwood railroad station. When passing last, in haste, a year or two ago, I missed it. This indicates clearly two stations, as mine has an eastern expo- sure, and so had Denslow's, as appears from the ticket on his though I do not remember * Beck's Inwood House.' M specimens in the Columbia College Herbarium, E. E. S. Abnormal Ash Leaves. A single tree of the green ash {Fraximis viridis, Michx. f.), bore last year a large number of abnormal leaves. Instead of the ordinary three pairs of lateral leaflets and the single one at the top» many of the leaves had two pairs of leaflets in place of the lower pair; others developed two pairs in place of the second pair, and in others the leaf was normal, excepting one additional leaflet at one or the other of the pairs of leaflets. In order to arrive at an idea of the prevailing abnormal forms, one hundred leaves were gathered from various branches of the tree and exam- ined, with the following tabulated results : Extra pair at 1st and 3d nodes. 15 Extra pair at 1st node. 19 Extra pair at 1st and one extra at •2d node. 20 j Extra pair at 2d and one extra at Ist node. 7 One extra at Ist and at 2d node. 7 Ono extra at 1st node- 18 One extra at 2d node. 14 It will be seen that the larger number have one or two extra leaflets at the basal pair. The abnormality here indicated would have been passed without comment had it been common to all 4 213 ash trees of the species. Instead of this, a long search failed to reveal anything of the kind elsewhere, and scores of surrounding trees were examined. The nearest approach was the abnor- mality found in a very rapidly growing leaf upon a young sprout from a stump of a recently cut ash tree. In this the terminal leaflet had one leaflet of the first pair below united with its base. The leaf to which atten- tion is specially called is shown much reduced in the In accompanying outline. this, instead of the single extra leaflet in the basal pair, there is a lateral leaf- stalk which bears three leaflets in the same manner as in the upper portion of an ordinary ash leaf If this abnormal portion had elongated far- ther and formed another pair of leaflets, there would have resulted a symmetrical leaf of a peculiar dichotomous type, and its origin might have been a matter of conjecture. In the present instance it may be assumed that the tissue which ordinarily goes to make up a single leaflet has divided into two in each case where an extra leaflet is produced. In the ex- traordinary abnormality, last mentioned, it may not be difficult to see that a lateral leaflet has followed out the method of growth of the terminal leaflet and divided its blade into three nearly equal parts. Byron D. Halsted. Kansas Botanical Notes- In a recent brief collecting tour (beginning May 28th) ex- tending as far west as Greeley County, within about fifteen miles of the Colorado line, one of the first things to attract my atten- flower and fruit pinnatifidi A large number of butterflies was noticed on 214 these plants. Argemone platyceras. Link and Otto, was just be- ginning to show its flowers, and was seen in many counties ; Cal- lirrhoe ala^oides. Gray, C. involncrata, Gray, common in many counties; also Malvastrum coccineum, Gray, Linmn rigidiim, Pursh, and L. sulcatum, Ridd. A few specimens of Talimim calycinum, Engelm., were collected in Pratt and Edwards Coun- ties, south of the Arkansas River. Baptisia atistralis, R. Br., Gaura coccinea, Nutt., CEnothera serrulata, Nutt., and Oxytropis Lambertiy Pursh, were seen in many counties; Rosa Arkansana, Porter, in several counties. Several other species of CEnothej'a were collected. Actinella scaposa, Nutt., and Erigeron puniilus, Nutt, were found in Greeley County, the latter not reported from Kansas before, so far as I know. Pyrrhopappus scaposns, DC, was seen in lifli Mimuhis glabratus^ HBK., var. Jamesii, Gray, Pentstemon acu- viinatuSy Dough, and another species which has not yet been worked out. J. H. Oyster. Onondaga Plant Names. I have obtained a good many Onondaga names of plants, some of which are now only names, while others have signifi- cance. For many the Indians, hke the mass of our own people, have no names. They adopt some English names and change others, as ''Ikomatos'' for tomatoes. Some are rather pretty and quite appropriate, as *' Indian cradle " for Jack-in-the-pulpit. The cradle on which the baby is placed is a flat board with a foot-rest at one end and a bow at the other. On this the baby is bound, and the cradle is hung up or carried by the bow. From the upper end a scarf is frequently drawn over the bow to shield the face, like the nodding spathe of Jack-in-the-pulpit, The plan- tain is ''the plant that covers the road." Lettuce is ** the raw leaf" CaltJia paliistris is Ka-^iah-wah-hawks, ''It opens the swamps." Sanguinaria is Da-weJune-quen-chuks^ " It breaks blood." The yellow lady's slipper is Kwe-ko-Jieah-o-tah-qtid'y " The whippoorwill shoe." Commercial ginseng is Da-kien- too-keh, "The forked plant." Podophyllum is 0-na-when-stahy "Soft fruit" Snake-root is Oh-sqiien-e-tah, but of this I got no meaning. W. M. Beauchamp. 1 215 Distribution of the Buffalo Grass (Buchlce dactyloides, Engeim,) By Dr. Valery Ha yard. This noted plant has long enjoyed a reputation to which it does not seem to be fairly entitled. Of its qualities, as a most excel- lent pasture grass, I do not wish to say a word in disparagement, but, concerning its distribution, I want to call attention to what IS probably a very general misconception. In the *' Flora of Colorado" it is referred to as follows: ''The celebrated Buffalo ^ brass, known to hunters and trappers as one of the most nutritious Grasses, on which for a part of the year subsist and fatten the immense herds of buffalo and the cattle of the hunter and emi- grant It extends on the elevated plains from the British Pos- sessions southward and westward into Mexico and New Mexico." Dr. Asa Gray in his paper on *' The Vegetation of the Rocky Mountain Remon " / and by its abundance, is Biichloc dactyloidesr From these and similar authorities the general impression prevails that the Buffalo Grass is the most abundant and widespread, as well as the best, grass on the broad western prairies ; that it has been the chief food of the buffalo as it is now that of the immense herds of cattle rangmg over those prairies. Let us see how much foundation in tact there may be for such an impression. I have traveled on horseback over a large part of Dakota, especially north and west, and always with an eye open to its bot- anical resources, but have failed to discover the Buffalo Grass Within its limits. Several writers make the general statement, without specifying localities, that it is abundant on the Upper Missouri. I have traversed the plains bordering the Missouri River from Bismarck to Fort Assiniboine, and thence to Benton and the Falls, but never observed it. Nor is it seen in Southern Dakota, as I am informed by a reliable botanical correspondent from Fort Niobrara. In my travels through eastern and northern Montana, I have found the Buffalo Grass only at one place (on Sunday Creek near Fort Keogh), in scattered patches, not sufficiently abundant to be ^f practical importance. F. Lamson Scribner, in his paper on the agricultural grasses of central Montana, the region " lying just yi6 eastward from the ' Continental Divide' and extending north and south over the breadth of Montana Territory/' gives the list of the more important species, '* such as give character and value to the region for grazing purposes," and the Buffalo Grass is not one of them; it was not seen by him. As a noteworthy constituent of grazing ranges, we may therefore exclude it from Dakota and Montana. In Nebraska, which seems to be, or to have been, one of its most congenial habitats, it is still common in the central and southeastern regions, but quite rare in the northern and north- eastern parts of the State. Prof. Bessey, in his instructive paper on the ^'Grasses and Forage Plants of Nebraska," says : '* This re- markable grass is disappearing rapidly from the State, and while it may endure in small isolated patches here and there for perhaps many years, it will ere long cease to have any agricultural }* yi interest. In Kansas, according to the Agricultural Report of 1870 (p. 222), the Buffalo Grass reaches its eastern limits about lOO miles west of Fort Scott, appearing there in small patches at the base of bluffs. It is still common in the western part of the State. The authors of the " Flora of Colorado " give the single hab- itat, '' Plains around Denver," which makes it probable that this plant is common in the eastern prairie regions of Colorado, although Dr. Rothrock, in the '* Botany of the Surveys West of the looth Meridian" (p. 32), does not mention it among the "Bunch Grasses of that State. It extends to southeastern Wyoming, having been recorded as entering into the composition of the sod of the prairie around Cheyenne. That it is quite rare, if not absent, from the northern and mountainous western parts of this territory is sufficiently obvious from the fact that it does not appear in the *' Flora of the National Park." In Texas, according to my own extended observations in that State, the Buffalo Grass is a not inconsiderable element of the grazing ranges of the central and northeastern regions, extending westward to the branches of the Concho River. It does not thrive on the dry, sandy plains of the southwest and is rare beyond the Pecos. I have failed to find it on the southern Staked Plains, 217 4 but It has been collected by others in the Pan Handle country and in northeast New Mexico. In his mention of the principal pasture grasses of the plateaus of New Mexico, Dr. O. Leow (Surveys W. of the looth Meridian, Rep. 1875, p. 137) says noth- ing of the Buffalo Grass. I It seems to have still a good footing in the western part of the Indian Territory, being reported as abundant about Fort Supply. An accredited writer in the Agricultural Report for 1870, describing the "Grasses of the plains and eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains/' states that the Buchloc daciyloidcs as to quantity, stands fifth in the Missouri River region, and eighth in the Rocky Mountain region. I am persuaded that it should occupy a much lower place in the former region, where it is practically absent. In conclusion, we may say that the Buchloc is a widespread grass, still forming a valuable element of many of the grazing ranges of the western plains ; but that it is not at all the ubiquitous plant, the chief and most important food of the past buffalo or present cattle which we have been made to believe. There exists I a pretty general and well founded opinion that it was formerly more widespread and plentiful, hav^ing, during the past twenty years, receded from many regions; yet, this admitted, I cannot think that it has ever been as exclusively abundant as commonly believed. The interest which it aroused in botanists on account of the curious separation of the sexes, may be partly responsible for the utilitarian importance it assumed. Again, I doubt not that it has often been confounded with species of Grama by hur- ried or incompetent observers. It may be interesting to glance at the influences militating against the growth and spread of a plant apparently so well fitted by nature for the struggle of hTe on the arid plains of the West, and causing, as alleged, its gradual disappearance. There have not been such marked chansres in climatic conditions as would operate lor or against it. There is, I know, a spreading belief that the increased rainfall of late years is accountable for its decline, but I ^m in a position to state, rather positively, after a careful compar- ison of statistics, that in the last fifteen years there has been no 218 increased precipitation over the area where the Buffalo Grass is most at home. Two circumstances, however, now exist and have existed only recently, which may act injuriously upon this plant, namely, the extinction of the buffalo and the marked decrease of prairie fires. The Buffalo Grass withstands the treading of herds with perfect impunity; nay, such treading, by tamping the ground around the wandering stolons, secures better rooting and stronger growth ; not so, however, with other plants against which the Buffalo Grass must compete, and which are destroyed by the tramping of herds. With the disappearance of the buffalo, these competitors have been gaining strength and, by their larger and longer roots, are steadily driving their weaker sister from the field. In a like manner, we may assume that prairie fires did little harm to the Buffalo Grass, owing to its low stature, while they were injurious to the plants which are now taking its place. The worst fault of the Buffalo Grass is that, not content with its own merits, it has long usurped, in our esteem, the place of a far more valuable plant, the grass par excellence which fed the buffalo and which, to-day, should, facile princeps, command the t of all the raisers of cattle beyond the Missouri River. I refer to the common Grama [Boiiteloua oligostnckyayl^ orv.) The Grama is found everywhere, the prevailing, predominant, ubiqui- fc> M Pacific Coast, and from the British Possessions to Mexico, forming the bulk of the best sod of all the prairie regions of the Western States and Territories, and constituting the best natural resource of several of them. For it I ask, at least, the attention and regard bestowed upon the less worthy Buffalo Grass. Botanical Notes. Concerning Nome7iclaUire. — The editor of the Botanical Ga- zette suggests that at the forthcoming meeting of the A. A. A. S. the pending differences of opinion as to the laws of nomenclature should be taken up and "settled." While the proposition to "settle" this question is somewhat ambitious, and one on which that portion of the scientific world not represented in the A. A. A. S. might wish to be heard, the idea of making it the subject of earnest discussion is a most excellent one. It is just possible ^ ^ \ 219 Moham med, Mohammed may conclude to move to the mountain ; not at all because there is any principle involved, but just for the sake of *' uniformity.*' Oiir Natl H. H. R. That our native plants are appre- ciated for their beauty on the other side of the ocean, even if they are neglected by us, may be constantly seen by glancing over foreign botanical literature. Several of our Solidagos have long been favorites in England. Calochortics ccemleus, Riibiis deltciosiis, Fothergilla alnifolia^ Garry a ellipiica^ Gordonia pubesceiis, Gordonia Lasiaiithns^ Cypripedium spectabilc and Camas- sta Fraseri have received particular notice lately as ornamental garden plants, and a number of others have been figured, notably m The Gardener's Chronicle and The Garden. The latter says, ui a recent issue, in regard to Robinia hispida : '* This very beautiful tree has been during the week the chief attraction in the collection oi pea- flowered trees in the Kew arboretum. It has no rival among hardy trees." A. H. Riidbeckia hirta, L. — Rudbeckias are classed as perennials, and I suppose they are. Among other plants, I had R. hirta growing where a cellar had to be dug this spring. On the re- moved earth numbers of seedling Rudbeckias sprung. They were all in full flower by July 1st, many in June. . . . One plant produces rayless heads, and what should be discoid florets are diminutive branchlets, in which numerous chaffy scales take the place of bracts. In this condition the involucral scales reflex. Thomas Meehax. Physalis grandiflora. Hook. — This species, said in the "Flora of North America " to ranse from the "south shore of Laice Supe- rior to the Saskatchewan district," was found by the writer in June, growing plentifully on an island of rather more than a hundred acres in area, in northern Lake Champlain. It was in full bloom at the time, and its showy flowers rendered it very conspicuous. The island in question is known as Providence Island, and has been unoccupied, so far as the writer is aware, until two or three years ago, when it was partially cleared and fitted up for picnic parties carried thither by a steamer belonging to the company 220 1 owning the island. Since that time is has been often resorted to by excursions, but whence came the Pky salts is a mystery. It grows chiefly upon cleared spaces with Adlumia cirrhosa and Corydahs aurea. In the ''Flora of North America" this species comes under the heading '' Corolla pure white, * * wholly destitute of any dark center," but in fact there are five ovate spots at the base of the corolla, of a yellowish-green when the flower first opens, but turning light yellow with age. These spots are perhaps a fourth of an inch long and quite conspicuous, adding much to the beauty of the flowers. The anthers do commonly show^ a more or less evident *' tinge of violet/' but not always, many of them being wholly yellow. It is probable that the absence of any mention of the dark center in the corolla is due, as Watson suggests, to the fact that the description of the plant in the " Flora of North America" was taken from dried specimens in which whatever color there was at first had faded. Still it is also possible that our Vermont plants may exhibit this more strongly than those from farther west. In my own dried specimens, thus far, the yellow of the center is more, rather than less, evident than in fresh specimens, although this may not be the case with those long dried. G. H. PERKINS, University of Vermont. Hypnum [Thtndiuin) calyptratiim, Sulliv. — A mistake in the locality given In '* Lesquereux and Jam^es* Manual " has been dis- covered by Dr. Watson, which dates back to the publication of Whipple's Report, p. 190. Instead of its having been found "near Los Angeles, Cal., on the ground" by Ur. Bigelow^ he collected it "on rocks, Ben More, New Mexico, May, 185 1/' as shown clearly by the specimens in the Sullivant collection. E. G. Britton. Stirirella ovata, Kutzing. — Please add to the list of Sorata diatoms, Surirella ovata, Kutzing. C. H. Kain. Stellaria graminea, L\, which has recently been making its appearance in so many places, usually introduced in grass seed, has been found by Dr. R. G. Eccles at Catskill, N. Y. Observations stir les Roses decrites dans le Supplementum Florae Orientalis de Boissier,par Francois Crepin. (Ex. du Compte- E: 221 ^ rendu, xxvii., pp, 17.) A supplementary volume to "the Flora Orientalis of Boissier is soon to appear, for which Dr. H. Christ has monographed the Roses. M. Crepin reviews his work, giv- mg his views on the classification and newly described species, and concludes with a table of the distribution of species. Dr. C. F. Millspaugh wishes to state to those who have so kindly aided him in his work upon the genus Euphorbia, that his field work in his locality this season has compelled him to drop his special study until autumn, when all who have identifications, &c-, in his hands will be carefully remembered. The doctor will still be very thankful for speci- niens (either named or for identification), and also for notes on the genus, sent to his herbarium at Waverly, N. Y. Postlmnwiis publication of Prof. Tiickernian s Manuscripts. Mr. Willey authorizes us to announce that it is in contempla- tion to publish the present season, the lichen manuscript of the late Prof Tuckerman, comprising the Lecideacei, and the Graphi- dacei in part. As the edition will not be large, it would be well for those desiring the work to send their names to Henry Willey, New Bedford, Mass. Hybridization in J intendent of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Trinidad, expresses the opinion that hybridization in the genus Citrus is very common. He says emphatically that they " do not generally come true from seed, unless the trees producing the seed are isolated from other species of the genus, on account of hybridization occurring among them." Society of American Florists. — The fourth annual meeting of the Society of American Florists will be held in Cooper Union, New York, beginning August 2ist. An e.xhibition oi flowers, plants and florists' supplies and apparatus will be held at Nilsson Hall, under the auspices of the society, at the same time, and our botanists will no doubt find that considerable matter of interest to them will be discussed and exhibited. All who desire to become members for the time being with the privilege of attending the meetings and exhibitions, and enjoying the social courtesies 222 extended to the society, may do so by remitting $2 dues to the Wm. J. Stewart, Boston, Mass. The Secretary will -also be at the Committee Room, Fifth Avenue evening, Aug. 20th, from 8 to 10 o'clock P.M. Mond We arrival of Dr. and Mrs. Britton at the Kew Gardens, and the commencement of their re- searches. A. H. and H. H. R. Index to Recent American Botanical Literature. Amelanchier oligocarpa, (Garden and Forest, i., 245, 246; fig- 41) Araitcarias (Gard. Chrou., iii., 774, figs. 104, 105, 106.) Astragalus mollissimus. (Pharm. Rec, viii., 197, 198 ; illustrated.) Botany as it may be taught, — Byron D. Halsted. (Pop. Sci. Men., xxxiii., 369-376.) CJiara. — Description of a neiv fossil Species of the Genus, — F. H. Knowlton. (Bot Gaz., xiii., 156, 157 ; two cuts.) Chara cojnpressa, described from sporostegia collected by Dr. White, near Wales. Utah. The geological horizon is regarded as lower Tertiary. / Cherokee Rose. (Garden and Forest, i., 234; illustrated.) w Coniferous Tree Seeds. — Notes on the Longevity of. — Robert Douglass. (Garden and Forest, i., 250.) adapted /^.— Aug. F. -fertili Foerste. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., 151- 156, one plate) A record of interesting observ^ations on fifteen native species. Effect on Vegetation of the variable Rainfall of Northwestern Mexico. — E. Palmer. (Amer. Nat, xxii., 459-461.) Epigaa repens. (Gard.. xxxiii., 531 ; illustrated.) Eryngitims.—]o\\xi M. Coulter. (Garden and Forest, i., 206.) Erythronimn HendersoniL (Gard. Chron., iii., 652, fig. 86.) Ferns,— ^. H. Gower. (Garden, xxxlv., 9; illustrated.) Four species of Cahfornia Ferns are described, viz. : Pell^a bella, P> named is figured. idromedcefolia and P. ornithoptis. The first 223 Fremontia Californua. (Gard., xxxiii., 562; illustrated.) Fungi from various localities.— New species of. — J. B. Ellis and B. M. Everhart. (Journ. Mycol., iv., 49-59 and 62-65.) Garden Vegetables. — History ^/— Louis Sturtevant. (Anier. Nat, xxii., 420-433.) A continuation of the series of notes begun in the last volume of the Naturahst and containing references to Fennel [FaeniculujH vulgare and F. officinale) ; Finocchio (F. dnlce) ; Fennel- Flower {Nigella sativa) ; French Scorzonera {Picridiuni vulgare); Garlic [A lliutn sativum) ; Gherkin [Ciicuinis Anguria); Globe Cucumber {C. propketarum) ; Good King Henry {Chcno- podtum Bonus- Henricics) ; Gourd (Lagenaria vulgaris); Great- headed Garlic (Alliuju Ampeloprasuin) ; Ground-nut {Apios tuberosd) ; Hedge-hog {Onobrjchis Crista- galli) ; Hop (//«;««- liis Lupulus) ; Horehound [Marrubium vulgare); Horseradish \Cochlearia Armoracia) ; Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis). Grasses of the Arid Districts.— Q. C. Nealley, S. M. Tracy and Geo. Vasey. (Bull. No. 6, Bot. Div. U. S. Dept. Agric, pamph., pp. 60, thirty plates. Washington, 1888.) A report of an investigation of the grasses of the arid districts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Utah during 1887. Gronlands Flora. — Neuere beitrlige zu. — Eug. Warming. (Bot. Jahrb. ix., 274-279) Guatemala Forests.— W\\^% Rock. (Am. Nat., xxii., 385-399.) Halesia tetraptera. (Garden, xxxiii., 588; illustrated.) Hamamelis Virginica. (Garden, xxxiii., 588; illustrated.) Hypoxilon and Nummularia. — Synopsis of North American spe- cies of—]. B. Ellis and B. M. Everhart. (Journ. Mycol., iv.. 66-70.) Jamaica. — Annual Report of the Public Gardens and Planta- tions, for the year ending ^oth September, 1887.— W. Fawcett. (4to, pp. 29.) Bulletin of the Botanical Department, No. 7. (4to, pp. 8, 1888.) Jamesia Americana. (Garden, xxxiii., 606 ; illustrated.) Kalmia latifolia. (Garden, xxxiii , 607; illustrated.) Marine Algce of the West Indian Region.— Catalogue of the. Geo. Murray. (Journ. Bot., xxvi., 193-196;) 224 Philadelphus CoulterL (Garden and Forest, i., 232, fig. 40.) Pines in June. — Among the. — Mary Treat. (Garden and Forest, i., 243.) The Japan Honeysuckle {Lonicera Japonica) is mentioned as growing vigorously, clambering over the native shrubs and trees and threatening to ''strangle them." Pines.—Otir Native.—^. L. Britton. (Staten IsVd Mag., i., 14-16.) Pitcairnia Pahneri. — S. Watson, (Garden and Forest, i., 209, fig. 38.) S ah al Palmetto. (Gard. Chron., iii., 680, fig. 89.) South American Drugs. — Homes of our. — H. H. Rusby. (Pharm. Rec, viii., 217-219.) Staten Island. — A brief account of the plants which have been found grooving independent of cnltivatiofi on. — Arthur Hol- lick J Tillandsia usneoides. — The Ash of. — ^T. Chalkley Palmer. (Amer. Nat., xxii., 458-459 ) Umhclliferce. — Some Notes on Western. — John M. Coulter and J. N. Rose. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., 141 -146.) Eryngiiim armatnm, E. Vaseyi, E. Floridanuvi; Peucedamim Martindalei, P. Don- nellii, P. Calif ornicum, P. Vaseyi, Selinnm Grayi, S. Daw- soni and Cc^lopleurnm niaritimmn are proposed new species. UredinecB. — Notes on Western. — S. M. Tracy and B. T. Galloway. (Journ. Mycol, iv., 61, 62.) Veronica peregrina.—TXxos. Meehan. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., IS7-) An argument for self-fertilization in this species. Water Lilies. (Garden and Forest, I., 241-242.) Including a short account of the now famous Yellow Water Lily of Florida. Water Lily House.— Mr. W. S. KimbalVs. (Gard. Chron., iii- illi.s. supplement.) A full-page "ink-photo.," representing the interior of Mr. W. S. Kimball's water lily house at Roches- ter, N. Y. Willows.— Two Lnteresting. (Garden and Forest, i., 246.) Des- criptions and habitats of Salix Candida and 5. balsamifera are given, mostly in the form of a liberal excerpt from the Bulletin. Yucca flifera. (Gard. Chron., iii., 743, fig. 97, and 75 1, fig. 100.) i i ■I I BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB Vol. XVJ New York, September 1, 1888. [No. 9 M Fern Notes,— X. Cheihwthes fibrillosa, Davenport, in Herb. Mass. Hort Soc y, 1884, and in Underwood, Our Native Ferns, 3d Ed, C> Ian- tiginosa^ Nutt., var. fibrillosa, Davenport, Fern Notes, VII., Bull. Torr, Club, Vol. XII, p. 21, 1885. Some recent re-examinations of this fern in connection with r. Pringle's 827 from Mexico have led me to remove it alto- gether from C. lajitigznosay under which species it was first pub- lished as a variety, for the purpose of calling the attention of California botanists to its existence, and to restore it to specific rank. Its history and description having already been fully pub- h"shed (/. c), it seems unnecessary to more than briefly recall attention to its essential specific characters here. These are, primarily, in its creeping root-stocks, and secondarily, in the scale-Iike fibres mixed with its tomentum, as against the tufted root-stocks, and freedom from scale-like fibres in the tomentum of C lamtginosa. There still remains a reasonable probability that it may ulti- mately prove to be a form of (7. Parishii, with the scales of the rachis reduced to mere fibres. But this is a point of which the satisfactory determination requires more specimens of the lat- ter species than are now in existence, and until a re-discovery oi that now rare fern supplies such material, it will be as well to consider the present one as a fairly good species. Llst of Ferns collected in the States of Mexico and Chihuahua, Mexico, by C. G. Pringle, during the seasons of iZ%6-Z7. (The numbers are, as usual, those on Mr. Pringle's distribution tickets.) No. 1 44^ ,—A spidmm athyrioides, Mart. & Gal., {Nephrodium 226 sph Cool, shaded cliffs, Arroyo Ancho, Mad Specimens small or medium-sized, but answering Hookers description very well, and agreeing with Schaffner's specimen in the Cambridge Herbarium. The species appears somewhat in- termediate between our A. spinulosum and A. pattihim, Swartz, and may be only one of the variable forms of the latter species. Mn Pringle's specimens resemble some forms of A, spinulosum very much in general appearance, but lack the spinulose teeth to the lobes. The sori are remarkable for their great size and prom- inent involucres. No. 831 . — Aspidium juglaiidifolium, Kunze. Cool, damp cliffs, Mapula Mts., October, 1886. No. 833, — Asplenium Glenniei, Baker. Deep, damp glen, Map- ula Mts., November, 1886. Specimens wonderfully proliferous, single fronds bearing from twenty to thirty tiny plantlets growing from buds situated in the sinus at the apex of the pinnse (often also from their basal lobes) and frond. This character does not seem to have been noticed before, but appears to be natural to the species. On this point Mn Pringle wrote: '* I am inclined to regard the Meaf propagation' o^ Asplejiium Glemiiei as natural to the species. It is the old fronds which put forth young plants in this way as they die. It was the rule among the plants gathered by me ; though I damaged some of my specimens by pulling off the old ragged fronds before I detected their importance." A re-examination of some of Mr. Lemmon's Arizona plants of this species shows the same character in them, though in a less marked degree, owing, probably, to the plants having been collected before the development of the buds had fairly begun. In view of this evidence it seems best not to recognize this char- acter as a varietal one in this species, but to record it here as characteristic of the species itself, it being no less than the cul- mination of its season's growth, the annual fronds in this way providing for a special renewal before perishing. No. 1444. — AspleniumptimihimySMfdLVtz, Ledges, Arroyo Ancho, Sierra Madre, October, 1887. : 227 A puzzling form, more compound than usual, running away from the type and, except in the deltoid sterile fronds, suggest- j mg a mixture of the coarser forms of A. Montaimm and A. I Bradleyi, > No. 828. — Cheilanthes lendigera, Swartz. Shaded ledges and cool cliffs, Mapula Mts., October, 1886. No. 827. — Cheilanthes Mexicana, n. sp. Root-stock rhizoniataceous, slender, wide-creeping, clothed with pale brown linear-lanceolate scales, and bearing loosely- scattered fronds, 3 to 7 in. or more tall; stipites i^ to 1% or 4 m. long, terete, dark or chestnut brown, slightly scaly at the base only, deciduously chaffy above; laminae i^ to 3^ or 4 in. long, I to ji^ in. broad, tri-pinnate or through the basal pinnules of the lower pinnae, quadripinnate ; segments reniform with slightly crenate re-curved herbaceous margins, ultimate segments largest; both surfaces, as well as rachises, covered with coarse tomentum, whitish when young, becoming tawny or yellowish brown, and disappearing altogether from old and weather-beaten fronds. Collected by C. G. Pringle on the verge of a high cliff near the summit of Povtrero Peak (Santa Eulalia Mts.), October, 1886. ^It. 7,300 ft. This fern, notwithstanding its loveliness, is an unwelcome in- truder, since it only adds one more to a series already sufficiently puzzling. I vvas for a long time in doubt whether it was really distinct from the California plant C. Jibrillosa, The primary dis- tinction upon which I have relied in keeping them apart is the structure of the root-stock, and the secondary, the absence from the Mexican plant of the peculiar fibres which give to the Cali- fornia one its specific name. The two ferns resemble each other very much, and both re- semble C lanuginosa in the general appearance of their fronds, so that the difficulty of properly placing detached fronds of either, at times, will be readily understood. For this reason, I have delayed publication as long as I could ^o so, with justice to Mr. Pringle, hoping that I would be able to accompany my notes with a series oi figures, showing all the niinor points of difference between these three ferns, and also of I 228 Mts 1886. No. 1446. — Gymnogramme leptophylla, Desv. Damp, mossy grots, cliffs of river canon, near Guerrero, September, 1887- Seedling plants of this exceedingly delicate little annual fern, but most of them quite well fruited. No. 1 1 79. — Gymnogramme pilosa^ Mart. & Gal. Walls of canons, Sierra Madre, October, 1887. The striking external resemblance of the specimens to some of my Phegopteris reptans came very near misleading me, and I am indebted to the kindness of Prof. Eaton for setting me right. I % i T ■ C. Parishii, their nearest congener, and the only other American member of the group to which they belong. The condition of my eyes, however, has been such as to prevent my making the necessary microscopical analysis in the only time I have had to give to such work, and I am obliged to content myself with this general description for the present. The same cause has delayed, and may prevent altogether, my intended elucidation of the Myriophylla-Fe^idleri section of Cheilanthes^ for which I have ample material. | Nos. 829-1169. — Cheilanthes myriopkylla, Desv., van elegans, Hooker. Cold cliffs, Mts. near Chihuahua (829), October, 1886. Ledges, Chapultepec (1169), May, 1887. Specimens unusually large and fine. It is doubtful if such beautiful specimens as some of those from the Chihuahua moun- tains were ever before collected in a state of nature. Fronds 16 inches tall, 3 inches broad, and sub-divided four and even five times into innumerable tiny pyriform segments, half hidden by the delicately ciliated elegant scales and tomentum remind one of the superb plants sometimes seen at exhibitions. It is not un- likely that similar specimens suggested to Desvaux his exceed- ingly appropriate name, and led Fotirnier to keep this fern apart from C. myriophylla as a distinct species. I have elsewhere given my reasons for adopting Hooker's disposition of the two ferns, but specimens such as these of Mr. Pringle justify retain- ing the present one as a good variety. No. 826. — Cheilanthes vtscosa, Link. Base of rocks, cool slopes, 229 sh No. 144T. — Noiholmia Candida, Hooker. Shaded ledges, canons, Sierra Madre, October, 1887. Specimens very large and fine, and unusually divided, the divisions of the pinnse being again quite deeply pinnatifid. No. 1440. — A^otkoIcEJia Palmeri, Baker. Mossy ledges of La Bufa Mt, above Cusihuiriachic, August, 1887. A very distinct ceraceous fern, with the usual white or yel- lowish powder, between TV, 7iivea on the one hand and N, Pri. ^ on the other. The segments are much like those of nivea, for which the looser fronds might be mistaken, but the fronds are aped more like Prmglci, only with the lower pinnse much re- duced, and with very short or scarcely any stalks. No. 832. — Pellcea marginata, Baker. Cool, rocky slopes, Map- ula Mts., October, 1886. No. 1442. — Pellma marginatay V2x, pyrafnidalis. Baker. Rocky slopes in shade, Sierra Madre, September, 1887. A very distinct form, and peculiar in the long narrow droop- ing segments of the tall fertile fronds. No. 1443. — Pellcea Seeinaitni, Hooker. Dry, rocky slopes, Sierra Madre, October, 1887- A very handsome PellcFa, unHke any of our other species, and suggesting some of the more rigid forms oi Cheilanthes micro- phylla, but with stout reddish stalks and rachises. The specimens are somewhat more compound than the de- scription calls for, but answer to it well enough otherwise, and agree with specimens at Cambridge. The determination is ap- proved by Prof. Eaton, and there appears to be no other disposi- tion to be made of the specimens. No. 825. — Polypoditim lanceolatiun, L. Cold cliffs, Povtrero Peak, September. 1886. An interesting dwarf Polypoditim, with very large sori, and peltate scales on both surfaces, some specimens densely squamosa. No. ii6?>.~Po!ypodtum thysanolepis, A. Br. Ledges, Chapul- tepec, May, 1887. No. 834._J^^^^^7^ Mexicana, Fee. Damp ledges near Chihua- hua, September, 1886. Medford, J Geo. E. Davenport. 230 The Nomenclature Question and How to Settle It. Something like a century and a half ago a pretty little erica- ceous plant fell into the hands of an illustrious Swedish natural- ist, who christened it, after a more or less cursory examination, Pyrola uniflora. Some time later an acute English botanist, discovering in this same plant certain peculiarities of structure, erected it into the new genus MoneseSy and, ignoring altogether the earlier name, styled it Moneses grandiflora. After a further lapse of time, the same little plant, with its two entirely distinct names, came successively before two prominent American scien- tists for a decision as to its nomenclature. One of these, Alphonso Wood, adopted the later name in its entirety. The other, Asa Gray, did not Accepting Mo7ieses as a good genus, he deliber- ately ''increased the number of synonyms" and ''added to the perplexities of students" by compounding a new appellation from Salisbury's generic name and the original specific name of Linnaeus, and Moneses uniflora^ Gray, is now the ordinarily ac- cepted designation of the plant. In this case, whatever the secret reason that actually influ- enced him, our great leader yielded exact obedience to that law of priority in nomenclature which certain ardent and industrious spirits are now seeking to apply and enforce throughout the do- main of American botany. . Their primary object is to attain, as closely as possible, that great desideratum, a fixed nomenclature; and, secondarily, they are intent upon doing strict justice, in the case of every North American plant, to the man who first gave it a published name accompanied by an adequate description. Taking any common binomial (they argue) it is plainly the second, or specific half, that belongs to the plant individually. Except in monotypic genera, the first half is shared equally with an indefinite number of other plants. Moreover, the first, or generic half of the name, is subject, in a constantly increasing multitude of cases, to changres that can not be resfulated or con- trolled in any way. Ingenious botanists have species at their mercy, and are free to combine, separate and re-combine, and to christen the successive groups very much at their own sweet will. No conceivable law can govern the chaos of genera, for a genus is not so much a reality as it is a botanist s idea. A species, I i i 231 however, or a variety even, is a tangible something, with at least a measure of positive identity and fixity, quite independent o( botanists' fancies, and the part of the name which belongs to it as a species or variety is the one element of nomenclature which may have, and should have, positive permanence. This doctrine seems unsatisfactory to some because the spe- cific name is a nullity in itself, a mere adjective in function and usually in form. The present writer has always been secretly amused at the plaintive remarks of the eminent George Bcntham concerning certain changes in fern names : '* In ferns, the wanton multiplication of ill-defined or undefinable genera, according to the varied fancies of special botanists, has had the effect of placing tne same species successively in several, sometimes seven or eight, different genera; and it is proposed to maintain for the specific appellation the right of priority, not only in the genus alone in which it is placed, but in the whole of the genera to which, rightly or wrongly, it has been referred. This has been carried to such an extent as to give to the specific name a general sub- stantive aspect, as if the generic ones were mere adjuncts"! (Jour. Linn. Soc, xvii., Nov., rS/S). Would he, then, have pre- ferred the greater confusion resulting from the coinage of a new specific name to go with each new generic one? Surely not! Then why seem to regret the maintenance of the original specific name? In truth, that was the clue to the labyrinth, the chief guide to the student of ferns while that swarm of evanescent genera prevailed. Wheth remains that the original trivial name is the only foundation on which we can hope to build anything approaching a fixed nomenclature. To ascertain this as exactly as possible for all our North American plants, to confirm it when already in vogue, and to re-establish it promptly and firmly wherever necessary, is the self-appointed task of an increasing number of American botanists. This movement will naturally encounter the opposition of inertia, perhaps of jealousy, and certainly of honest difference oi opinion. The first two may Repassed in silence: the third must be met and overcome by candid argument. Exactly who are friendly, who indifferent, and who opposed to this movement in nomenclature is not yet -. J 232 clear. The proceedings of the Botanical Section of the A. A. A. S. at Cleveland will, perhaps, have throu^n some light on this point before these sentences meet the reader's eye. Whatever action may be taken there, however, the first duty of the friends of the movement will be to formulate their doctrine exactly, and to organize the entire body of its supporters in some simple but efficient manner. Possibly the best method of doing this would be to present to the botanists of the country for signature some such document as the following: Agreement of the Botanical Nomenclature League OF North America. We, the undersigned, botanists of North America, hereby mutually agree to use in our herbaria, and in all our published botanical writings, those names which, according to our best knowledge, conform most closely to that LAW OF PRIORITY which requires; L That the first published specific or varietal name of a plant, given to it in accordance with the binomial system of nomencla- ture, whether appropriately or not, shall be perpetually and strictly maintained (only necessary grammatical changes being permitted) as the trivial appellative of that plant, unless by some transfer it should become identical with the generic name, or in- admissible because of previous use in the same genus, in which cases the trivial name next in point of time shall take similar precedence. II. That when two or more generic names have been regu- larly applied to the same genus, the earliest shall be maintained, to the entire exclusion of any of later date. On some such basis as this a sufficient organization might be quickly and easily effected. No officers would be required, ex- cept a volunteer secretary to receive the signatures and have them published. The few dollars necessary for postage and in- cidental expenses would be readily forthcoming without the formality of a treasurer. The reader is specially requested, however, to bear in mind that this agreement is not now offered for signature, but solely for discussion — for criticism — for amendment, if need be; — or it will be withdrawn altogether if anything more effective and ac- ceptable should be suggested. As it stands, it embodies pretty 233 exactly that form of the law of priority which the writer believes to be the soundest, the broadest in its scope, and the simplest and surest in its application. Nevertheless it is at variance in some points with the views of at least one of the ablest advo- cates of the movement. Obviously the friends of the revised nomenclature must agree upon a statement of their dogma before they propose it to the general congregation of American botan- ists. What is desired, therefore, at this time is that those who are satisfied with the agreement as here set forth should informally signify their approval of it, and that any one who wishes modifi- cations should present a revised version embodying the changes believed to be advantageous.* Something may properly be said here in explanation and support of the form of agreement herewith submitted. It is purposely phrased so as to leave the subscribers free to use for a while yet the current familiar nomenclature In correspondence and in published writings of a merely popular character, inasmuch as amateurs and the general public, in the present state of the case, might be more perplexed than instructed by the new names. But the obligation is binding to use them not only in one's own herbarium but also in all '^published botanical writings," that is, scientific papers, catalogues, textbooks and the like. The clause 4< according to our best knowledge '' limits the obligation to such revised names as are now conveniently accessible, or may from time to time become so, in pubhshed works of presumably good authority. The formal statement of the law itself is purposely framed to uphold rigorously the first trivial (/. e, individual) name of the plant, wholly irrespective of its higher or lower rank as species or variety. In other words, accepting this definition, an original variety raised to a species retains its original name : an original species reduced to a variety does the same. Whether the vege- table individuality in question is originally reckoned a species or a variety is largely a matter of chance, and is wholly unimportant ^ far as nomenclature is concerned. 7/ is the ORIGINAL NAME that must ride. Moreover, it is downright injustice to deny the "* Communications upon this subject should be addressed to the editor of the Bulletin. 234- right of priority to the conservative botanist who modestly pro- poses a variety, and reward the rash species-maker by holding sacred the names of nominally higher rank which he emits upon the least provocation. The only safe, sure rule decrees absolute precedence to the individual portion of the name first duly given to the plant ''in accordance with the binomial system." The wording here is designed to admit pre-Linnsean binomials, and to exclude all monomials absolutely from consideration. Prof. E. L. Greene has ably pointed out (Pittonia, Vol. L, pp. 188-190) the poetic justice of recognizing such names as Rhodora and Sarothra^ originally monomial because applied to monotypic plants, and afterwards ranked as generic and provided with specific affixes in mere formal compliance with the binomial law. When ultimately united with other genera the original names were made specific. The argument for awarding precedence to these over the unquestioned specific names first joined with them is eminently plausible ; nevertheless, to concede such precedence would be at once Irregular and most unsafe. The line must be drawn somewhere, and drawn rigidly, to ensure certainty In the application of the law ; and where can it be safely drawn but at binomials ? The admission of a single monomial, however deserv- ing (like the rejection of a single false name, however absurd), would be a precedent of fatal import to the stability of the revised nomen- clature. Moreover, these names in their monomial state were truly generic and not specific, and were only accidentally and not essentially individual Another Rhodora or Sarothra might have turned up any day to share the name and demand recog- nition as a new species. To be properly maintained under the law of priority a name must be not only original but individual, that Is, specific or varietal and not suceptible of being legitimately shared by any other plant. Finally, the fit destiny of the two names in question is to figure as Hypericum % Sarothra and Rhododendron % Rhodora, while the plants themselves, in strict and logical conformity with the law, bear the names Hypericum gentianoides and Rhododendron Canadense^J^ The writer has the usual keen repugnance to false names and a specially strong liking for appropriate ones ; nevertheless, upon mature consideration, he makes, without reserve, th? neecTTul sq.crifice of these personal preferences on the \ i 235 r Section II. of the agreement is really extraneous, but the movement to reinstate certain wrongfully suppressed genera has by chance gone hand in hand with the movement to maintain original trivial names, and as both reforms are governed by the same general principle of priority, it has seemed best to embrace them both in otiQ agreement. The signer accepts the substitution of Castaha for Nympkcea, Belamcanda for Pardanthus, and some other like changes, imperatively demanded of us as simple acts of historic justice, A third phase of the new movement in nomenclature is the citation in parenthesis of the author of the trivial name, whenever the name as a whole belongs to some one else. Under this system Moneses grandtflora, Salisb., implies that Salisbury is the author of the specific name and also of the binomial. Moneses unijlora^ (L.), Gray, assigns to Gray the authorship of the name as a whole, butg ifli to the plant. This mode of citing authorities is simple enough ; It IS preeminently just; and it adds to the history of the name a feature of special moment, now that the trivial appellation is 9-ssuming new importance as a key to nomenclature. It is wholly incidental, however, to the main question of enforcing the law of priority, and, if incorporated at all in the agreement, should be introduced in a subsidiary way for separate signature by such botanists as may choose to adopt it. This somewhat discursive statement of the nomenclature question may be fitly concluded with the observation that the only way to settle it is to organize a league of the supporters of c new movement, and a counter league of its opponents (if any): let each party formulate its doctrine precisely, apply it strictly and defend it boldly, and in due time the right side will convert and absorb all its antagonists and hold undisputed possession of the field. E. E. Sterns. th ^Itar of the law of priority— not a flexible law, to be varied now and again to suit ^dividual tastes, bnt'a stern, unyielding, absolute one— in short, a standard law— to be literally and unflinchingly obeyed. Surely it is not too mucb to hope that t^e friends of the revised nomenclature, both East and West, will vie with each other in the strictest possible maintenance of this law, from which so much is hoped, even at the occasional expense of cherished personal predilections. 236 Botanical Notes, The True ''Rattlesnake Master'' appears to be Agave Virginica, 1.,, and not Erj/7igmm agtiatictim, L., {=E. yiicccBfoliiiniy Michx.). Gray gives the name to the latter plant, but neither Wood nor Chapman recognizes it at all. A very intelligent correspondent in East Tennessee assures me that the Agave (fully identified from specimens sent) is the genuine ** Rattlesnake Master.'* He says: ''My experience is this : Take a stick, get a rattlesnake 'mad/ and it will strike the stick as viciously as it would a man. But i, rub the root of this plant on the end of the stick and put it to the snake's head, and it will run or drop its head as low as possible, and not attempt to strike the stick. I have tried several snakes of the rattler kind, and never could induce one to bite or snap at a stick with this weed rubbed on it/' The Eryiigium, common in the same region, is called " Crow Poison," and is not associated with the rattlesnake in any way in popular estimation. E. E. S. Urechites sitherecta, MuelL An experimental research by Dr. Minkiewicz. (Therap. Gaz., p. 514.) A brief resume of our knowledge of the physiological action of this plant, from which the doctor concludes that its properties cannot be utilized in med- icine. We remember that the same conclusion was reached some years ago concerning " Jaborandi,'' which has now become one of our important drugs. The same result may yet be reached in the case of Urechites. In the article in question the plant, an Apocynacea, is referred to the Asclepiadacege. The ''Loco- weeds'' of our southwestern region have been still further examined by a Mr, Kennedy, who reports (Pharm. Rec, July 2) that he fails to find any constituent capable of pro- ducing toxic effects. Vernonia Nigritiana. A fresh instance of the remarkable and inexplicable diversity of physiological effects produced by Ni tiana, Oliver & Hirn, of Western acts similarly to digitalis. Cineraria maritima, Willd From the reports of Dr. A. Mer- 237 cer, formerly connected with the Colonial Hospital, Port of Spain, some hopes are gathered that the fresh juice of the Cin- eraria maritima, Willd., may be found to possess the power of causing the absorption of cataract. H. H. R. Native Flowers of New Zealand illustrated in colors. By Mrs. Charles Hetley, Although not intended as a botanical contribution, the drawings reproduced in these portfolios are true to nature, and include several plants new to the flora of New Zealand. The work has been carefully supervised by native botanists and each plate is accompanied by a short description ; It was also intended to give a botanical dissection of the flower in each, but for some reason these have been omitted. Tliree parts have already appeared, each containing twelve chromo- lithographs, large quarto size, at the price of £z is. If a suffi- cient number of copies are sold the work will be continued, A specimen of the plates will be forwarded free on application to the publishers, Sampson Low, Marston & Co., London. Review of Foreign Literature freezing of seed influences the development of the plant afterward develop- ing from the same. By L. Kny. (Sitzungsbericht der Gesell- schaft Naturforschende Freunde zu Berhn vom 15 Novemb. 1887.) One of the most marked characteristics of the vegetation of cold climates is the extreme rapidity of its growth, both vegetative and reproductive. Grisebach says that the polar willow, when its shoots are only about one inch long, begins to blossom, and this weeks before the sap begins its upward stream- ing. Christ says, however much the climate of the Alps excites I'apid development of vegetation, plants growing lower down on 'e sides of the Alps show the same propensity, but with this difference: those of any species above blossom earlier than those of the same species growing lower down, although the latter develop their leaves earlier. He considers this due to increased insolation. Several other authors refer this, not to any direct influence during the time of development, but rather to the influence of extreme cold on perennial plants during the winter th 238 season. The writer of tlie article entitled as above gives the names of several authors, the results of whose experiments go to prove that those plants exposed through natural causes to a low tem- perature during their period of rest, as well as those artificially exposed, being placed on ice, when given again the conditions of growth develop earlier and faster than others whose winter rest has been passed under a higher temperature. Similar experi- ments have been tried with seeds, proving that seeds of certam grains grown in an extreme northern climate, when planted m warmer climates, develop seeds again in less time than those grown in the same warmer cUmate. These results, the author thinks, do not imply with any degree of certainty that the climate is the only factor concerned. The seed of the colder climate may have acquired certain characteristics from a long series of genera- tions, Instead of the single seed being affected by the climate of the winter it has passed through. Other experiments touching this latter part of the question have been carried on in St. Peters- burg also by Haberlandt. Seeds were exposed to cold after having been swollen by absorption of water. After being exposed some time to a temperature of I7°5, (Celsius) they were allowed to thaw very gradually. Plants obtained from seeds so treated, all other conditions being equal, produced blossoms a few days earUer than those not so treated. The author tried similar experiments with somewhat different results. Seeds from eight different species were taken, divided in three sets, each set treated differently from the other two in respect to the degree of cold they were exposed to during their winter rest. They were not swollen by placing in water, but were simply kept during the winter in rooms of different temperature: one set in a room of about 19^ or 20°; another where it varied from 1° to 24"^; the third exposed to all the rigors of a Berlin winter, not, however, allowed to be in contact with snow or ice. These seeds, in the spring, were given the same conditions. The plants obtained from the three sets showed no difference, either in time of germi- nating or of flower and seed producing. The question is one of strong practical interest as well as scientific. In both directions it seems well worth taking up, especially as so little compara- tively has been done with it E- L- G. » 239 Index to Recent American Botanical Literature. Agave Shatvii.— The Most Northern Station of.—C. R. Orcuti (West American Scientist, iv., 6S.) Asa Gray.- Personal Reminiscences of.—C. V. Riley. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., 178-186.) Aspleninui rhizophorum. (Garden, xxxiv., 5 i ; illustrated.) Botanical Literature, Old and New.—Y.. L. Greene, (rittonia, i., 176-183.) A series of papers designed to extend the knowledge con- cerning a class of works not readily accessible to many botanist.s. Catalogus Plantarum circa Cantabrlgiaui nascentlum. " In tnis little Cambridge catalogue, which antedates Linnaeus' Species ^tantarnm by ninety-three years, there occur, as in common use in Ray s time, more than fifty binary plant-names which are amiliar to us now, are always presumed to be of Linnaean origin, and are always credited to Linnceus." A list of these names, with their authorship, is given, and a plea, is made for the justice of recording the pre-Linnasan authorship of our names in cases where it is apparent. Botany of Cedros Island.— The.— E. L. Greene. (Pittonia, 1.. 194-208.) An historical sketch of the collections made on this "the largest of the Mexican coast islands," with a pleasing account of three days' botanizing by the writer. Eighty-two species are reported as growing there, two of them, Sphceralcea fnlva and J^rzogonum molle, being described as new, Isomeris arborea, ^^utt, becomes Cleome Isomeris, Greene. Bryology of the Dominion of Canada. — Contributiojis to the. Kindberg and Macoun. (Can. Rec. of Sci., iii., 15S 159.) Carpentaria Calif ornica. (Garden, xxxiv., 75 ; illustrated.) Catalogue of the Niagara Flora.— l)a.vid F. Day. (Pamph., Svo., pp. 6j.) A list of the Anthophyta and Pteridophyta fonnd in the vicinity of Niagara Falls, prepared at the request of the Commis- sioners of the State Reservation. The area covered by this catalogue is not confined to the State Reservation, however, but includes considerable territory in western New York and Ontario. 240 T A very convenient list for all who may wish to botanize in the region. with, perhaps, a brief preface. In the one before us now there is, besides the catalogue proper, a Preface, Plan of Catalogue, Introduction, List of Abbreviations, Map of the County, with description, List of Additions and Corrections, Recapitulation, giving the number of genera, species and varieties in each order, besides subdividing the species and varieties into those that are naturalized, adventlve, or native ; a Summary, in which the num- bers are given according to Exogens, Endogens, Pteridophytes, Bryophytes and ThaUophytes; and finally an Index. The last 1 Cross- fertilization. — Immediate Influence of, tipoit the Fruit. A. B. Crozier (Report of the Botanist, U. S. Dept. Ag., Rep. for 1887.) A valuable presentation of all the evidence on this subject, \ with suggestions for investigation. The author cannot think that such effect is yet proven, except in the case of Indian Corn. Cypripedium Calif ornicum.. (Garden and Forest, i., 281, fig. 45-) Diervilla rivularis. A. Gattinger. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., 19^-) A description of a new species, founded by Dr. Gattinger, upon specimens collected at Lookout Mountain, Georgia, July 6th, 1880. . Dodecatheon. — On so7ne Species of — E. L. Greene. (Pittoma, i., 209-214.) The writer contends that our Dodecatlieons are not yet cor- rectly distinguished, and describes three species, D. patnlinny D. critciaUtm and D. Clevelandi^ which are not included in any 01 the published descriptions. Equiseta. — Revision of the Ca^iadian, — Geo. Lawson. (Can, Rec. of Sci,, iii., 157-158.) • Equisetum, — Spore Dissonination of. — F. C. Newcombe. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., 173-178; illustrated.) Flora of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, — L. L. Dame and F. S. Collins. (Pamph., 8vo., pp. 201 ; Maiden, 1888.) The list of local catalogues seems ever on the increase, but it can never be too large, provided they maintain the high standard of those which have come to us lately. Early attempts at local cataloguing were little more than bare lists of names and places, 241 page of the Introduction is devoted to a list of the species and varieties which have been founded upon specimens first collected m Middlesex Co., of which there are fourteen noted. Credit to r all who have assisted in the work is carefully given, and great care has apparently been taken not to allow any unverified name to be included. A description of the geology and physiography of the county is also included in the Introduction. Anthophyta number 1484; Pteridophyta, 60; Bryophyta, 156; Thallophyta, 361. The typography and paper leave little to be desired. Notes in regard to species occur sparingly throughout, and their value IS such that we wish there were more of them. This, in common with many others lately published, essays to include the Bryo- phyta and Thallophyta, and the lists are doubtless authentic so far as they go and are of value for that reason. A quite extensive and interesting introduced flora is that which has been credited to wool-waste." Most of these plants that are not famihar and are not described in American works are followed by the description from foreign authors, or else reference is made to where such descriptions may be found. — [We have just received a note from Mi". F, S. Collins, requesting us to state that the name of Mr. I. C. Martindale was inadvertently omitted in the preface when mentioning the botanists who had aided in the work. Mn Mar- tindale's specialty was the adventive plants.] Flora Ottawaensis. (Ottawa Nat., ii., 61-64 and 77-80; con- tinued.) The first part includes Menispermum to Cardamine in part ; the second completes Cardamine and includes Lychnis. Florida Keys, — The Flora of the, — A. H. Curtiss. (Garden and Forest, i., 279, 280.) Forage Plants, — Dr. Geo. Vasey. (Report of the Botanist, U. S. Dept. Ag., Rep. for 1887.) Economic notes on Eiichlcena luxnrians, Durieu, Eurotta lanata, Moq., Opiintia Engelmanni, Salm., Onohrychis sativa. Lam., Trifolium hybridum^ L., Z wcamatnm, L., and 71 medium^ L. ; all figured except the latter. In this, as in the rest of the ''^port, the citing of authorities seems to be the exception. Forests of the United States. — The.— H, C. Putnam. (Garden and Forest, i., 297-298.) Function of Many Fruits. — A^i Overlooked. — Chas. E. Bessey. hi 242 (Am. Nat, xxii., 531.) A brief argument in favor of the assumption that the *' greening " of young fruit is of high importance in producing assimilating tissue, especially before the advent of leaves. Fungi from Various Localities. — New Species of. — J. B. Ellis and - B. M. Everhart. (Journ. MycoL, iv.. 62-65.) Fungi of Missouri, — Parasitic. — B. T. Galloway. (Bot, Gaz., xiii., 213.) In the form of a brief note the writer gives a valuable synopsis of the results of several years' collecting. Glen Cove, — Notes from, — W. Falconer- (Garden, xxxiv., 56, 57.) Guatemala. — Undescribed Plants from. — IV. — John Donnell Smith. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., 188-190.) Includes descriptions of Gonzalca thyrsoidca, Mikania pyra- midata^ Zexmenia Giiatevialensis, Encelia pleistocephala, Gono- lohus velutinns, Schlecht., var. calycimis, Zamonrouxia integer- rinta^ Pitcairnia Tuerckheimii and Zanthoxylum Costancense. Nephrodium Tuerckheimii x^^ figured and reference made to pre- vious description of species (Bot. Gaz., xii., 133.) Hahrothamnus fasciculatus. (Garden, xxxiv., 107; illustrated.) Habrothamnus NewellL (Garden, xxxiv., 107, plate 660^ Heuchera sanguinea. (Gard. Chron., iv., 1 22, fig 13.) Host -Index of the Fungi of the United States. — A Provisional W. G. Farlow and A. B. Seymour, (Pamph.. 4to., pp. 52.) Being Part I. of the Index and including all the host plants under Polypetalae, with the fungi parasitic upon them. A valuable addition to botanical literature which we trust to see continued and completed. Hypoxilon and Niimmularia. — Synopsis of the North American Species of — J iv., 66-70.) (J Ledum latifoliwn. (Garden, xxxiv., 31 ; illustrated.) Liriodendron Tulipifera. (Garden, xxxiv., 31 ; illustrated.) Medicinal Plants.— Vix. Geo. Vasey. (Report of the Botanist, U.S. Dept. Ag., Rep. for 1887.) Notes on Mentha piperita, (Enothera & Mexico.— New Species from.—E. L. Greene. (Pittonia, i., 153' 176.) The following additional species are to be noted : Midlla p 243 coronata. Allium peiiinsulare, A. dichlaniydemn, A. crispum, Thahctrwn platycarptim {T. Fendlcri, v2.x. platycarpmn, Trelcase), Papaver Lemmoui, P. heterophyllum {Mecanopsis heterophylla, I^enth.), Eschscholtzia modesta, E. te?!uisecta, E. leptandra, Poteittilla saxosa, Lupinus capitatus, L. polycarpus, Trifolium qiiercetornni, Syrmaiium nudatum, Astragalus circumdatus, Sen- ecio astephamis, Erigeron viscidulus, Troximon Marshallii, Pha- ceha rugulosa, Lemmon, F. leiicantha, Lemmon. Russelia re- trorsa. Mitraria coccinea. (Garden, xxxiv., 64; illustrated.) Mosses of North America.— New.— I.— Y. Renauld and J. Cardot. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., 197-203; illustrated.) Seven new species are described, as follows: Dicranclla Pitzgeraldt, Campylopus Henrici, Rhacomitrittm Oregamnn, vVebcra catnptotrachela, Polytrichum Ohioense, Fontinalis ellit, F. placida, Camptothecium AmesicB. Nuttallia cerasiformis. (Garden, xxxiv., "]%, 79; illustrated.) Orchids.— -Native.— "L&n^ Leslie. (Vick's Mag., ii., 228-230; Ho 1 Y. illustrated.) An account of native orchids found in Westchester parviflorum, C. pubescens, Habcnat Pogoma ophioglossoidcs, Calopogon pulcJiellus and Corallorhiaa multiflora are figured. Oxalis violacea. — The Subterranean Shoots of. — Wm. Trelease. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., 191 ; illustrated.) Passijiora cariilea. (Garden, xxxiv., iio; illustrated.) Paviajlava. (Garden, xxxiv., 11 1; illustrated.) Pavia rubra. (Garden, xxxiv., Ill; illustrated.) Phlox Stellaria. (Garden and Forest, i., 256, fig. 42.) Pine. — The Long Leaved. (Garden and Forest, i., 261-262.) Pines in July.— The.— ^iiiry Treat (Garden and Forest, i., 290- 291-) A brief enumeration of the most conspicuous flowers le month of July. Maxwell T. Masters. Pi ■?phyllt ) — r A contribution to the discussion of the morphology of its leaf. The author says :•**"! investigated the develop- ment of the constituent parts of the leaf- bud at various stages of I 244 growth, and * * * in the earliest stages examined there were always two foliar tubercles, one of which speedily overpassed the other, so that ultimately all traces of the second leaf were obliterated. The monophyllous sheath of this pine therefore owes its pecuUarity to the generally arrested development of one of its two original leaves." Piniis Sabiniana, (Gard. Chron., iv., 44-45, fig. 4.) Plants of Nantucket. — Maria L. Owen. (Pamph., 8vo,, pp. 87, 1888.) This addition to the list of local plant catalogues is a model for all of its kind. Its appearance is a credit to the printer, and the contents bear every evidence of careful field work and pams- taking compilation by the author. Its value does not alone con- sist in an accurate list of the plants, but also in the many notes, memoranda and local names which are interspersed throughout, giving just the authentic information that will be appreciated by the botanist of the future, when many of the plants now noted have become exterminated. Due credit is given to all who tiave assisted in the work, either voluntarily or unwittingly, and the modesty of the author is not its least pleasing feature. Indeed, almost the last words in the cataloP"ue are words of regret that it t: Liv^ CXI iw vv^p-'i^-io v/* ^ could not be made more complete by a record of the lichenes and fungi. Four hundred and seventy native and one hundred and sixteen introduced species of flowering plants are named, besides fifty varieties, both native and introduced. Twenty species of Pteridophyta are enumerated. The species of Marine Algae number one hundred and ten, of which two are said to be ''new to America'' and four " not in Farlow's Manual" The Characeae number ten species, but only six Mosses and two Hepatics are mentioned, and doubtless many additions could be made to these latter two orders, in spite of the fact that we are told "The Island does not seem to be rich in these orders." Any review of the flora of Nantucket would necessarily be incomplete without at least a brief mention of its exceedingly interesting introduced species. Many of them have never been naturalized elsewhere in America, and fortunately they seem to have fallen amongst good friends. Thus in regard to Erica cinerea, L. : '* The place is also known now to several persons \ 245 who have come across it by good fortune, as its first discoverer did. Some of these are residents of the Island, some arc summer visitors, but they have kept the secret they have surprised, as bound by honor and from true regard for the beautiful little thing, whose place would soon know it no more but for their kindly reticence." hnca tetrahx^ L., Callima vulgaris, Salisb., and Ulex Europeans, are other foreigners which seem to have found there a concjenial nome. It is also interesting to note that Corema Conradii^ Torn, Linncea borealis, Gronov., and Chiogenes hispidula, Torr. & Gr., are found there. The speedy extermination of Epig(2a repcns, L., IS deplored, and Ilex opaca. Ait,, is described as *' becoming rare, as it has been cut for fire- wood/' On page 55 will be noted a single typographical error, where S, sylvestris is made to do duty for P^ sylvestris. Pollination, — Secoiidary Results of.—Y.. W. Claypole. (Report oi the Botanist, U. S. Dept Ag., Rep. for 1887.) Read before the Botanical Club of the A. A. A. S. at the New York meeting. A. H. Ereliini7iary Catalogue of Anthophyta and Pteridophyta reported as growing spontaneously within one hundred miles of Nezv York City,~^'E. L. Greene. (Pittonia, i., 184-194.) A critical review, especially in regard to the principles of nomenclature involved. Primroses.-^American. (Gard. Chron., iv., 38.) ^onth American Drugs, — Ho?nes of Our. — H. H. Rusby. (Pharm. Rec, viil^ 231-233.) The conclusion of the paper continued from p. 217 of the above journal. ^f Sugar- Producing Plants. — Record of Ajialyses made by au of the Coimnissioner of Agriculture, under direction Chemist. — (U. S. Dept. Agric, Div. of Chemistry, Bulletin No. 18.) The plants described as experimented upon are Sorghum and Sugar Cane. Trinidad Royal Botanic Gardens, and their Work for i\ Annual Report on the. — J. H. Hart, F.L.S., Supt. A sketch of the history and administration of the gardens with botanical naemoranda, mostly economic ; illustrated. Umhellifer(2.—Some Notes on Western— IIL—] ohn M. Coulter and J. N. Rose. (Bot. Gaz., xiii. 208-2 ii.) The new species described are Peucedanum Austtn(E, P. 246 IVatsom. P. Branda^ci and P. Render sonii. P. niillefolmm, Wats., becomes / cultivated Pharmacopoeial Plants in New Huested. (Pharm, Rec, viii., 237, 238.) A. B Uredinem,— Notes on Western,—'^. M. Tracy and B. T. Galloway, (Journ. Mycol., iv., 61-62.) F Vegetable Pathology. — Report of the Section of, — F. Lamson Scribner. (Rep. U. S. Dept. Ag. for 1887.) Contains papers on the fungoid diseases of the vine, potato, strawberry, apple, beet, cherry, peach, plum, cotton, raspberry, blackberry, bean, catalpa, rose, gooseberry and Indian corn, with beautiful colored illustrations. Verbreitung der Pflanzen durch Thiere, — Ueber die. — Carl Mohr. (Pharm. Rundsch, vi., 177- 18 1.) An account of the spread of plants, through the agency of man and other animals, in the Eastern Gulf Region of the United States. A list of about 200 introduced plants is given, with memoranda in regard to their original habitats, method of in- troduction, etc. Weeds of Agricnlture, — Dr. Geo. Vasey. (Report of the Botanist, U. S. Dept. Ag., Rep. for 1887.) Portjilaca oleracea^ L., Asclepias Cormtti, Decaisne^ Raniin- ctdiis sceleratus, L., Chondrilla jtmcea, L., Hypericum perforatum, L., Amarantus kybridiis, L., Dancus Carota, L., Cy perns rotim- Hy figured. '/ The. — M (West. Am. Scientist, iv., 64-66.) Willows. — Notes on North American. — //. — M. S. Bebb. (Bot. Gaz., xiii., 186, 187 ; illustrated.) Salix phylicoides, And., is described and figured. Wood-Prodiicing Trees of Trinidad.— Classified List of the. (Annual Report on the Trinidad Royal Botanic Gardens and their Work for 1887.) Zygornorphy and its Causes. — //. — Charles Rpbertson. (Bot Gaz., xiii., 203-208; illustrated.) 1 \ L r BULLETIN ♦ OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. Vol. XV.] New York, October 3, 1888. [No. 9. An Enumeration of the Plants Collected by Dr. H. H. Rusby in South America. 1885-1886—111. PTERIDOPHYTA. Determined by Elizabeth G. Britton. (I.) — Equiset^. Eqiiisettim Bogolense, H.B.K., Sorata (2509). (11.) — Lycopodiace^. Lycopodimn Saururus, Lam., Yungas (455). L. linifolmm, L., Yungas (449). L. alopecuroides, L., Mapiri (457). L. aqicalupianum, Spring, Yungas (458). L. cernuum, L., Yungas (447). L. clavatnm, L., Unduavi (448). L. scariosum, Forst, var. Jussicei (Desv.), Baker, Yungas (45 0- (III.) — Selaginelle^. Selaginella macrophylla, Spring. Sorata (456). 5". longicuspis. Baker (?). Possibly 5. stibstipitata, Spring, but leaves of the upper plane less than one-half as long as those of the lower. Mapiri (461a). Beyond the recorded range of eith er. -^^ Breynii, Spring, Mapiri (461). Approaching in the auricled bases of the leaves, 5. campyloth, A. Br. ^. polycephala, Baker, Mapiri and Yungas (462). Young plants like Helton's No. 82, Flora Neo-Granadina Quindiensis. ^. Poeppigiana, Spring, Yungas (4S2); Unduavi (454). *In the determination of these plants I have been favored with exceptional advantages, for, in addition to the resources of the Columbia College Herbarium and Library, I have had access to Professor's Eaton*s, at New Haven, and those at Kew. To Professor Eaton and Mr. Baker, for their kindly assistance, I hereby tender my hearty thanks. 248 S. MHwtdes, A. Br., Mapiri (460). ^\ Moritziana, Spring, var. major, Yungas (462a). One of the numerous varieties, agreeing with No. 1565 of Lindig from Bogota. 5. radiata. Baker, Yungas, La Paz and Sorata (453). S, hcBmatodeSy Spring, Mapiri (450). (IV.) — FiLICES. Gleichenia ptibescens, H. B. K., Unduavi (438). Cyathea Schanschin, Mart., near Yungas (121). Hemitelia grafidifoliay Spr., Mapiri (149). Alsophila picbescens^ Baker, Unduavi and Yungas (424). A. infesta, Kunze, Yungas (122). " This species exudes much gelatinous matter, which is very styptic." — [H. H. R.] A, pruinata, (Sw.), Kaulf., Yungas (123). Woodsia Peruviana, Hook., Sorata (337); Ingenio del Oro (33^)' Regarded as a variety of W. ohttisa, Torr., in the Synopsis Fihcum. Dicksonia cicutaria, Sw., Yungas (127), Hymenophyllum polyanthos, Sw., Yungas (136), typical; Mapiri (186). is H. protriiswn. Hook. : Maoiri {\%7\. is //. brevistipes, Liebm., forma minima, Kunze — both forms of H. p^ H, //. microcarpnm^ Desv., Yungas (137). //. Trichomanes simwstcm, Rich., Yungas (138); not typical, is T. incisnm, Kaulf. r. brachypus, Kunze, Mapiri (185). Not typical ; fronds shorter and more deltoid. Kicn T, crispiim, L., Mapiri (184). Davallia i?iceqnalis, Kunze, Yungas (126). D, Saccolo7na, Spr., Mapiri (156). Cy stopfer is fragilis (L.), Bernh., Sorata (3 1 9). ! inches high. Lindsaya trapeze for mis, Dry., Mapiri (161). Adiajitnm tetraphyllum, VVilld., Guanai (164). A. Chilense, Kaulf, Unduavi (444). Named by Prof Eaton. | i I 24& Regarded as a form of A. ^i^thiopiciim^ L., in the Synopsis Filic um. A. decorum^ Moore, Gard. Chron.. 1869, 582. Near La Paz (166). ** Common on walls along roadsides." — H. H. .R. A. ctmeatiim, Langsd. and Fisch., Yungas (165). Lonchitis pitbescens, Willd., Yungas (145). Hypolepis repens, Presl, near Yungas (410). Cheilanthes Matthewsii, Kunze, near La Paz (320). C ptlosa, Goldm., Ingenio del Oro (330); Mapiri (331). C. myriophylla, Desv., near La Paz (321); Sorata (322). Pdlma gerania^ folia, Fee, Guanai (113). P' ternifolia. Fee, near La Paz {^21), P^ marginata (H.B.K.), Baker, Sorata, (328), Pteris dejlexa, Link, Yungas (116); Sorata (163.) P* pedata, L., Yungas, (112). P^ actdeata, Sw., Mapiri (162.) P' podophylla^ Sw., Unduavi (115). Lomaria atte^itiata, Willd., near Yungas (314)- L. Plumieri, Desv., Yungas (318). L. alpma, Spr., near La Paz {ii"/) ; Sorata, {li6). L, procera, Spr., near Valparaiso (310) {L, Chilensis^ Kaulf); near Yungas (311, 312). L. Boryana, Willd., Mapiri (313). Blechmim asph^iioides, Sw., Yungas (315). Sterile. \ Willd ^ongifoliu in B. occidentale, L., La Paz (305) ; near Yungas (396, 309). B. hastatiim, Kaulf., near Valparaiso (303) ; named by Prof. Philippi. 'lenitim ft del Oro (406). Unduavi (405) ; Ingenio A. Tric/wnianes, L. Unduavi (407). A. monanthemum, L. Sorata (400); typically fruited fronds mixed with forms of A. Menziesii, Hook. A. oligophylhnn, Kaulf, Yungas (383). A. lunulaiiim, Sw., Yungas (398) ; Unduavi (399)- 1 Mett. Map pterop 250 Approaching A. crenula- m A. aiiriailatwn^ Sw., Yungas (397). A. rhizophoriim, L,, Yungas (396), fronds pinnate, Mapiri and Yungas (389), tripinnate {A. flabellidatiim, Kunze). A, serra, Langs. & Fisch., Yungas (384). A. aiiritiim, Sw., {A. rigidtim, Sw), Unduavi (39^); Yungas (391). A, falcatwn, Lam., Yungas (388). Approaches a form at Kew, labelled by Mr. Baker "an A. insiticwn, Brack/' More laciniate than any other American specimens seen. A. fragranSy Sw., {A. foeniculaceum^ H.B.K.), Unduavi (39^)- A. repenSy Hook., Yungas (409). A, delicatuhim^ Presl., near Yungas (393). A, Filix-foemina (L.), Bernh., Undua^ A. grandifoluim, Sw., Mapiri (385). turn, Baker. A, crefiidatuniy Baker, Yungas (387). A. Klotschii^ Mett., Yungas (394). A, radicals, Sw., Yungas (386). Didyniocklcena himilata^ Desv., Yungas (117). Aspidiiun macrophylbim, Sw., Mapiri (413). A. acitleatwn^ Sw. The type is not represented in the collection. The form described as Polypodiiim platyphyllum^ Hook., i^ Synopsis FiHcum agrees with specimens from Sorata (4H); Ingenio del Oro (417); near Yungas (418, 446.) That Viwowxi d^s P. rigidtim. Hook, & Grev. with Sorata (4^^) ' Yungas (419), and Unduavi (420). Phegopteris cochleata, Mett*, is represented from Sorata and Yungas (415)- A. riviilortcm, Link, near Valparaiso, ChiU (421); named by Prof. Phillippi. A. patens, Sw., Yungas (423); approaching Nephrodium macron- rtinZy Baker, in the basal pinnules. A. conspersoides, Fee, in Fourn. Fil. Max., p. 95 (?) ; Mapiri (426). An unusual form marked by coriaceous texture and the lowest pair pinnules much prolonged and appressed to the rachis. A, conterminum, Willd., Sorata (422); Guanai (430, 436); near Yungas (429, 432) ; specimens approaching A. Noveboracense, Sw., from Yungas (435); Unduavi (431); Mapiri (434)^ i 1 t 251 ( Nephrodium conierntiimm, Desv., van A. pilosulum, Klotsch.) Specimens resembling A. Thelypteris, Sw., from La Paz (433). None of the specimens are indusiate. A. falciculatiim, Raddi, Mapiri (437). A. VILLOSUM (Presl.). Nephrodmm villosuni, Presl, Yungas (425). A. prcEterviswn, Kuhn, Linnaea, xxxvi., (411); Mapiri (437a). Nephrohpis exaltata, Schott., Yungas (411). Phegopteris decussata, (L.), Mett., near Yungas (427); Sorata (428). Polypodmm serrulatum, Mett, Unduavi {l6%)\ Yungas (369). P. moniliforine, Lag., Mapiri and Unduavi (381). P. cultratmn, "VViild., near La Paz (370); Yungas (371). P. pendulum, Sw., var. siibsessile, Baker, near La Paz and Yungas (379) ; Mapiri (380}. /*. suspcnsum, L., Yungas (376). The form P. mollisisshnum, Fee, near La Paz (373); Yungas (374); Mapiri (375)- P. macrocarpum, Presl., La Paz (365). P- rigescens, Bory, Mapiri (382). P. apiculatum, Kunze, Yungas (372). P. Plumula, H.B.K., Mapiri (366); near Yungas (367). P- pectmatiim, L., Mapiri (356); Unduavi (358). P.plebeium, Schlecht., Sorata (352); Yungas (353); Unduavi (355). Also a large form from Unduavi (364), agreeing with P. pleopeltidis. Fee, Fil. Bras., t. 26, f i ; approaching some large specimens at Kew, collected by P. L. Sodiro, " Flora Andium Quitensium," Nos. 39, 40 and 48, considered by Mr. Baker to be forms of P. plebeimn. P- piloseloides, L., Unduavi (361). var. ciliatum, (Willd.), Baker, Mapiri (361a). P. glaucophyllma, Kunze, Yungas (362) ; Mapiri {16^^. P. plesiosoriitn, Kunze, Unduavi (377). P. loriceum, L., Yungas (357, 378); Ingenio del Oro (359); Unduavi {2,60). P. Chacapoyettse, Hook, Yungas (354)- P. fraxinifolhnn, Jacq., Yungas (346). P. thysariolepis, A. Br., Sorata (344)- P. attreum, L., var. arcolatum, Eaton, Yungas (343)- P- angiLstifolium, Sw., Yungas (350); Unduavi (351). ^-/^m/.y^?/;«,Cav., Yungas (347); Unduavi (348); Mapiri (348). 252 P, crassifoliinn, L., Sorata (345). Jamesonia imbricata. Hook, & Grev., Sorata and Undtiavi (14O' Nothol(Ena ferritginea, Kaulf.^ Sorata (335); near La Paz (333); Guanai {ll^)\ Yungas (332). N. hypoleuca, Kunze, Yungas (334)- N. tenera^ GilL, Sorata (326) ; near La Paz (327). N, nivea, Desv., near La Paz (324); near Yungas (325)- Gymnogravtvte grajidis, Baker, Yungas (147)- G. angtistifrojis, Baker, Unduavi (329); a sterile, narrower and more elongated form from Yungas (408). G. flexiiosa, Desv., Yungas (128); young fronds sterile from La Paz (445); a variety from Ingenio del Oro (160), agrees with No. 239, Pearce, Andes of Ecuador in Herb. Kew; another from near Yungas (129), approaches in coarseness and slight _ 4 hirsuteness a specimen at Kew collected by R. Pearce m Quenca, (also numbered 239), and labelled van hirstita. G, trifoliata, Desv., Guanai (146). G. tartarea, Desv., Unduavi (132); a variety (6^. oriiithopteris, Klotz), Yungas (133). 6^. ^:^/^W(?/^;/(9^, Kaulf, Yungas (134); Mapiri (148); unusually large and coarse, from Cinchona plantations at Yungas (13 0^ a variety (C. chrysophylla, Kaulf.), Yungas (130). Meniscitim serratum^ Cav., Guanai (412). Vittaria stipitata, Kunze, Yungas (339, 340). V. lineata, Sw., {V, fill folia, Fee); Mapiri (341). Acrostic/mm conforme, Sw., Mapiri (300). A, flaccidum, Fee, Yungas (298). A. castanetcm, Baker, Journ. Bot, 1877, p. 166, near Yungas (295). A. Lingua, Raddi, Mapiri (441). A, latifoliiim^ Sw., Yungas (296). A. melanopus, Kunze, Yungas (292). A. viscosmn, Sw., Yungas (301). var. minor, Moore, {Eiaphoglosstuntenuiculum, Moore, Herb.), near Yungas (299). A. Mattkewsii, Fee, Unduavi and Yungas (297). A, lepidohtm, Willd., Mapiri (440). ACROSTICTUM Eatonianum, sp. nov. Sect Elaphoglossum, A / "-" "-^^^ t> held in one of the rooms of the High School, which was the headquarters for the whole Association and admirably adapted ] Wednesday, August 15th. Meeting called to order at 9 A. M. The President, Mr. David F. Day in the chair. Rev. W. M. Beauchamp was elected Secretary /TO tem. in the absence of Prof V. M. Spalding. The President opened the meeting by an address including a memoir of Dr. Gray and a recommendation that the club be incorporated as a section of the Association, Before the reading of the papers in the day's programme two motions were made and carried : one to the effect that the Secre- tary should be provided with a book for permanent records of the Club; the other, that a committee be appointed to consider the proposition in regard to uniting the Club with the biological section of the Association. As members of this committee the Chairman appointed Messrs- W. H. Hale, Thos. Meehan and J. F. Cowell. It was also resolved that a committee should be appointed to provide for the publication of the proceedings of the Club. The committee appointed consisted of Messrs. W. H. Seaman, W. H. Hale and Thos. Meehan. Mr. Thos. Meehan read papers on ** Dioecious Labiate/ and *'The Elastic Filaments of the Stamens of Compositas;" and Mr, J. F. Cowell followed with '* Observations on Azalea midiflora and Corallorhiza. y> Thursday. August i6th. After the meeting had been called to order, the question of making the Club a special section of the Association, or else a 255 sub-section of Section F, was discussed. The report of the committee was read, and in this they strongly recommended that the independent organization of the Club should be maintained. After further discussion, their recommendation was unanimously adopted. The President then announced that an invitation had been extended to the Club, by Mr. J. D. Rockafcller, to visit his grounds. As, however, the time of the Club was already fully provided for, it was decided that the Club as a body could not set a date when it would be possible to accept the invitation, and, on motion of Prof C. R. Barnes, the regrets of the Club at their inability to accept the invitation, were ordered to be trans- mitted to the sender. Mr. Thos. Median spoke of tlie death of Dr. Gray and sug- gested that resolutions ought to be adopted by the Club in relerence to it, and the following gentlemen were appointed as a committee to draft such resolutions: Messrs. C R, Barnes, Thos. Meehan and D. S. Kellicott. Rev. W. M. Beauchamp read a paper on "Onondaga Indian i lant Names/'* Mr. Beauchamp also exhibited specimens of i^rythrcEa Centauriiun, gathered near Oswego, a plant xvc\^ to many of those present. Mr. Thos. Meehan read a paper on ''Irregular Tendencies in e Tubulifloral Composit3e."f Prof. E. L. Sturtevant read a paper on " Observations on the genus Capsicmn'' accompanied by numerous beautifully executed colored drawings, showing the great variations in the fruit of differ- ent varieties. The author pointed out the difficulty of distinguishin species in plants that had been long cultivated, and expressed his doubts as to the validity of certain accepted species of the genus under consideration. Mr. Meehan expressed his interest in the th to paper, and said he was inclined to believe that all the cultivated capsicums were merely varieties of a single species. The last paper was by Prof B. E. Fernow, ow the subject ** What is a Tree ? *' In the paper the author pointed out the desirability of a generally accepted definition of the word "tree/' See this BaLLETiN, p. 262. t See this Bullenin, p. 266. 256 and showed how authorities differ in regard to it. The following definition was suggested : *' Trees are woody plants, the seeds of which have the inherent capacity of forming a definite trunk supporting a crown of branches." After some discussion of the paper, the meeting adjourned. Friday, August 17TH. After some prehminary business, the following resolutions, in memory of Professor Gray, prepared by the committee ap- pointed for that purpose, were unanimously adopted : ''Resolved, That the Botanical eiub of the American Association sincerely regrets that, meeting hut once a year, it should be among the last to place on record the sense of the greai loss which the whole range of science suffers by the death of Professor Gray. ''Resolved, That, though among the last to contribute to the wreath of sorrow with which science is everywhere crowning the memory of Dr. Gray, this body takes a mournful pride in remembering that he was one of its honor^ members, and that it was as a botanist he won such eminent renown, Wc feel that we have a right to be among the chief mourners at his departure from the field of labor he loved so wx'll, and in a special degree to unite our sympathies with the many thousands who miss him everywhere. ''''Resolved^ That copies of these resolutions be forwarded to the family of our deceased friend and to the botanical and other scientific periodicals for publication. Papers were read by Prof. C. R. Barnes on '*The Cause of the Acridity in the Corm of Ariscema,'' and by Mr. A. A, Crozier on '' Secondary Effects of Pollination." Professor Barnes stated that it was probable that the intensely burning taste of the juice of AriscBma was due, as suggested by Stahl for the European Arum mamlatum, to mechanical causes ; i. e. the irri- tation produced by the numerous rhaphides with which the juice is filled. Professor Barnes found that when these were removed by filtering the acrid taste was completely lost, Mr. Crozier's paper was read by Prof. Cowell, the author being absent. From the author's experiments, mostly in different varieties of apples, he concluded that the influence of foreign pollen did not extend beyond the seeds. Mrs. H. L. Wolcott exhibited the leaves of a form of choke- cherry which she described as having amber-colored berries and much shorter racemes than the ordinary form. Prof W. R. Lazenby brought up the question as to the dis- * See this Bulletin, p. 267, m S57 tinctness of the two forms of Virginia Creeper, which was discussed at some length by several members. A letter from Dr. Geo. Vasey was read, on *' American Desert Plants/' after which the meeting adjourned. In the afternoon the Club made an excursion to Brighton, a suburb of Cleveland, but the flora of the vicinity did not present many novelties. One of the most interesting plants found was jefferso7ua diphylla^ of which fine specimens were obtained in fruit ■ Saturday, August i8th. The entire day was devoted to a trip on the steamer '* City of Cleveland," to the Put-in-Bay Islands, The trip was such a long one as to allow but little time for botanizing. Monday, August 2oth. The following papers were read: by Prof Jos. F. James on " Dentaria laciniata^ and D. multijida \ " by Mr. R L. Scribner on ''Observations on Nomenclature" and ''Sphcerella Fragarice^ " and by Mr. Thos. Meehan, on ''Peduncular Bracts in Tilia!' Prof James also exhibited a form of Asclepias tiiberosa with flexuous stem and sub-opposite leaves, which he thought was sufficiently distinct to be regarded as a variety. The committee on nominations of officers for the ensuing year reported in favor of Professor T. J. Burrill, of Champaign, III, for President, and Douglas H. Campbell, of Detroit, Mich., for Secretary, and also recommended that the office of Vice- President be created, and named Prof Byron D. Halsted of Ames, Iowa, for the office. The report of the Committee was accepted, and the officers elected. Tuesday, August 2ist. Prof W. R. Lazenby read a paper on " The Flowering Plants of Ohio," and was followed by some remarks by Mr. David F. Day on those of the vicinity of Buffalo, and by Mr. Beauchamp on the Cayuga flora. Mr. F. L. Scribner read a paper upon and discussed the genus Andropogon. Prof V. M. Spalding contributed a paper on '* Changes Pro- duced in the Host Plant by Piucinia graminisy The author t>eing absent, the paper was read by Mr. D. H. Campbell. 258 Prof. M. B. Waite contributed a paper on '' Changes in the Local Fungus Flora of Champaign, 111." In the absence of the author, the paper was read by Mr. Scribner. Prof. W. J. Beal read a paper entitled ** Notes on Some Flowering Plants of Michigan." At the conclusion of the meeting the Club adjourned to meet next year in Toronto, Canada. Besides the papers read before the Botanical Club, the fol- lowing botanical papers were read in Section F of the Associa- tion : **A Plea for Uniformity in Biological Nomenclature/' N. L. Britton; **A Study of Hydrangea as to the Objects of Cross- Fertilization," Thos. Meehan ; **A Phase of Evolution/* E. L. Sturtevant; "Notes on the Inflorescence of Callitrichey' ]os. Schrenk; " Hygroscopic Movements in the Cone-Scales of Abietineae/' A. N. Prentiss; ** Some New Facts in the Life- History of Yucca and the Yucca Moth/' Thos. Meehan ; '*0n the Cause and Significance of Dichogamy in Flowers/' Thos. Mee- han ; '* Adaptation in the Honeysuckle and Insect Visitors, Thos. Meehan; "Comparison of the Flora of Eastern and Western Michigan in the latitude of 44" 40'/' W. J. Beal; ''Ot servations on the Succession of Forests in Northern Michigan, W. J. Beal; ** The Systematic Position of the Rhizocarpese, Douglas H. Campbell; '* Pollen Germination and Pollen Meas- urements/' Byron D, Halsted. The following botanical papers were read before the Society for the Promotion of Agricultural Science : " Peculiarities of the Plants of Northern Michigan/* W. J. Beal; ** Notes on the Flow- ering Plants of Ohio/' W. R. Lazenby; '' Potato F^lowers and Fruit/' Byron D. Halstead; "Tomato Flowers and Fruit/* By- ron D, Halstead; ''A Further Study of the Dandelion/* E. L. Sturtevant; ** Successful Treatment of Black Rot/' F. L. Scrib- >? >» "# ner. Douglas H. CAMrsELL. The Systematic Position of the Rhizocarpese.f As is well known to botanists, the Rhizocarpece are distin- guished from the other Filicinece in having spores of two kinds, * See this Bulletin, p. 258, I Read before Section F, at the Cleveland meetiuci of the A. A. A. S., iSSS. 259 and although the two families constitutu3<^ the order differ widely in other particulars, this fact has been regarded as of sufficient importance to warrant their union into a special order. During the past two years the author has had occasion to examine more or less minutely the life-history of several forms, and the results reached do not support the present view. The investigations were made for the most part on Piliilaria glob ulif era, L., and Marsilia ^gyptiaca. These two plants have been made the subjects of especial papers which will shortly appear, and in which the development of the prothallium, and in Pilularia of the sporophyte as well, is discussed in detail, so that no attempt will be made here to give more than a resume of the results of the investigations. Salvinia nalans, L. was also examined with some care. The resemblances between the Marsiliacem and the true ferns, especially the Polypodiace^E^ has been \on^ recognized, but the reduction of the prothallium, particularly the male prothal- hum, was supposed to be much greater than is really the case. The Salviniacece^ on the other hand, differ widely both from the Polypodiacece and also from the Marsiliacca, Before stating the conclusions reached it will be well, perhaps, to glance hastily at the development of the different members of the order as far as our knowledge at the present time extends. MARSILIACE/E. In this order are comprised the two genera Marsilia and Pilularia^ differing mainly in the leaves and fruits, and also in some minor particulars, but on the whole showing very close affinities. The spores germinate with extraordinary rapidity, especially in Marsilia, where in the case of M. jEgyptiaca, at least, within thirteen hours from the time the dry spores (in somes cases twelve years old !) are placed in water, at a temperature of about zd" C. *Hanstein, ''Bcfruchtungund EntwickeliingderGattung Marsilia," Pringsheiiii's J^hib., iv., 197. Hofmeister, ''The Higher Cryptogamia/' Ray Society, 1S62, pp. 318-327. Hanstein, " Pilularice globulifer.x generatio cum Marbilia\;omparata/' ^onn, 1866. Riissow, " Vergleichende Untersuchungen." Archaiigeli, "Sulla Pdularia globulifera e Salvinia natans," Nuovo Giornale Botanico Italiano, viii., 320. 260 not only are the sexual organs mature, but fecundation has been effected and the first division of the embryo completed. As was the case with pretty much all of the higher crypto- gams, Hofmcister was the first to make extended observations m regard to the life-history of this group; but as was generally the case, while his investigations were in some particulars correct enough, the details were often very erroneous, owing largely, no doubt, to imperfect methods. Hanstein* studied in detail the development of various species of Marsilia, but owing to his method of treating the young prothallia, made very serious mistakes. Through the action of caustic potashj which he employed freely in order to render the prothallia transparent, the young cell-walls are so much swollen and dissolved as to be practically invisible, and this led him to believe that the female prothaUium was at first composed of primordial cells which later became surrounded with membranes, and that the contents of the microspore divided at once into thirty-two primordial cells, the mother-cells of the spermatozoids. Archangell,t some ten years later, made Pihdaria the subject of special study and found that the cell-division in the female prothallium was effected by means of walls, and also demonstrated the presence of a vegetative cell in the male prothallium. The latter fact was also established by Sadebeckf for Marsilia, By means of more improved microscopic methods it is possible to obtain thin sections of the youngest stages of the female pro- thallium of both Piliilaria and Marsilia, and these show an almost identical structure. The plasma of the upper part of the spore, becomes cut off by a transverse septum from the cavity of the spore, and from this upper cell is produced by repeated division a single archegonlum, all the divisions being effected by cell- walls. The archegonium is of the same type as in other pterido- phytes, but has a very short neck, especially in Marsilia, The microspores divide first into two cells, a small basal cell, (the vegetative part of the prothallium) and a much larger one, the mother-cell of the antheridium. The basal cell in Pihilaria often divides again into two cells of unequal size. The antheri- 1. c. 1 1- c. f Schenck's Handbuch. 261 dium mother-cell divides by a series of walls forming: an anthcri- dium which in structure is almost identical with that of the PolypodiacecBJ^ As the vegetative part of the male prothallia of certain Polypodiace^^ may be almost as much reduced as in Pthdajna^ the resemblance between such a reduced fern prothal- lium and that of Pibtlaria is too obvious to be overlooked. Add to these the resemblance in the sporophyte, particularly the similiarity in the sporangia and the peculiar coiled vernation of the ¥ leaves, and Polypodi and MarsiliacecB are branches, not very widely removed, of a common stock. SALVINIACE.E.f The Salviniacece differ entirely in habit from the other pterid- ophytes, being small floating plants which in Salvinia are des- titute of roots. It is only in regard to their forming two kinds of spores that they resemble the Marsilidce(2, the sporangia and prothallia, as well as the habit of the sporophyte, differing much niore widely from the latter than do the MarsiliacecB from the true ferns. Our knowledge of the prothalHa of the Salviniace(B is based mainly on Pringsheim's| work, but it is quite likely that his and Juranyi's statement that the yowng female prothallium is com- posed of primordial cells, will be found incorrect, as it seems much more in accordance with our present knowledge of cell-division that the process is similar to that in the MarsiliacecB. A striking difference between the latter group and the Salviniacece is that the Marsiliacece never produce more than one archegonium, whereas the Salvtmacece invariably produce several. *Kny, ''Uber den Bau imJ Ent\vickeUing des Farn Antheridiums," Monatsber. d. Berliner Acad., 1869. Campbell, "* The Antheridium of Ferns," Bulletin TORREY Club, 1886. fHofmeister, 1, c., pp. 32S-335. Priagsheim, "Zur Morphologie der Salvinia natans," Jahrb. f. Wissensch. But., iii., p. 4S4. Juranyi, '*Uber die Entwicke- lung der Sporangien u. Sporen der Salvinia natans/' Berlin, 1S73, Strasburger. '* Ueber Azolla," Jena, 1873. Berggren, ''AzoUa,*' Botaniska Notiser, 1S76. Arch- •'^i^gci:, I. c. (See Luerssen-Handbuch. vol. T, p. 599-) Campbell, '' Zur Entwicke- ^""£?sgeschichte den Spermatozoiden,*' Ber. d. Deutschen Bot. Gesellsch, April, 1887. tl. c. 2B2 The only reference I can find upon the development of the prothallium of Azol/a is an article of Berggren's,* the original of which I have not seen. From a reference to this in Luerssen s Handbook of Systematic Botany,t it appears that Berggren finds the young female prothaUium to be composed of primordial cells. Nothing is said about the male prothallium. In the article on the development of spermatozoids| the author had occasion to describe the male prothallium and antheridium of Salvinia nataiis. The prothallium consists of a relatively large basal cell and an antheridium which differs widely in structure from those of the Marsiliace(E, especially in the small number of spermatozoids, only eight being developed from each micro- spore. Where we are to look for the nearest living allies of the SalviniacecE is at present difficult to say, and the matter must remain in doubt until their own life-history, as well as that of certain isosporous Filicinece, is more thoroughly understood. Conclusion. The conclusions reached from a study of the facts here pre- sented are the following: That in the RIiizocarpecB are included two groups which represent the last terms of two distinct series of forms. Of these the Marsiliacece are in all probability derived from forms closely related to living PolypodiacccF. The exact position of the Salviniacece must remain for the present in doubt, but they certainly should be removed from their present close MarsiliacecB Douglas H. Campbell. Onondaga Indian Names of Plants.§ To find appropriate names for plants or other things, shows a sense of fitness, a power of brief description, not very common. An Indian friend suggested giving me not only some Indian names but their meanings, and a portion of the result is embodied ♦Berggren. " Forengaeiide middelaude om ulvecklingen af prothalliet och embryot hos Azolla," Botaniska Notiser, 1876, p. 177. f I. c. X\. z. § Read before the meeting of the Botanical Club of the A. A. A. S., at Cleve- land, Ohio, August i6th, 1888, •263 in this paper. It happens, of course, that many words have lost their original significance and become mere names. Very few of us^ could tell why we call grass, wheat, trees and some other things by these names, yet there once was a reason. Others are easily understood. Nor are Indians always exact in distinguishing species, except for special reasons, and for this cause and brevity 1 use our common names. Thus Onondagas do not separate by name the Virginia and the Poison Ivy. Both are Ko-hoou-tas, ihe stick that makes you sore." No distinction is ordinarily made in the species of Pine, which is O-neh-tah, " Like porcupines holding to a stick." The Hemlock Spruce differs little, and is 0-ne-tah, " Greens on the stick," The Milkweed is expressive, O-wah-kiven-stah, " Milk that sticks to the fingers." Violets arc ^a-keah-7ios-'wi-dHS, "Two heads entangled;" in allusion to their childish game of interlocking the flowers. The Soft Maple IS Ak-weh- hot-kwah, or the "Red Flower " ; from Ah-weh-hah, Flower, and Hot-kzvah, Red. For the Slippery Elm they say Oo~koosk-ah, " It slips." The Apple is simply Szva-hii-na, " Big W guish it from the Wild Crab. The Yellow The Red Kwen ^^ _^ y "Red Tree." The Witch Hazel is ( Stick." The Spice Bush, Da-ivah-tah-ahn-yuks, "Stick that breaks itself," i. e., that is brittle. Sassafras is Wah-eh-nah-kas, "Smelling Stick." The Thistle is Ooch-hah-ne-tah, "Something that pricks." By adding the syllable ah, we have "Small Thistle," i- e., the Canada Thistle. The berries are interesting. The Red Raspberry is O-nah-Joo-ktva, "A Cap"; add ^^;i-^;/^, LeConte, Proc. Phila. Acad., i853,p. 402. I am not at all satisfied that this can certainly be referred to the ordinary Pecan. There appear to be no specimens extant to illustrate the description, but the characters given would indicate that this may very well be a different species or variety, and this supposition is strengthened by the statement that the leaves of the Pecan are fully formed before those of the tree in question show the least sign of unfolding. (B ) Subgenus EUHICORIA. Nut more or less compressed (except in the last species), ovate, obovate, oval, or nearly glob- ular; staminate catkins in threes on a common peduncle at the bases of shoots of the season. > 283 ase • Tavolucre of the fruit very thick, splitting freely nearly or quite to the bu:>c . middle lobe of the staminate calyx at least twice as long as the two lateral broader ones ; seed sweet and delicious : nut ridded and ancular. f-^^flets 5 ; bark shaggy. (2.)^H. OVATA (Mill), {yitglans ovata. Mill., Gard. Diet, No. 6, (1759); Juglansalba, Michx., Flor. Bor. Amer., ii., 193, (1803), not Linnaeus; Carya alba, Nutt.) (3) H. Mexicana (Engelni.) Carya Mexicana, Engelni., in Hemsley, Bot. Cent. Amer., iii.. 162). This I place here provis- sionally, suspecting it to belong to this group, but staminate cat- J'^ins have not been described. f tLeaflets 7 to g ; (rarely, some leaves produce 5.) ifBark close, foliage very pubescent and odorous. (4-) H. ALBA (L.). Juglans alba, L., Sp. Plant, p. 997, (^753) ; jfuglanstomcntosa, Lam., Encyc. Meth., iv., 504, (1797) ; Carya tomentosa, Nutt. Dr. Torrey has described a var. integ- of this species in Bot New York, ii., p. 182, t 100, char- ifolia acterized as having nearly entire leaflets and smaller fruit I have not seen any specimens with as entire leaflets as those fig- ured. Var. MAXIMA, (Nutt.). {Carya alba, Nutt., var. maxinia^'^-^^^ J^utt, Genera, ii., 221, has fruit twice the ordinary size. Rafin- esque called it H. maxima. (Alsog., 1. c.) X :j:Bark shaggy ; foliage puberulent. (5-) H. SULCATA, (Wind.). Juglans stilcata, Willd.,* Berl. Baumzucht, p. 154, t 7, 1796; Carya sulcata, Nutt Besides the eastern stations reported for this tree we can add from Pro- cessor Porter's Herbarium, Alexandria, Huntingdon County, and Sellersville, Bucks County, Penn. Involucre of the fruit thin, not splitting freely to the base ; lobes f of the staminate calyx nearly equal in length, the lateral ones broader ; bark close. tNut compressed-globular, or compressed-pyriforni, smooth or slightly ridged. :|:Xut small, thin-shelled ; leaflets 5 to 7. smooth. (6.) H. MICROCARPA (Nutt.) Carja microcarpa, Nutt, Genera, ii.^ p. 221.) This must be regarded as a very critical - *Casimir DeCandolle cites Duhamel as author of this name, but I have not been able to find it in his writings. If he did describe the tree it was probably before Willdenow's book was published. tin H, mlcrocarpa the middle lobe is sometimes considerably longer than the lateral ones. 284 species; excepting its thinner-shelled, generally smaller nut, I have been entirely unable to distinguish characters which will always separate it from the next. Professor Sargent has united it with the Eastern Shagbark, referring to it in the Forestry Re- port of the loth Census, p. 133, as '* a form with small, thin shelled nuts." I am very confident that its aUiance is not with H. ovata. The mistake may have arisen from the fact that in the Herbarium of the Philadelphia Academy, a label of NuttalFs has been misplaced and pasted alongside of a flowering twig of H. ovata. But his original description, his authentic fruitmg specimens both at Philadelphia and Kew, and the figure of the plant in his Sylva, prove that its affinities are not with the Shag- barks, but rather as I have placed it A % JNut larger, thick-shelled ; leaflets 5 to g. (7.)^H. GLABRA (Mill). {Juglans glabra, Mill., Gard. Diet, No. 5, (1759); Juglans porci?ta,W\d\yi, f, Hist Arbres Amer., i., 206, t 9, (18 10); Carya glabra, Torn; Carya porcina, Nutt) The size of the nut is given in Gray's Manual (p. 449), at from l^ to 2 inches long. While they do actually grow as large as this in the Southern States, the more correct figures for those of New York and the Middle States generally is not more than half these dimensions. ■ ttJNut smooth, very thin-shelled, with a very bitter seed; leaflets 7 ^^ 9, ovate lanceolate, minutely glandular, pubescent beneath. (8.). H, MINIMA (Marsh). J. '^> Arb. Amer., p. 68, (1785); Juglans amara, Michx., f, Hist, Arbres Amer., i., 177, t. 4, (iSio); Carya amara, Nutt.) The name minima applied by Marshall evidently refers to the size of the leaflets, which, as a general thing, are smaller at maturity than those of any other Northern species. JtJJNut thin-shelled, angular; seed bitter; leaflets 7 -to 13, lanceolate- acuminate, somewhat falcate and inequilateral, slightly pubescent below. {g.yVi. AQUATICA, (Michx., f) {Juglans aquatica,W\ch^^^'> Hist. Arbres Amer, i., 182, t 5; Carya aqitatica, Nutt.) The northward range of this species may now be increased to Mob Jack Bay, Virginia, (Leggett.) ttNut ovoid, smooth, extremely thick-shelled. (10.) H. MYRISTIC^FORMIS, (Michx., f.) Juglaus myrtsti- 285 F- cceformis,mchK.,i., Hist. Arbres Amer., i., 211, t. 10; Carya myristiccefori With Ca^ Texana, C. DC, Ann. Sci. Nat. (IV), xviii., 33, I am entirely unacquainted. The Herbaria are not without indications of additional forms to those I have been able to separate. Noteworthy among these IS a specimen collected by Mr. Curtiss at Lookout Mountain, Tenn., and preserved in the National Herbarium. It is in fruit, and belongs, I suspect, to the group with thin husks. The fruit IS oblong, an inch in length and strongly four- winged by the pro- jectuig edges of the involucre valves. The leaflets are uniformly seven, ovate-Ian^eolate, acuminate, and remarkably pale beneath, in which character it differs from all the species I know. There IS a shght amount of pubescence on the rachis and midveins. In the mountains of Sussex County, New Jersey, there oc- curs a form of H. glabra, which has more or less pubescence on the lower surfaces of the leaves, and particularly on the rachis at the base of the leaflets. Bibliographical Notes on well known Plants.— IX. By Edward L. Greene. i Unifolium. X have recently, in a single short paragraph,* called attention to this, that neither the name Smilacina, which still holds place in our American books, nor Tovaria, adopted by Mr. Baker in "IS late comprehensive revision of the genus, is the lawful generic name of our stellate- flowered kinds of Solomon's Seal. In the paragraph alluded to I suggested that Polygonastriini, Moench, must be older than Smilacina, Desf, and so it is; yet even Moench's name is three years later than Tovaria, Necker, X^^. Gray, who took exception to the use of Tovaria here, did so on the ground that, long before Necker, Adanson had framed the name Tovara for a certain ambiguous Polygonaceous type. ^"t that which must more positively and indeed quite unques- tionably displace Tovaria, as well as Smilacina, is the fact that Adanson himself recognized the genus and gave it the name ^agnera\ so that this is older than Tovaria by twenty-seven *Pittoiua, i., 1S7. 286 years, and the latter is itself seventeen years older than Sniila- chia. There have been very few botanists of any note, since Linnaeus, who were able to accept the Linn^ean doctrine that Polygonatuin and Convallaria, together with the plants now under consideration, are all of one genus ; but the efforts of a number of authors to distinguish and separate them have resulted in a superfluity of generic names; for Moench seems to have ignored the work of Adanson, Desfontaines that of Moench and of Necker, while still later Rafinesque, with his pretty name, Sigillaria, would have superseded the other three. As for pre- Linnaean authorities, Tournefort and Boerhaave, while distinguish- ing our plants from Folygonatiim, confound them with Smtlax, whence Desfontaines took his suggestion of the name Smilactna; and the Linnaean view, that they are all phases of Convallaria, is one which Linn3eus adopted from another set of earlier writers. If our genus be limited to those species which have hexamer- ous flowers, and that is Adanson's position, Vagnera is clearly the name it will have to take. If, on the other hand, the two or three tetramerous species are to be included, Vagnera must yield to a still more ancient name, one which, although in use in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, is, by virtue of Adanson's adoption of it, rendered valid as a post-Linnsean name; that is Uiiifolmm^ and its priority over Vagnera is of place, not of time. The following, then, appear to be the generic names and their dates; and the choice, it will be seen, hes between the two given by Adanson, if we admit but one genus; both of them being available, and obligatory on us if two genera be allowed. Unifolium (Brunfels, 1530; Bock, 1552; Dodoens, 1583; Dlllen, 1719; Haller, 1742), Adanson, Fam. ii. 54. 1763- Maianthenmni, Weber, Prim. Fl. Holsat. 1 780 : Evallaria, Necker, Elem. iii. 147, 1790: species of Convallaria, Linn., Crantz, Miller, et aL, of Smilax, Tourn., Bocrh., et aL Vagnera, Adanson, Fam. ii, 496, 1763: Tovaria, Necker, Elem. iii. 190, 1790; Polygonastriim, Moench, Meth. 617, 1794- Smilacina, Desf. Ann, Mus. Par., 1807: species of Convallaria, Linn., Crantz, et aL, of Smilax^ Tourn,, et aL My view, which is that of the many botanists who have con- sidered that the tetramerous species here sustain the same relation I 287 to the liexamerous which exists between tetramerous and pcnta- merous or hexamerous species in many other genera of plants, assigns to the famiUar northern species the following names: •^ Unifolium Ca^ ABENSE— Mazarii/iemum Canadense, Desf *^Unifolium ^\YO\A\^yi—Convallariabifolia, Linn, ^ Unifolium l:'^\YO\A^51A~Convallaria trifolia, Linn. ^ Unifolium STELLATUM— I 291 r the pressure on the large tube or bulb, and the small tube will be seen to bend quite readily. The more pressure is applied, the more it bends. Returning to our guard-cell we can at once apply all that we have found to hold in the case of the rubber tube. Furthermore, smce both cells share in the movement, a very slight amount of bending suffices to produce the desired opening. When a stoma opens or closes scarcely any change of form, other than a sliglit bending, is noticed in the guard-cells. We might expect this, as the force will tend to bend the tube just as soon as the stretching begins, and since this begins — theoretically, at least — in the v^ry beginning of the application of power, the bending also begins at that time. Besides the peculiar thickening of the walls of one side of the guard-cell, it has been noticed also by the same author that many guard-cells are suspended in such a way that the thin posterior walls stand i do- jt^ %^ obliquely to the surface (see On being distended this wall is crowded out and becomes uniformly curved^ causing the base of the cell, movable on account of the thin cell- wall between the ^Pper and lower thickening, to recede from the other guard-celL There is still something in the structure of these but cells which all authors have observed, none have laid as much stress on as itA( tJeserves. It is the above mentioned fact that the thickenings extend only along the opening rapidly, often suddenly, giving place to a thin cell- wall at the ends where the two guard- cells are united, and also that the thickenings of each cell are independent and do not unite with those of the other cell. Let figure 4 represent a tube, and A any point along the thin end, B a point on the thick part of the ^vall. Then if a pressure causes B to move to B A A B, <^istance, say to Ai, for if the wall is assumed d ! <;. ^h J 292 to be twice as thick at B as at A, it is evident that A will move twice as far from a central axis, C Ci, as B. But this causes the line on which A and B are situated to change from a straight line to a curved one. If two such tubes join each other it will leave an opening between them. As regards the force here employed, the opinion of the best authorities, including Pfeffer, is in agreement on the two principal points : I.— That the force is a very considerable one, often amount- ing to several atmospheres ; and 2. — That it is due to the presence of materials in the cell- lumen of the guard-cell which have the capacity to absorb mois- ture, and thus take it from the neighboring epidermal cells, while its exit is prevented by the protoplasm lining the cell-wall. In this way the cell becomes very turgid, and this turgescence an- swers to the artificially supplied hydrostatic pressure in the rub- ber tube. In a manner too well known to justify its exposition in this connection, it is found that a power equal to five atmos- 4 pheres sometimes exists in the cell-lumen of plants. FiLiBERT Roth. Botanical Laboratory of the University of Michigan, July, iS88. F EXPLANATION OF FIGURES. Fig. i-a. — Stoma of Tradescantia discolor. Fig. i-b. — Prunits Laiirocerasus, Fig. 2. — Scheme to illustrate bending of a tube with unequal thickness of wall. Fig- 3- — Scheme of a guard-cell which projects when at rest. The dotted line indicates the same when opened ; a — anterior and b — interior side. Fig. 4. — Scheme to show bending of bar of unequal thickness. (l and 3 after Schwendener. Schweinfurth's Method of Preserving Plants for Herbaria, H. Schenck* calls the attention of collectors, especially those traveling in the tropics, to a method of preserving plants for the herbarium recommended by Schvveinfurth, which he found ex- ceedingly convenient and efficient during his travels in Brazil. The plants, when collected, are at once put between the sheets of a leather portfolio. On his return from the excursion the collector places the specimens between single sheets of common *ln Bot, Centralbl., vol. xxxv., p. 175. .1 293 r gray, unsized paper (to be had in every *Wenda '' in Brazil), which are firmly held together between two pieces of stout paste- board by means of a strap. Then the bundle is set upright into a tin box, and strong sugar cane brandy or common alcohol is poured on the sheets from above, until the paper and the plants are thoroughly moistened and the liquid begins to run off below. The bundle, or bundles, are kept in the tightl}^ covered tui box until a quantity of them has accumulated. Then the straps and boards are removed, the single packages are wrapped up in paper and packed as closely and firmly as possible into a tin box about 60 cm. high, which, finally, is tiglitly closed by soldering a flat cover to it. Several such boxes are packed into a wooden case lor shipping. Some small tin boxes ought to be taken along on more extended excursions. The preservation of plants after this method requires v^ery httle time (an advantage of the utmost importance for a traveler), lor it is not necessary to arrange the specimens carefully between the sheets. The plants stay in good order, soft, pliable and moist, r years, and may be dried for the herbarium at the collector's convenience, after his return from his travels. They also remain m good condition for anatomical examination, and all kinds of ers, as well as thick-leaved plants — like many species of Orchids, Cactace^e, etc. — will arrive at home in excellent order. -Besides, plants may be collected and placed between the sheets fo flow m rainy weather. J On two Soecies of Grami Sporobolus CONFUSUS (Fourn.). That species of Sporobohis ^^l^ich has been, with us, called .S. ramulostis, very common at the West, is not the species of Kunth, which is described and figured in Humboldt and Bonpland's '* New Genera and Species of Plants," as Vilfa ramulosa. This fact is observed in Four- niers Mexican Gramlneae, page lOi, where he mentions our plant and calls it Vilfa confusa, and, remarks correctly, that it differs from Vilfa raimilosa in its \o\ ^yith an obconic thickening under the flower; not with short, "gid, divaricate, equally thickened pedicels. As the genus Vilfa IS now conjoined with Sporobolus, our species must be called 5. 294 i confusHs, The true Sporobohis ranmlosus has not yet been col- lected within our limits, but it is probably identical with 5. ^-ace- mosus, Vasey, collected by Dr. Palmer, and No. 1425 of Pringle, both from Chihuahua, Mexico, Melica Smitiiii (Porter), I recently received from Prof W, J. Beal, specimens o{ Avoia Smithii^ Porter, collected in North- ern Michigan, I had long suspected the proper reference of this grass to Avcna ; and these specimens enabled me to make a satis- factory examination, which resulted in the opinion that it should be placed in the genus Melica, and therefore M, Smiihii, It will be observed that in Prof Porter's description it is stated that the flowers are not hairy-tufted at the base, and the awni is straight, characters which chiefly distinguish Melica from Avena. The species is very near Melica aristata, Thurb, Geo. Vasey. Notes on Some Rare Grasses. The writer, on a recent visit to the West, spent some time at Garden City, in western Kansas. This place is located on the north bank of the Arkansas River. On the south side of the 4 % river is a range of sand hills which, the people say, were some years ago bare of vegetation and composed of loose and shifting sand, but which of late years have been gradually acquiring a covering of grass. I went to investigate these ridges or hills and found that the principal vegetation was made up of two kinds of grass, which were deeply rooted in the sand. One of these was Andropogon Hallii^ very similar to A. pro- vincialis^ but with thicker spikes and culms, and more succulent, bluish-green leaves. The other grass was, to my great gratifica- tion, Redficldia flexiiosa, growing rather sparsely from deep rooted creeping rhizomas, and serving to bind the sand togetlier in the same way that Ammophila longifolia binds the sand dunes on the lake shore near Chicago. The history of this grass is interesting. It appears to have been first collected by Dr. J. M. Bigelow on the Canadian River. Next it was' collected by Mr. Elisha Hall, in 1862, probably on the Republican River, although the locality is not recorded. The grasses of Mr. Hall's collection were elaborated by Prof. Thurber, and this grass was then J 295 described and named, doubtfully, as Graphcphornm flextiosum. Next, a ^ft\N specimens were collected by Rothrock and Wolf, on Wheeler's Exploration, in the San Luis Valley, Colorado, in 1873. From these sources were obtained all the specimens of which I nave knowledge in existing herbaria. I have been for years past hoping that it would again be found, and its rediscovery at Gar- ^t\\ City is therefore very satisfactory. Here it is in abundance, ■rrobably it is common enough in similar situations at many points on the Canadian and Arkansas rivers. The leaves are thick and "gid, channelled and terminating in long, involute points. It should hereafter become well known to botanists. Confusion has sometimes occurred as to the distinction be- tween Sporobohcs cuspidatus and 5. depaupcratus, ( Vilfa, Torr.). found abundance of the former on the prairies of Dakota. It grows m strong tufts, with erect culms and appressed leaves, and a long, slender panicle, and approaches Mtihlenbcrgia Wrightii ; indeed, it belongs rather to Mtihlenhergia than to Sporobolus. S. depanperatiis is a species oif the Rocky Mountains, with decum- bent culms, shorter panicle, and glumes wanting the long cuspi- date point. Geo. Vasey. Index to Recent American Botanical Literature. American Woods, exhibited by actual specimens and with copious explanatory text. — Romeyn B. Hough, B.A., Part I., Repre- senttng tzuenty-five species by twenty -seven sets of sections. This very neat and interesting collection will be a welcome surprise to those who are not already familar with Mr. Hough's beautiful wood-sections, and the accompanying pamphlet, with "lany illustrations supplemented by a glossary and descriptions of species, makes a complete little text-book. A novel feature ^ill be noted in finding three keys, one based upon the flowers, one upon the leaves and a third upon the fruit, so that having either, a novice may find his way made easy to determine the specimen. ^ngnst in the pines. — Mary Treat. (Garden and Forest, i., z^^-) botanizing tonr in the 5^w///.— Gerald McCarthy. (Vick's 111. ' Monthl}', pp. 295-297, illustrated.) This proves to be an interesting account of Asheville, the \ 296 French Broad and the Swannanoa, with pretty views and popu- lar references to the plants collected. Black Rot en Amerique — Le Traiternent du. — M. P. Viala, (Ex- trait du Progres Agricole et Viticole.) Salts of copper have been found efficacious in experiments made at Vineland, N. J., by A. W. Pearson. The treatment met with great success, as only ten to fifteen per cent., instead of ninety-five per cent., of the fruit was lost Calostoma, Desv. — A, Monograph of the Genus. — George Mas- (Annals of Bot, ii., 25-45, one plate ; also reprinted.) The generic name antedates Mitremyces, Nees, under which most of the species have been described. The American species recognized are C. ci?iHabarinum,T)tsy,y^.nd C. Ravenelii (Berk.), Mass. The development and structure of the former are well illustrated. ^f John Macoun. (8vo., pp. 248, Montreal, 1888.) This part is devoted to the Endogens, numbering seven hun- dred and forty-seven species. The genera and orders are arranged in accordance with Bentham & Hooker's Genera Plantarum- As in the preceding parts, this is beautifully printed, the only serious blunder in that line we have noticed being on page 9, where all except the final letter of Goodyera have slipped in the presses, and a curious result been attained. The system of nomenclature adopted is that of Gray's Manual, except in Disponimy where Mr. Macoun has followed the practice of some zoologists of citing the author of the earliest specific name as author of the accepted binomial, which is a good deal better than the plan current in this country, but certainly open to the objection that it falsifies the record. Mr. Macoun notes that Lnzula seems to be in great confusion, and needs complete revision, in which we are disposed to agree with him, although a bringing together of scattered ob- servations is probably what is needed. Potamogeton Claytonty Tuckerm., is antedated by P. Pennsylvanictis^ Cham., and P^ ^ lone kites, Tuckerm,, by P, Jluitans L., as has already been shown. I credited Cyperus flavescens to Canada on a specimen from Niagara, from Herb. Leggett, marked " Niagara, Canadian t 297 r Side." Eleocharis obhisa, Schultes, is antedated by E. ovata. ^cirpus poly phyUus,Vdh\, /is referred to 5. atrovirens,yin\\\, d. reduction which we cannot approve, for these are certainly very distinct; if they could be regarded as con-specific, Vahl's name is much the older. In Carex several new varieties, and C. albata are given by Prof L. H. Bailey. Scbpits riparms, Spreng., is probably 5. cernmts, Vahl., which leaves S. riparins, Presl, to replace S. Tatora, The question oi Ory:^opsis cuspidata, Scnb., brought up at Cleveland, is added to by referring it to O, cuspidata^ Benth,, Journ. Linn. Soc, xix., 82, but an inspection of that page does not reveal the name. Of course it ought to be O. membranacea. Dr. Vascy contributes several new varieties 01 grasses, and Mr, Macoun names two species of Deyeuxia D* Columbiana and Z?. borealiSy the latter of which he says IS the same as Dr. Vasey's D. Vancoicverensis* with whose permission he changes the older name to D. borealis — and Ely- wus Cohmibia7ia. This g^reat work of Mr. Macoun and his col- leagues must give a decided impetus to the study of natural sci- ence m the Dominion. We need a similar catalogue for the United States. Why cannot our. Government botanists give us such a publication, based on a rational system of nomenclature ? N. L. B. Catalogue of the Flora of Vermont, — George H. Perkins. (Large 8vo, pp. 74^ Burlington, 1888; from the loth Report of the State Board of Agriculture.) Local catalogues have been issued in quick succession during the present autumn, and they indicate a very satisfactory state of activity among our systematic botanists. The present one is in ^ measure a revision of the author's previous essay in the same field in 1882. It includes Anthophyta and Pteridophyta, 1,360 species and varieties in all. The Gymnospermse are placed in their proper position at the end of the Anthophyta. Localities for the rarer species are given. Ceanothiis — Synoptical List of North American Species. Wm. Trelease. (Proc. Cahf Acad. Sci., 2d Series, i., 106-118, re- printed.) If This Journal, Vol, xv„ p. 48. 298 A recast of the genus, with descriptions of C, Palmeri, from Southern Cahfornia (E. Palmer, 1875, No. 42), C Parryi, de- scribed from specimens cultivated at Calistoga, Cal, collected by Dr. Parry under No. 33, in 1881, and C. impresses from Santa Barbara County, Cal. C, eglandiilos7ts is C. divaricatus, var. eglajidulosiis, Torrey, and C, parvifolitis is C. mtegemmus, var. parvifolius, Watson. C. floribundiis, Hook., and C. Lobbianus, Hook., are provisionally referred to C. dentattis, T. and G., as sub-species, a rank, which we venture to hope, Professor Trelease will not maintain in his final treatment of the genus. Thirty-two species are recognized, twenty-five of them Euceanothus, the re- maining seven forming the section Cerastes, having the fruitmg carpels each with a dorsal horn. N. L. B- Forest Conditions of the Rocky Mountains^ and other papers. (Dept of Agric, Forestry Div., Bull, No. 2, p. 252, with ac- companying map.) r Of these papers the one purely botanical is on the Forest Flora of the Rocky Mountain Region, by George B. Sudworth, contain- ing an analytical key, and descriptions of eighty-eight species of trees and a list of shrubs. To those more interested in the econ- omic questions which are assuming such serious dimensions m our forestry administration, this voluminous report will be of great value. . Fresh-water Algce, Edward S. Burgess. (Amer. Nat, xxii., 669-678.) Ho J. W. Burgess. Read before the May \ Lista de las Plantas encontradas hasta ahora en Costa Rica y en los Territories limitrofes, extractada de la Biologia Centrah A viericana. A. Alfaro. {A nales del Museo Nncional de la Re- publica de Costa Rica, 3d Part, 4to, pp. loi, 1887.) A list culled from Mr. Hemsley's Central American Botany. 1,218 species are certainly attributed to Costa Rica, while those whose range would indicate that they should grow within the republic increase this number to 3,386. Lycoperdon Missoiiriensis — Description of, Wm. Trelease. (Trans. St. Louis Acad. Sci., v., 240, PI. viii., reprinted.) ) \ 299 Nnv or Note III. Edward L. Greene (Pittonia, 1., 215-225 ; advance sheets, Oct., 1888.) Lupijius malacopkylhis ; L. ligulatus ; Ptelea crenulafa {P. angustifolia, Brew. & Wats., not Benth.)/ Tropidocarpum cappar- ideinn; Streptanthtis barbiger ; Erigeron Sojinei ; E. petrophil- «-y; Cacalia Palmer i ; Senecio apkanactis {S. syhaticus, Gray, p DOt. Cal.. not L.); S. hydrophiius, var. Pacijicus ; Lasthenia cofijugefis; Campanula aurita ; Collomia Rawsoniana ; Lycium Hassei; Somiea foliacea ; Phacelia suaveolens ; P. Arthuri ; Ribes Victoris and Epilobium Or ^ Greene points out that Lupimis variicolor, Steud,, is his L. Franciscanus and that Sednm Pringlei, S. Wats., and Calochorttis ■i-ladrensts, S. Wats., are synonyms for .5". Forreri, Greene and C. "oeniistuhis , Greene respectively. ^bmphaa iuberosa. Garden and Forest, i., 368, figs. 58, 59.) Ihe occurrence of this species of Castalia, in a depauperate form at Trenton, New Jersey, detected by C. C. Abbott, adds another species to the local flora. It should be carefully looked for higher up the Delaware. Oxalis Siiksdorfii — Measuretnents of the Trimorphic Flowers of. W. G. Eliot, Jr., and Prof Trelease. (Trans. St. Louis Acad. Sci., v., 278-291 ; reprinted.) R^de Island— Native Plants of the Island of Mrs. J. M. Smith. (Proc. Newport Nat Hist. Soc, Doc. 6, p. 24.) A list of nineteen species, additional to former records. Khode Island — Plants of, being an emuncration of pi ')f Rhode Island. J CT Bennett. (8vo, p. 128, Proc. Providence Franklin Soc, 1888.) This is a handsomely printed catalogue of plants, comprising 3,158 species and varieties. Localities are noted for the rarer species. In many ways it is a very inconsistent production. The plan of nomenclature taken for the flowering plants is very different from that accepted for the Lichen?, Hepaticae and Alga. The part devoted to the Ftmgi is a mere list of names. . In the Bryophytes the habitat of species is quite thoroughly indicated, ^ut no attempt is made to do this in other groups. The Antho- Phytes reach 1,259. 300 Rliododendron arhorescens. (Garden and Forest, i, 400, fig. 64.) Rhododendron Vaseyi. (Garden and Forest, i, nj, fig. 60}^ Sporocarps discovered by Prof. E. Orton in the Erian Shale of Colnmbns, Ohio. J, W. Dawson. (Canad. Rec. Sci., hi., 137-140; one figure.) Notice oi Protosalvinia Hiironcnsis and Sporocarpon fnrcatitm^ regarded as Rhizocarps by the author, Tigridia Pringlei. S. Watson. (Garden and Forest, 1., 389, fig. 61.) Botanical Notes. On two recently published Genera. Two plants of very great interest have recently been made known through the pages of Annals of Botany. The one, Hydrothrix, a new genus of Pon- tederiaceae, was published in Vol. i., No. 2, by Sir J. D. Hooker, from specimens collected by Gardner in tropical Brazil in 1838. Its affinities with Heteraitthera were first suggested by Dr. Gray. While placed in this natural order, it is remarked that it is a very aberrant member: '* in all respects of habit, foliage, inflorescence and flowers it is totally unlike any known genus of Pontederia- " It is a caespitose, aquatic annual, rooting in sand, very densely leafy, with minute axillary flowers. Through some mistake, it is denominated //. Gardneri in the text and H. ver- ticillaris on the accompanying plate. The other plant here alluded to is a native of central China, beanng a curious resemblance in its habit and appendaged fruits to the *' water chestnut " {Trapa), It has been described by Prof D. Oliver in Icones Plantarum, t. 1595, as Trapella Sinensis, and made the subject of an extremely interesting and complete monograph by Dr. F. W. Oliver in Annals of Botany, Vol. ii., No. 5, Its botanical relation is regarded as with the Pedaline?e, and its floral structure is compared by Dr. Oliver with that oi Pedalium. Proceedings of the Club. The regular meeting was held on Tuesday evening, October 9th, the Vice-President in the chair and 30 persons present. The committee appointed to consider the question of more frequent 1 / o 01 meetings reported in favor of holding a second meeting on the fourth Wednesday evening of each month, and proposed an amendment to the By-Laws in order to make this feasible. Mr. Sterns described the so-called bulblets of Lycopodiiun hicidiLliun, and exhibited a stalk of Angelica atropm^piirea four and one-half feet long, averaging four inches in circumference, weighing but one and three-fourth ounces, remarking that it was doubtful if any other North American plant yielded a stem of equal dimensions and yet weighed so little. Dr. Rusby showed Prenanthes racentosa^ both typical and the van pinnatifida, from the Hackensack Meadows, New Jersey. Dr. Britton read the announced paper of the evening, *' On the Genus Hicoria of Rafinesaue. At the adjourned meeting oi October 24th, the President was in the chair, and 32 persons present. Mr. Sterns acted as Sec- retary. Dr. Northrop exhibited thin sections of Cusctiia Gronovii growing on Impatiens biflora^ and containing a green substance, apparently chlorophyll. This substance was confined to the por- tions of the Dodder in contact with the host-plant or with itself, the rest of the parasite being of the usual orange color. The green pigment was apparent in the stems to the naked eye, which led to its detection. Jahresb (^^)> 436 and 417, where the same occurrence is reported in a European species. Prof Schrenk remarked that searching tests should be applied before deciding that it was common chloro- phyll. Mr. Sterns exhibited a long shoot of some species of wild ^ose, on which more than half the prickles were arranged in a uniform and orderly fashion, three to each internode — an infra- stipular pair, and another qhq lower down on a line with the mid- vein of the leaf above. He remarked that a different but equally definite arrangement of prickles is often observable in Smilax ^otundifolia, namely, two pairs placed near the middle of the in- ternode and alternating in position and direction with the adjacent leaves. 302 Dr. Rusby presented specimens of a lily intermediate between L. Canadcnsc and L. snperhim, having the flowers of the former, but the inflorescence and foliage of the latter. It was collected in abundance by Dr. A. L. Koenig andhimself near Pittsburg, Pa. Dr. Bitton remarked that there is much reason to regard the two as confluent species, notwithstanding their separation by Linnaeus, and cited other cases of a similar character. Judge Brown said that according to his experience, they differed much in time of flowering, L. stiperbitm being from two to four weeks later. Dr. Britton observed that if this were generally the case, it would be strong evidence for their specific validity. Dr. Rusby showed also specimens of Monarda fistidosa van rubra, with most of the flowers imperfect or deformed, and seldom producing seed, stating that this form might prove to be a hybrid between M. didynia and M, fistidosa. Miss Steele exhibited Pliysostegia Virginiana, collected twelve miles above the mouth of the Connecticut River and remote from gardens. It is rarely found native so far east. Prof. Schrenk showed specimens of Echinocystis echinata from the Upper Delaware, near Cochecton, New York, where he pro- nounced it native. Aster stihdatus from the serpentine rocks at Hoboken, NJ., away from marine influence, and Symphoricarpus raceniQSiis var. paticifloriis from Niagara, with leaves quite hairy beneath instead of glabrous as described. Dr. Britton remarked that the finding of Echinocystis at another eastern station is ex- tremely interesting, and would practically complete the identifi- cation of the plant with Rafinesque's genus Micrampeles, which is older than Echinocystis. He also remarked on the evidence that the **husk'' of the hickory-nut is an involucre and not an exocarp, referring to the BULLETIN (vol. xi., p. 69), and to the Proceedings of the Natural Science Association of Staten Island. The following proposed amendment to the Constitution was referred to a committee under the rules: **That Section XIV of the Constitution be amended to read instead of **two dollars," ** four dollars, which shall include all the publications of the Club." Mrs. Britton gave a description of the Botanical Establish- ment at Kew, illustrated by diagrams and photographs. \ \ p BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB X Vol. XV.] New York, December 4, 1888. [No. 12. A Recent Discovery of Hybrid Oaks on Staten Island. > By Arthur Holltck. Plates LXXXIII-LXXXV. One day during the past summer Mr. \Vm. T. Davis, of Tonipkinsville, Staten Island, brought to me some leaves of an oak tree which he had found growing in the neighborhood of Tottenville, Staten Island, N. Y. To my surprise and dehght I recognized them as belonging to Qtierciis hcterophylla, Michx, the celebrated '' Bartram Oak." Ow September 2d we visited the locahty and found not only typical Q, heterophylla, but also a number of other peculiar forms, evidently hybrids, and including & Rtidkmi^ Britton. On September 22d the trees were again visited ; a careful study was made of them and their surroundings ^nd a fine series of leaves and fruit collected. Probably no better opportunities for observation or finer specimens for study and comparison have ever been obtained, and the results have proved to be highly interesting. Two recognized species are added to the local flora of Staten Island and to the flora of New York State, and the northern range of Q. hclerophylla is extended about thirty miles horn its nearest previously-reported station. Considerable new light is also shed upon the question of the proper status of this latter form, in the botanical world, whether as a species, a variety or a hybrid, and, if the latter, what species are the probable parents. The limits of this paper forbid an extensive review oi the lit- erature concerning these two interesting oaks, but for the benefit <^f all who may wish to study the subject I would refer to the ac- count of Q, Riuikini, by Dr. N. L. Britton, in Vol. IX. No. 2, of t'je Bulletin, and for Q. hcterophylla to Mr. L C. Martindale's *' Notes on the Bartram Oak," read before the West New Jersey Surveyors' Association, Jan. 6, 1880, and subsequently pubhshed 11^ pamphlet form by the author. As, however, everyone may 30i not have access to these documents, I have thought that the fol- lowing brief account of this latter oak — its history and the con- troversy regarding it — -might not be out of place : Some time during the early part of the last century a peculiar oak tree attracted the attention of botanists and others. It was a single individual, growing on the farm of Mr. John Bartram, on the banks of the Schuylkill, just above Philadelphia. From its location it received the name ** Bartram Oak." It was also called ** Burners Oak," though why this latter name I have never been able to obtain the slightest clue. Just when the tree was first ob- served there does not appear to be any record, but it must have been prior to the year 1750, for on page 183 of Darlington's " Memorials of Bartram and Marshall" there is printed a copy of a letter which was written by Peter ColUnson to John Bartram, from which I extract as follows : Mch. 5tli, 1750-1. My Good Friend John: Pray what is the reason I have no acorns from that particular species of oak that Dr. Mitchell fovmd in thy meadow? And I observe, in thy specimens, two other narrow leaved oaks. As I have now ground enough I wish for a dozen good acorns of each, * * * * Thine, P. Collinson. This is, I believe, the earliest reference in literature to this oak. No scientific name was given to it nor was it even 'men- tioned in Humphrey Marshall's ** Arbustrum Americanum/' pub- lished in 1785. Andreas Michaux's "Flora Boreali- Americana/' published in 1803 and reprinted in 1820, does not enumerate it among the oaks, althoucrh it is eviderft that he must have been aware of its existence, as his son, F. Andre Michaux, says in his •• Histoire des Arbres Forestiers de V Amerique Septentrionale, published in French in 18 10 and republished in Enghsh in 18 19: (See VoL i, p. 75,76; plate 18.) '' Bartram Oak. Qtiercus heterophylla. Every botanist who has visited different regions oi the globe must have remarked certain species of vegetables which are so little multiplied that they seem likely at no distant period to disappear from the earth. To this class belongs the Bartram Oak. Several English and American naturalists, who, like my father and myself, have spent years in exploring the United States, and who have obligingly communicated to us the result of their observations, have, like us, found no traces of this species except 305 I a single stock in a field belonging to Mr. Bartram on the banks of the Schuylkill, 4 miles from Philadelphia. This is a flourishing tree, 30 feet in height and 12 inches in diameter; and seems formed to attain a much greater development. ♦ * » # j was at first disposed to consider this tree as a variety of the laurel oak, to which it bears the greatest affinity; but the leaves of that species are never indented, and not a stock oi it exists within a hundred miles of Philadelphia." This is no doubt the first published description and represen- tation of this oak, and the very appropriate specific name given to it at that time by Michaux has fortunately not been subjected to any change by later botanists, so that there is no tangled skein of synonomy to unravel, and the specific title, heterophylla, various leaved," will always serve it as its name, no matter whether it be classed as a variety, a species, or a hybrid. From the time of Michaux's description until about the year 1850 no other trees seem to have been found, and the only ones known were the original and a few seedlings from it. In fact, when the original tree was cut down, about the year 1840, it was thought that the species, if such it was, was exterminated. So that for a period of a hundred years the only material for study was "om a single tree and its immediate progeny. This, however, did not prevent the botanists of that time from recording opinions 1^^ regard to it Michaux, as before stated, gave to it a specific rank, Pursh said : ** * * It is probably only a hybrid plant. Nuttall asked: *' May not this be an anomalous variety of <^occinea ?'" Torrey states unequivocally : ** A hybrid." Gray, in his Manual published in 1 848, says : " * * * doubtless a hybrid between Q. Phellos and Q. falcata, or some other species of that section." In the second edition of the Manual, published in ^856, he changes his opinion, and says: *• * * * apparently ^ hybrid between Q. Phellos and Q. tiiictoriar' In the fifth edition, published in 1867, he quotes De Candolle as referring it to a variety of Q, aqiiaika, and then says : '* It is as likely to be j> Q, Phellos M ■A-bout the year 1855, however, some trees were discovered at Mt. ^<>lly, N. J., {^Fide specimea in Herb. Columbia College, marked "^t. Holly, N. J., Aug. 25, 1855, W. Proctor,") and otheis 306 J by Messrs. Smith, Leidy, Burk, Martindale, Meehan, Austin, Canby, Commons and others, which have been the subjects of numerous papers, notes and discussions. Even in the light of this new material, however, I find that there is as much difference of opinion as ever. Englemann first considered it as a good species and subsequently decided that it was hjbrid with probably Q. Phellos 'dSidi Q. coccinea for parents. Leidy considered it a hybrid between Q, Phellos and Q, palicstris. S. B. Buckley says, in describing the tree at Mt. Holly : *' It is * * * in a thicket near several willow oaks (Ouercus phellos), of which it is plainly one." Cope and Smith rather lean to the opinion that it is a variety of Q. Phellos, A number of other botanists might be quoted as n^xi\x\\^imbricariay nigra 2s\di other species from which it may have been derived, but in nearly every instance Q^ Phellos is mentioned as being connected with it in some way. Trees have also been reported from the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina and Texas, but I have not seen specimens from any of these localities and the published descriptions of them are rather vae^ue and indefinite. Q phylla has been found, between Newcastle County, Del., and Staten Island, N. Y., were marked upon a map, they would be included In a straight narrow strip of country about ten or twelve miles in width; and this limited belt would probably include nearly every specimen of this tree now definitely known to be in existence. The Staten Island station, is, like all the others, on the Creta- ceous formation. The situation is a low piece of wet, sandy wood- land, about a quarter of a mile from the beach. This piece oi woodland is several acres in extent and its most conspicuous trees are Castaiiea, Pinus rigida, Quercus alba, Q, rubra, Q^ stellata, Q, nigra, Q, coccinea, Q, tinctoria, Q. pahistris, and Q. Phellos, but the hybrids are confined to a very limited area, not more than half an acre in extent and entirely within the very restricted ter- ritory where Q. Phellos occurs*. The immediate neighbors ii^ this g Q. palusiris, Q. nigra, Q toria and Q. coccinea. A careful count was made of all trees *ln this connection it is a matter of interest to know that (>. PheUos does not grow in any other part c»f Staten Island, ^ 307 which were considered hybrids, and an enumeration of twenty was the result. Q typical Q. heterophylla or else members of the same series, show- a one of the broad, lobed-leaved species at the other. Not more than fifteen trees of Q. Phellos were noted. The trees of Q. Rudkini are mostly low, with dark green coriaceous foliage, showing their relationship to Q. 7iigra. These, however, need not concern us, as I consider their proper status and relationship to be definitely settled, so that in what follows I shall confine myself to a discus- sion of the forms which include Q. heterophylla. These are evi- dently designed to be large, the tallest ox\^ being about 50 feet m height and 3 feet 8 inches in circumference, and having the appearance of a young and vigorous growing tree. The leaf and fruit of this tree are shown at fig. I, plate LXXXV, As a rule the largest trees are those having the leaves most cut or lobed and the largest acorns, while the smaller trees approach nearer to the Phellos type. The leaves upon each tree, however, vary a great deal, although there is generally enough of some one pre- vailing form to give to each a decided individuality, and if they could be arranged side by side according to leaf form a graduated series would be the result, showing an almost imperceptible change from member to member. The petioles are of medium length, varying from ^ in. in the large, deeply lobed leaves, to y^ in. in the entire leaved forms. The margins are either entire, wavy, lobed on one or both sides, or sinuate toothed with the teeth bristle pointed. In some there are bristles on the margin where a tooth or lobe is merely indi- cated by a slight inequality. As a rule they are rather thin, green both sides, somewhat tomentose along the midrib or at the junction of the midrib and main veins. In others the texture is somewhat coriaceous — approaching forms of Q. Rudkini. Fig. 3, Plate I.XXXIV. represents an anomalous form, with thin, spar- ingly lobed leaves, covered over the entire under surface with a close light brown tomentum. The acorn is globose, flattened and with a deeper cup than the others. The general habit of the tree is slender and willow like, and it hardly appears to be a member of the series. 308 The venation is also a character which shows the transition between the simply pinnate veining of Phellos and the more complex branching of the broad, lobed forms. The acorns vary in shape from ovoid to almost globose, and, in size, from those of Phellos to others almost an inch in length by ^ in. in diameter at the largest part. The cups are invariably saucer shaped, with closely appressed scales. I made a special journey late in the season, to ascertain, if possible, whether anything could be learned from the autumnal coloring of the leaves, but I found them to be a uniform light yellow, turning brown. From these observed facts I have finally come to the con- clusion that we must consider. Q. hcterophylla to be a hybrid, and further, that one of the parents is Q. Phellos. They are invariably associated together, or at least the former has never been found except in the immediate vicinity of the latter; and, added to this, we know that Q, Phellos does produce a hybrid with Q. nigra and that this hybrid occurs associated with Q. heterophylla. It would not, in fact, be a matter of surprise to me if we should eventually find that other hybrid forms have resulted from the influence of Q. Phellos over other species of the black oak group. As to the other probable parent of Q. heterophyll^ there is yet room for careful research, although I think that the discovery of these trees on Staten Island has considerably simplified the matter. The species mentioned by those who have written upon the subject are aquatica, inibricaria, faleata, cocctnea, tinctoria and pahistris. The first three may be thrown out of the calculation at once on account of their geographical range not a single specimen of either having ever been found or reported within miles of our station. Coccinea and tinctoria, while show- ing a leaf form that is satisfactory, have acorns with deep cups, entirely distinct from those of heterophylla. Pahistrts has a cup of the required form, but the acorn is far too small, and the lobes of the leaves have a distinctive divergent characteristic which those o{ heterophylla have not. The only other probable species, and it is the only one which does not seem to have been considered by our botanists, is rtcbra. Why this species has not received the attention it deserves in this connection I am at a loss 309 L to understand, as both the leaf and acorn are eminently fitted to terminate one extreme of the series of which Phellos is the other, as I have endeavored to show in the accompanying plates. The only cause for hesitation which I have in accepting this as a satis- factory conclusion is that I failed to find trees oi rubra growing in the immediate vicinity, although there are a number oi them only a ^tw hundred yards away. We should however remember tliat this species may have been present, associated with Phellos, y^d.xs since, at the time when the existing large specimens oi heterophylla were produced, probably 50 or 75 years ago. It may be that hybridizatiou has not taken place in many years and that the young trees are merely seedlings from a few originals. This idea IS strengthened in my mind from the fact that the largest and oldest trees come nearest to the type of rubra, while the smallest or youngest trees show a preponderance of the Phellos type — ap- parently showing a tendency to revert back to it. Dr, N. L. Britton has also pointed out to me a significant fact in this con- nection, viz. : that throughout the region where heterophylla has been found Phellos, rubra, and other members of the black oak group occur, but that to the eastward, in the Pine Barren region, heterophylla or ncbra are not reported, although Phellos is abun- dant and palitstris and othep: black oaks are present. In fact heterophylla only seems to occur where Phellos and rubra occupy a territory in common. Algse from Atlantic City, NJ. Collected by S. R. Morse. th The following species were collected at various times during e years 1884 to 1888 inclusive, and the specimens sent to me for examination ; also in May, 1S85, Mr. Morse and myself spent 3- few days together collecting. While this is certainly not a complete list of the algae of Atlantic City, it contains quite a large number for a locality having no rocky shore wdiatever, but an open sandy beach in front, and muddy creeks and marshes in the rear. Gl(£ocapsa crepidintmi, Thuret. Common on woodwork. ^^^tophysalis granulosa, Kutz. On shells, etc. Not previously reported on the American coast. 310 ycystis /. phyceae. Mixed with other Crypto • roseo-persicina, Cohn. Abundant on the marshes. Sphcerozyga Cannichcelii, Harv. Common on muddy flats, and in shallow pools in the marshes. Spirulma temdssima^ Kiitz. In small quantity, mixed with Os- cillarias^ etc. Oscillaria suhitliformis, Harv. Mixed with other Cryptophyceae. O. siibtoridosa (Breb.), Farlow; With the preceding species. Microcoleiis chthonoplastes, Thuret. On the marshes, mixed with other algae. Lyngbya majuscida, Harv. Not uncommon, floating. L. cestuarii, Liebm. Common on marshes, etc, L. tenerrima, Thuret. In small quantity, among other algae. Calothrix confervicola, Ag. On various algse. C. Crustacea (Schous.), Born., et Thur. On various algae, fre- quently mixed with the preceding, C. scopnlorum, Ag. On woodwork, etc. C. pulvinata, Ag. Common on piles of wharves and bridges. Rividaria hospita^ Thuret. On an oyster shell. Isactis plana. Thuret. On shells. Mo7iostroma crepidhiiim^ Farlow. On woodwork in a tidal creek. •Ulva Lactiica (L.), Le Jolis. Common, including var. rigida, Le Jolis, and var. latissinia, Le Jolis. U. enteromorpha, Le Jolis. Very common, including var, lance- data, Le Jolis, var. intcstinalis, Le Jolis, var, conipressa, Le Jolis. U. clathrata, Ag. Common, includinc: var. ramidosa, and var. erecta, Le Jolis. U. Hopkirkii (McCalla), Harv. Not very common. U. marginata, Le Jolis. Not very common. U. percnrsa, Ag. Rather common in tide-pools, mixed with other algae, from which it is hardly distinguishable except by microscopic examination. U. aureola, Ag, Not uncommon on woodwork. Ulothrix Jlacca (Dillvv.), Thuret. U. isogona, Thuret. These two species not uncommon on wood- work and other algae. A very slender form grows on Bos- 311 trychia rivttlaris, possibly distinct from either of the foregoing. Chmoniorpha Picquotiana (Mont.), Kiitz. u Limun, Kiitz. It is impossible to draw the Hne between these two species in the Atlantic City specimens. Typical forms of each may be found, and so can every shade between them. Rhtzoclonium ripariiim, Roth. Common. Cladophora albida (Hnds.), Kiitz. Beside the type, a plant occurs, which seems to be the C. refracta of Harvey, (Phyc. Brit.,) and is probably a form o^ C. albida, in which Hauck (Deutsch- land's Meeresalgen) includes C. refracta of Harv. and Kiitz. The plant of the New England coast which I take to be the C, refracta of Farlow's Man., is quite distinct. Hauck places the latter as forma refracta In C, hamosa^ Kiitz. C. glaiicescens, Harv. Not uncommon. C, Hiitchmsm^ Kiitz. Not uncommon. Luxuriant specimens from Longport, collected by Mrs. Lawton. CladopJtora flexuosa, Harv. A doubtful species, but some speci- mens found at Atlantic City seem to belong here. C. gracilis (Griff), Kutz. Common and variable. C. expansa, Kiitz. Common, especially in marsh tide -pools. Bryopsis phunosa (Kiitz.), Ag. Not uncommon. Phyllitis fascia^ Kiitz. Common. Scytosiphon lomeiitarius, Ag. Common. Pimctaria latifolia, Grev, P^ latifolia, Grev., van Zostcra^, Le Jolis. P' plantaginea (Roth.), Grev. AH three forms rather common. Dictyosiphon fceniculaceus, Grev. Common, including forms which appear to be var. faccidus, Aresch. ^yriotrichia clava^formis, Harv. ^. clavceformis, Harv., var. filiformis, Farlow. On Scytosiphon and Phyllitis, Ectocarpics terminal is, Kiitz. On Zoster a. E^ tomentosus (Huds.), Lyng. Rather common. -c. granulosus, Ag. Not uncommon. E^ confervoides (Roth.), Le Jolis. Very common. E' confervoides, var. silicidosus, Kjellman. ^ Almost as common as the type. ^1 o 12 E, littoralis, Lyngb. Very common and variable. Among other My forms the var. bracJiiatits, Ag. {E. ramellosiis, Kiitz.) Common. fitcicola, Fries. Common on Fiiciis. Leathesia difformis (L.), Aresch. Not very common; generally of small size, growing on Zostera. Chordaria flagelliformis, Ag. Have only seen a few plants, Mesogloia divaricata, Kiitz. Not uncommon. // A small form, growing on wood-work. R, clavata (Carm.), Crouan. With the preceding. Laminaria saccJiarina (L.), Lamoiir. Not rare, but not so com- mon nor so luxuriant as further north. Washed ashore from below low water mark. Ascophyllwn nodosum (L.), Le Jolis. Common. Fuciis vesiciclosiiSy L, Common. i^ fiircatits, Ag. A single plant, washed ashore, apparently hav- ing grown on a mussel bed below low water mark. Not exactly like the form as found on the New England coast; having some resemblance to F, evanescens, Ag. Sargassiim vulgare. Ag. Have only seen a few plants ; appar- ently not very common. Vaticheria Tlmretii, Woronin. V. litorea, Nordstedt. Have seen only sterile plants of these two species, so that the determination is not certain. TrentepoJdia virgaUtla (Harv.), Farlow. On Zostera and algse. Porphyra laciniata^ Ag. P. leticosticta^ Thuret. Both species common and often con- founded. Bangia fnsco-purpitrea^ Lyngb. Rather common. Erythrotrichia ceramicola (Lyngb.), Aresch. 0\\ various algs- CallitJiamnion cruciatum, Ag. Not uncommon. This species is distributed along the Atlantic coast of Europe and North America, and also in the Mediterranean, and is not a rare species anywhere in those limits. The cystocarpic fruit, how- ever, has been considered extremely rare, the only record of its occurrence being at Brest, France, reported by Crouan. At Atlantic City, however, the cystocarpic fruit seems to occur quite commonly, a considerable proportion of the f 313 plants collected by Mr. Morse having it ^*n abundance. C, Barren, Ag. Common. C roseum (Roth.), Harv. Sterile, and therefore doubtful. C byssoideuDi^ Arn. Rather common. C, teime, Harv. Not uncommon In thoroughfares, etc. Though this species has been known for forty years or more, the cys- tocarpic fruit has never been found, and by European writers It is generally placed in the genus Griffitksia, which it resem- bles in habit more than it does CallitJiantnioih Pttlota elegans, Bonnem. Not uncommon, washed ashore. Ceramiwn rtihrtim, Ag. Common. C strictiim (Kiitz.), Harv. Common, varying from the type to a robust, widely branching form, which is v^ry near, if not actually, C. diaphanuin. Roth. C. fastigiattim, Harv. Not uncommon. C, temnssimtnn (Lyngb.), Ag. Not uncommon. C. tenuissimicm, var. patentissimwn, Harv. With the type. Spyrzdia Jilamentosa, Harv- Not uncommon. PhyllopJiora Brodimi, Ag. P^membranifolia, K^. Both from deep water; not very com- mon nor very large plants. Cy stoc Ionium ptaptirascens, Kiitz. Not uncommon. Chondrtis crisptts (L.), Stack. Common. ^hodymeiiia pahnata (L.), Grev. Not uncommon. Lomentaria 2incinata, Menegh. Common ; often luxuriant and very handsome; sometimes appearing to be var. rohisia, Harv. L, nncwata, var. filiformis, Harv. With the type, less common. Champia pa7^vula (Ag.), Harv. Common. Gelidiiim crinale, Ag. Probably not uncommon, but inconspic- uous and easily overlooked. Khabdoiiia tenera, Ag. Common. Grinnellia Ajnericana, Harv. Abundant and luxuriant. ^elesseria sidtLosa, Lamour. From deep water; not uncommon. A Leprieurii, Mont. Abundant at low water mark on the piles of railroad bridges, etc., with BostrycJiia rivtdaris. Gracilaria multipartita, Ag. G. multipartita, var. angustissima, Harv. Both type and variety common. o 14 Chondriopsis ieiuiissima, Ag. C. tenmssima, van Baileyana^ Farl. Both common. PolysipJionia urceolata (Dilhv.), Grev. Not very common P, Harveyi, Bail. Common. P. varie^ata, Agf. Common. >,---*.►, •* ^t> P, atroriibescens^ Grev. Not very common. Polysiph mg Common and variable; includ- s, vdiV. fticoideSy Ag., iffi Bostrycliia rivnlaris^ Harv. Common on bridges, etc. Dasya elegans^ Ag. Common. Meiobesia farinosa, Lamour. On Phyllophora ; rare. Frank S. Collins. r Notes on the Development of Corynites Curtissii, B. Plate LXXXVI. July enough to find in a small patch of woods a number of specimens of undeveloped Phalli. Watching them with interest for a week or ten days, a fully developed specimen was found which proved to be Corynites Curtissii. The development of these specimens was so interesting that it is here put upon record, together with some of the figures draAvn at the time. Arranged in the apparent order of their development they are numbered one to ten on the plate.* The first figure shows the outer wall surrounding a mass of grayish, glairy matter, in the centre of which is a white column, surmounted by a two- lobed mass of dark brown or blackish matter. Figure 2 shows the beginning, in the centre of the column, of what is eventually to be the stipe, the dark mass still present at the top. In figure 3 the dark mass is larger. Figure 4 shows a marked change. The stipe begins to be plainly manifest The little pits represent what develop finally into openings; the second layer represents the inner wall of the peridium, while the dark mass of matter at the top, gradually diminishing in size, is what probably eventually forms the gleba and contains the spores. Figure 5 does not show the stipe, a fact which may be due to a defect in section- ing, but the gleba (?) has diminished in size and is partly torn away from the central column, F'^ieure 6 is a much more advanced Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, Plate LXXXVL Development of Corynites Ourtissii.— J. F. James, I T I 315 state. Here the sac is considerably elongated, the stipe is larger, the pits are more perceptible, and the wrinkled inner wall of the peridium is plainly apparent. Finally the thickness of the outer layer of the peridium, filled with grajash matter so abundant in the preceding figures, has diminished greatly. Figure 7 is still more elongated, the stipe is well developed and the inner wall of the peridium is nearly perfected. The outer layer of matter has almost disappeared. Figure 9 is apparently the last stage before final development. The outer skin is very thin at the apex, the future point of rupture, the inner layer is well de- veloped, and the stipe is nearly ready to appear. Lastly, figure 10 represents the fully mature fungus, which is bright pink, full 01 small holes, surmounted by the gleba, and springing from the ruptured sac which formerly enclosed it. Figure 8 shows the outward appearance of the fungus in its immature state. The specimen from which figure 9 was drawn, contained a consider- able quantity of liquid, and what seemed to be a mass of froth near the centre of the stipe. This is shown by the dark shading. The disproportion in size between the fully mature fungus and the ruptured sac is considered by DeBary as due to the fact that before rupture takes place the fungus'is really mature, but is crowded into a small space; and that the apparent great ra- pidity of growth is due merely to the straightening out of the wrinkles, as it were, in the fully formed stipe. As the latter elongates, the peridium shrinks downward, and so becomes greatly diminished in size. The odor of the fully developed specimens is extremely fetid and disagreeable, equalled only by PhaUus. As the specimens get older the gleba disappears, the odor is dissipated and the whole assumes a bright pink color. In one example the blackish me was found near the base, just above the ruptured sac, the apex being bright pink. That the stipe elongates rapidly was shown in one specimen collected. This was not fully mature, tiut it lengthened half an inch or more in the course of an hour while lying on the table. sli Joseph F. James, M. Sc. Agricultltrat, College, Maryland. Q 16 On the Bract in Tilia- The small leaf adherent for some half its length to the com- mon peduncle in the Linden tree, is known as a wing-bract. I do not know that any purpose has been suggested for this bract, except for aiding in the distribution of the seeds. In the Hun- garian Silver Linden, Tilia petiolaris (not probably distinct from T. arge7itca) Avhich I have had the opportunity to examine closely this season, they evidently possess a lifting power which must have had some ofifice of usefulness connected with it. The com- mon peduncle Itself is comparatively weak, and only for the attachment to the leaflet would hang loosely from the axis. But the leaflet being greenish, and with the usual power of a green leaf, turns up toward the Hght, and draws up with it the common peduncle, so far as the attachment thereto. From that point the peduncle curves downward. In this way the cymes are kept much wider apart than they would be if each dropped loosely from the axil, where they would be in each other's way. The leaves of Lindens are arranged in horizontal lines on each side of the branch. This does not seem to be advantageous if the purpose of the various methods in phyllotaxy be to secure to the leaves the most light. In this species of Linden the leaves are comparatively large, and the nodes comparatively close, so that a large portion of one leaf is overlapped by another, as in shingles or thatch on a roof In rainy weather they act as shelter tents to the flowers beneath. The cyme is lifted up right under the leaf by the upw^ardly curving power already noted. During an incessant rain storm of two days' duration, I found the flowers securely protected from the rain by this arrangement. For the whole of this time the honey-bees in great numbers from hives some i,ooo feet away, were incessantly at work. I do not remember observing bees at work in rainy weather as these were working here. If the Lindens had been purposely, adapted to find a wet- day job for the bees, the arrangement could not have been any more perfect. It is difficult to un- derstand how such adaptation could have been evolved from the standpoint of an y especial use to the plant itself. Nor is it *Read before the meeting of the Botanical Club of the A. A. A. S.. at Cleve- land, Aug. 20th, iS88. 317 clear that the immense amount of sweet secretion, or the honeyed fragrance, can serve any such purpose. The enormous number of flowers produced keep the bees busily engaged on one tree; and, as the use of pollen by flowers of one tree of pollen from the flowers of the same tree is not cross-fertilization, no benefit from that score is derived from insect visitors. The use of the dried bract as a wing to aid In the distribution of the seed, can scarcely be the sole purpose. Most of the seeds, though many of the early ones are light, separate and fall to the ground before the common peduncle is detached. In many cases when detached it flies away with no seed. When it has one or more seeds developed, it does not go far, very little farther than the seed can be carried in a high wind without it. But the lifting power of the growing bract is apparent, and though It is difficult to understand under modern views of evolu- tion how the adaptations are of much use to the plant, it will, perhaps, be more difficult to beheve that the adaptations have been made solely in the interest of the insect world, though, so far, the facts barely admit of any other interpretation. My view is that nature has not made variety in structure and character solely for the peculiar advantage of the plant itself, but that a variety of purposes are involved. It would be absurd to say the various forms of plants have not, in general, a relation to individual good. Often they have none whatever; but they have a relation, at times wholly, to the general good in which the plant is then a mere incident in the purpose and at times they have but to create a variety for variety sake, which is a necessary element in the order of things. Thos. Meehan. The '^Bulblets" of Lycopodium lucidulum', Michx. The description of L. liLcidnhim in Gray's Manual (ed. 1867, P- ^71) closes with the statement, '* Little bulblets form in the axils of the leaves of young shoots {Austin, RotJirocky The Citation of authorities evidently implies that Gray had not seen these *' bulblets" himself, and as I have failed to discover any niention of them elsewhere, even in the writings of Baker, Under- '^vood and others who have made a special study of pteridophyta, o 18 it seems fair to suppose that they are quite commonly wanting. I was, therefore, somewhat surprised to find them well developed in nearly every one of some twenty specimens which I collected on the 24th of last September in Western New York (Chautau- qua County), a mile or so from the Pennsylvania line. And I Avas still more surprised to find, not only that Gray's statement regard- ing their ** axillary'* position is incorrect, but also that their structure is much more intricate and methodical than the term " bulblet " would suggest. In each fully developed specimen the year's growth of stem an inch or more in length — presented, below, the usual cluster of yellowish axillary sporangia, and, a little distance above, from one to four (more commonly two) six-bracted stipes, each ter- minated by a single " bulblet" These stipes are short, thickish subterete ascending branches, not axillary in any sense but occupying, side by side, the exact position of leaves.* Each bears, close to the summit, two lateral pairs and one antero-pos- terior pair of bracts- The former (exterior and interior) are small, slender, pointed, triangular-lanceolate and curved-diver- gent hke the open mandibles of an ant The other (middle) pair IS much larger and presents a bilabiate aspect, the upper bract being broad, flat, oblong and obtuse, the lower one channeled and curved (sigmoid-sulcate) and about twice the length of the upper. The four smaller bracts, though laterally inserted, are somewhat elevated, and the entire structure, upon casual observa- tian, singularly resembles a short, stout peduncle, surmounted by a horizontal calyx w^ith a five-toothed upper lip, the middle tooth broadest, and a much longer and narrower entire lower lip. The '* bulblet," which is borne upon this like the ovary of an apetalous pistillate flower, looks oddly like a small plump dust- pan ! The body of the '* pan," which is horizontal inclining to cernuous in position, is formed of two broad oblong scales, sub- concave at base and placed closely side by side. A third scale, * It is perfectly clear, from their form and function, that these stipes are caulomes. It is equally evident, from their position, that they are metamorphosed leaves. The necessary inference appears to be that the so-called "leaves" of Lycopoduim are really caiiline and not foliar,— branchlets and not leaves at all— a curious evidence (if any were needed) that the pteridophytic frond is altogether stem notwithstanding its foliaceous appearance. 319 oblong in shape, narrower, and with remarkably straight parallel edges, is fitted over the line between these, just as one roof- shingle covers the crack between the two below it. The acute tip of this is hooked downward and fits accurately into a notch between the two broader scales beneath. A short, slender, tri- angular-lanceolate scale covers the line between the two halves of the *'pan" on the under side, and a corresponding but seem- ingly superfluous one above partly covers the base of the hook- tipped upper scale. Finally, the germ, for which all this complex arrangement of bracts and scales exists, is concealed within the base of the '* pan," and consists of a minute axial protuberance, bearing four rudimentary lanceolate leaves, extremely small and yet visible to the naked eye upon careful dissection. As to size, the stipe, the large anterior bract, aud the bulblet Itself are subequal in length, a scant quarter of an inch or somewhat less. The structure is entirely glabrous and of a uniform green color, not unlike that of the ordinary foliage of the plant. Here, then, we have a stipe, six bracts, five scales and a germ m all thirteen separate elements, completely differentiated, regularly combined and adapted to each other in the most sys- tematic fashion. Six of these elements are in consimilar pairs; the other seven are unique, thus making ten distinct individual forms, or eleven if the stem and leaf components of the germ are reckoned as separate. The vocabulary of botany affords, appar- ently, no better name than "bulblet" for this complicated struc- ture, but a brief consideration of it must enlarge materially our notion of what this modest term may signify. Perhaps no more curious mimicry of a flower has ever been recorded among the heterophyta. VVhen mature these curious ''pans" separate readily from the stipe, and in the specimens collected a majority of them had already fallen. The stipes persist, however, with all their bracts, snd those of previous years were readily detected down the stem, I'egularly accompanied by the equally persistent empty sporangia c>f the corresponding season. Unfortunately the bulblets were not noticed in the field, and I missed thereby the chance of de- tecting new plants springing from those that had fallen. Whether they take root at once or he dormant till spring is still a matter of conjecture, E. E. STERNS. 320 Reviews of Foreign Literature. A Flora of the Northeast of Ireland, By S. A. Stewart and T. H. Corry. 8vo, p. 331. Published by the Belfast Natural- ists Field Club, 1888. Local floras are always of interest, and when done with the thoroughness of the one here noticed, are of much value and im- portance. The present one follows the usual custom of giving full and accurate stations for all plants of uncommon occurrence, in the counties of Down, Antrim and Derry, including the Bryo- phytes. It demands more than casual attention from the fact that the authors have adopted a rational system of nomenclature, not carried out with the thoroughness that we could wish, but still a great improvement on most works of the kind. We can not do better than cite a few sentences from their preface: *'As to nomenclature, the rule of priority has been observed, and wherever it required the substitution of a less known name, this has been done. * * * Further, there has been an attempt made here to retain in all cases as authority for the species, the name of its earliest describer.'' After the general run of local floras it is really quite refreshing to read Habenaria viridis (L.), Brown, Rhynchospora alba (L.), Vahl., and the like. The most numerous changes of name are made in the Bryophytes, many of them ap- plying to species of American distribution, such as Hepattca coiiica (L.), Lindb. for Fegatella conica, Micheli's genus Hepatica having priority both of Fegatella and of the anthophyte genus of the same orthography, now sunk in Anemone, where we hope it will be allowed to remain. N. L. B. The Origin of Floral Structures. By the Rev. George Hen- slow. Pp. xix, 349. Eighty-eight illustrations. The acute Professor of Botany at Queen's College has given us, in this latest volume of the International Scientific Series, a forcible presentation of the theory that plants altogether tend to repeat their parents and vary, as a rule, only in response to ex- ternal stimuH. In Darwin's view the two innate principles of heredity and variation are constantly at war : spontaneous and apparently purposeless changes continually tend to occur: the new forms survive or perish, by ''natural selection,'' according 321 r as they are or are not in sympathy with the environment. In Prof. Henslow's view heredity entirely prevails, and it is the environment " that directly inspires whatever variations may occur. In a general way this is obviously true. The ** environ- ment'' that gardeners supply has wrought a multitude of varia- tions in cultivated plants, while in nature, under extreme condi- tions o[ heat and cold, dryness and moisture, fertility and sterility, tne offspring of a single plant may easily, in one generation, vary almost beyond recognition. For a single instance, how often have merely "depauperate" forms been reckoned as distinct varieties, or even species! But is the ''environment" potent enough to have evolved the existing multitude of floral forms, ranging from the simple flowers of Ranunculus to the highly complicated ones of Orchis and Asclepias? Prof Henslow answers with a bold affirmative. While conceding that ''to some extent the attempt must be regarded as speculative," he aims ' to refer every part of the structure of flowers to some one or niore definite causes arising from the environment taken in its Widest sense '' (p. xi.). No originality is claimed for this view. The author's avowed object is to go back to 1795 and revive Geoffroy St Hilaire's '* conditions of hfe" {^nonde ambiant) as the *' primal cause of chancre/' slo Of all the factors concerned in floral development Prof Hen- vv reckons insects as by far the most active and influential. Protoplasm promptly responds to the stimulus oi mechanical irritation, especially in such sensitive tissues as those of flowers. Phe punctures and pressures and thrusts and tensions of insects, repeated and continued through succeeding generations, are held to have developed nectaries, produced hairs, enlarged petals, lengthened stamens, and otherwise modified floral organs in an endless variety of ways. In "galls" and similar morbid plant- growths we have constant evidence of the effect of insect irritation 11^ stimulating and diverting the action of protoplasm. The fasciated leaves common in Solidago furnish another striking example. Still more notable are the *' leaf-cones " of some species of Salix, "probably occasioned by the puncture of insects" (Gray, Manual, p. 462.) The present writer has repeat- edly opened these cones without being able to find any larva or 32^ other indication of insect agency. It is possible that we have here a result of insect action becoming hereditary. If so, these cones would furnish an additional and excellent proof of the principle which Prof Henslow supports by an abundance of ingenious argument and illustration. A specially interesting part of the book is the author's sum- mary of his reasons for rejecting the famous Darwinian theory embodied in the aphorism, ** Nature abhors close fertilization." He concludes that the benefits of cross-fertihzation are compara- tively transient, and that naturally self-fertilized plants are, upon the whole, more successful in the struggle for life than those with ingenious appliances for heterogamy. Not a little force is added to Prof Henslow's controversion of some of Darwin's most import- ant doctrines by his quotations from the great naturalist's later writings, showing that the trend of the latter's views, near the close of his life, was directly towards the conclusions here ■ reached. E. E. S. Index to Recent American Botanical Literature. Arctic Plants grozving in New Distribution. James Fowler. (Trans. Roy. Soc. Canada, v., (1887), 189-205.) Prof. Fowler demonstrates the remarkable fact, that of 257 native arctic plants in New Brunswick, -241 are natives of Arctic Europe, and in particular of Scandinavia and Lapland, while but i^"] are indigenous to Arctic East America. He accounts for this distribution by climatal and regional similarities. The old theory is maintained that a homogeneous arctic flora covered the polar regions before the Glacial Epoch, and on the advent of the cold and ice was driven southward on both continents ; that on the recession of the glaciers this flora, decimated and considerably modified, crept back until it reached its present condition, local differences being due mainly to climatal causes. It is a very pretty theory and one could desire no better explanation of the present state of arctic vegetation, if we only knew that its premises were correct. Unfortunately we do not know this, but instead, the researches of Heer have shown that in late Tertiary time the arctic flora was almost tropical in character, and no in- 323 dication of the present boreal vegetation has been had prior to Glacial time. While this fact remains it appears that we cannot regard the prevalent theory as wholly acceptable. Mr. Fowler's tabulations of the Flora are of great interest and a valuable con- tribution to geographical botany. N, L. B. Asclepias tnberosa, var. flexiwsa, n, var. Joseph F. James. (Bot. Gazette, xiih, 271.) This novelty is native in the Cumberland Mts., Tennessee. Botanical Nomenclature in North America. Edward L. Greene. (Journ. Bot, xxvi., 326-328.) This forms another chapter in a discussion now In progress, and we commend Its perusal to those botanists who are still anxious to use binomials as against specific names of greater antiquity, wiiile the many who hold to the other view will find in it facts and arguments which cannot fail to strengthen them in the better practice. California Woods in Aiiinnifi. Edward L. Greene. (Garden L. H. Bailey. (J and Forest, I., 422-423.) ^ex Notes from the British Mnsenm. Bot, xxvi., 321-323.) Professor Bailey is doing Cyperology valuable service World m examining old types in the great Herbaria of the Old If we mistake not, he will be able to show that such comparisons were much needed. In the present paper he gives us a few of the results reached at South Kensington, including descriptions of Carex nova — surely a fitting name for a new species — the C. (ttrata^ var. nigra of various American botanists, a native of the Rocky Mountain region. tonia, i., 231-237,) f Authors. Edward L. Greene. (Pit- Prof Greene here gives especial attention to the faulty prac- tice adopted by some writers of citing Bentham and Hooker as authors of binomials which they never created. His arguments are, we judge, conclusive on this point. He also consistently maintains the position that accepted and familiar binomials, if Pre-Linnaean, should be cited as of pre-LInnasan authors, and * gives us examples of cases where this has been done by botanists ^f as eood rennte as Dn Grav and Baron von Mueller. The 324 reasons assigned are certainly weighty, and must command our most serious attention. The writer, in common with many others, has thought that the science of nomenclature would be best served by stopping at some especial date, and thus obtaining a fixed point from which to proceed. Linnasu's Species Plan- tarum of 1753 has been quite generally adopted as this point of departure by botanists; ornithologists go back a few years farther. No particular reason may perhaps be assigned for 1753 as over the date of Rivinus, which Prof. Greene alludes to, other than one of convenience as a problem widely considered as set- tled. But a thorough discussion of the principles involved can only be productive of good. N. L. B. Desmids of Maine, Wm. West (Journ. Bot, xxvi., 339-34*^-) An enumeration of species found in a collection made by Prof Aubcrt at Orono, being 'j'^ species additional to Prof. Harvey's pubhshed list.* Ephedra. — The Stem of, — Walter H. Evans. (Bot. Gazette, xiii., 265-269; one plate and cuts in the text.) Figuring Against Weeds. Byron D. Halsted. (Amer. Nat, xxii., 774-779). Statistics of Iowa weeds, which are divided into 84 Annuals, 27 Biennials and 186 Perennials. As to origin 87 are exotics and 210 American. ^/ T. S. Brandegee. (Proc Cal. Acad. Sci., 2nd Series, i., 201-226.) This includes (i) additions to the Flora of Santa Cruz Islands, including about 80 species not recorded in Prof. Greene's Cata- logue; (2) Flora of Santa Rosa Island, this making up the greater part of the paper. No new species are described, but no less than 21 of those characterized by Prof. Greene from this archipelago are stated to be forms of or identical with old ones. This sweeping reduction must command our wonder, and we can but admire the intrepidity with which it is done. But we may naturally inquire, will these species stay reduced ? Mr. Brandegee visited these islands to obtain wood specimens of the curious trees which grow thereon, for the Jesup wood col- lection at the American Museum of Natural History, brought together by Prof. Sargent. Dr. Watson is recorded as assisting * Bulletin, this volume, pp. 155-161. If 325 in determining several species, while all the grasses collected were submitted to Dr. Vasey. N. L. B. Florida.— A Floral Almanac of.—\)x. A. Schaffranek. (4to, pamphlet, pp.37, Palatka, 1888.) J to December, 1,700 species in all, the first being Ulmus alata and the last Borrichia arhore&cejis. Fungi Fiiegiani. (Bull. Acad. Sci. de Cordoba, xi., 176. 1887.) Fungi Patagonici. (Bull. Acad. Sci. de Cordoba, xi., 61. 1SS7.) Gtnstngzvurzel {Aralia qtiinqucfolia). Fr. Hoffman. {Pliarm. Hib Rundschau, vi., 258-259, one figure.) 425-426; fig. C,^,) Sereno Watson. (Garden and Forest, i., History of Garden Vegetables. E. Lewis Sturtevant. (Amer. Nat, xxii., 802-808; continued.) Ice Plant, {^AlesetnbryantJiciimm crystallinuni) ; Italian corn salad, {Valerianella eriscarpa) ; Jerusalem Artichoke, (//"f the Flora Committee. No plants new to the loo mile circle 328 were observed, but much information has been obtained regard- ing the geographical distribution of many rarer species. Dirca paliistris and Tephrosia Virgmiana were found at Lake Mahopac. Mr, Poggenburg detected the rare Sagittaria siihulata at High- land Falls. Miss Steele read a paper " On the July Flora of the Southern Catskills/' illustrated with specimens. Miss Rich read a paper '* On the Summer Flora of the Cen- tral Catskills." Dr, Britton remarked on the similarity of the floras described to that of the Pocono plateau in Pennsylvania, which is geographic- ally and geologically the southwestern continuation of the Cats- kill mountain system. Mr. Bicknell and Miss Steele remarked on the character of a Rhododendron which ^rows at high altitudes in the Catskills, it having pubescent leaves, distinctive odor and other pecuharities. Mr. VanBrunt reported Polononium cceriileum growing in abundance at Balsam Lake, Catskill Mountains, being another station for a plant extremely r^ire east of the Alleghanies. Mr. Sterns remarked at considerable length on the residuary native flora of Manhattan Island. Mr. Hollick called attention to the' recent articles published in the New York Herald, urging the establishment of a great botan- ical garden in one of the new parks. The subject was discussed by several members, the great desirability of such an establish- ment being generally conceded, and a resolution approving the movement was adopted. Dr. Britton stated that Dr. Thos. Morongr had arrived safely at Buenos Ayres, Argentine Republic, and had commenced his work of studying and collecting the plants of that country. He read extracts from a letter received from Dr. Morong dated Oc- tober loth. Dr. Britton also exhibited specimens of Artemisia Stelleriana, Besser, from several points along the coast within the radius of the lOO mile circle. It has very generally been mis- taken for the " Dusty Miller," Scnccio Cineraria, and indeed its leaf-form is very similar. Recent flowering specimens collected by Mr. Rudkin at Long Beach leave no question as to the plant's identity. In the Synoptical Flora it is attributed only to Nahant Beach, Mass. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. Plate LXXVI. t ■1 1^ i t !■ I ^ ^^S^ def^if^nsr New or Little Known Grasses. F. L. Scribner. r ■t I w \ f \ X -^ \ ■"/_ — 1 \ -K _-. .n BULLETIN OFTHETORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. Plate LXXVIl ,s .y I f \ ^ 1 J \ "V '-«-■ \ o VJ# '^JVf^ \ no V \ J CO / ■\ __; c^ '■«i*lB y /^ I 7 "'^. BULLETIN OFTHETORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. Plate LXXV!lt ^ ^^.^K^" pr \.mvi \ \ ri ms t4 .^ \ 15 / \ / 1 / '-V 1 J.* / w -* /o • • t -A±e \ f ^^^-ifrW^^r-V^ \ ( 'I / / ^r =^rm V \ ^^ lb y- 17 / / / (•5^ / \ ■ *1 A S '^. '^'■-4 I \ -» 1 « i ^r-ms-.^*^^ / -fl'^'^fils. tFt-y? ■^ ^ I BULLETIN OF THE rOKREY BOTANICAL CLUB. Bulletin of the Torrey Eotanical Club. Plate LXXIX. 5 1 8 Fruit of various species of Sparganium. Thomas Morong. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Olub. Plate LXXX. 2 Soirpus Pringlei, Britton. I Soirpus heterocarpus, Watson. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. Plate LXXXI. } [ Salix balsamifera, Barratt. M. S. Bebb. ,A^ t Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. Plate LXXXII. t ii I Development of Symplo carpus. A. F. Foerste. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. Plate LXXXIIL \ r^—' ^ > y ' J— 1 II \ / ^ D J\.HBUuli, - 'dtC • uJ^vsir, Fig. 1. Quercus rubra, L. Fig. 2. QuerciiB Phellos, L Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Clnb. Plate LXXXIV. A . Koav A ^ J., c Qnercus heteropliylla, Miclii. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club- Plate LXXXV, Qaercus heteropbylla, Michx. I ^OL. XV. JANUARY, 1888. No. i BULLETIN OF THE ToRREY Botanical Club. MONTHLY JOURNAL OF BOTANY. Edited by ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CLUB. CONTENTS NEW YORK: Pbess of Holt Brothers. PAGK t Studies in the Typhacece : Thomas ^lorong. New t)r Little Known Grasses, L : F. Lamson Scribner- Plate LXXVL, 8 Nitella (not Tolypella) Macounii : T- F. Allen, ii New Western Grasses : Dr. Geo. Vasey, H Re -discovery of Nymphcea elegans, Hook., at a new Station ; E. E, Sterns, 13 Botanizing in the Strait of Magellan : W. E. Safford, 15 Anthophyta for Phsenogamia : Joseph F. James, ^ 20 Index to Recent American Botanical Literature, 20 Botanical Notes, 25 Proceedings of the Club, 26 THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. OFFICERS FOR 1887. President, PROFESSOR JOHN S, NEWBERRY, Vice -F resident, Treasurer, THOMAS HOGG. T. J. H. MERRILL. Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary^, ARTHUR HOLLICK. HELENA C. GASKIN. Editor, ELIZABETH G. BRITTON- Assaciate Editors^ JOSEPH SCHRENK, Histology. H. H. RUSBY, M,D , Medical Botany F- J. H. MERRUX, Business Manager- C. HENRY KAIN, Diatoms, ' h Curator, Librarian^ MARL\ O, STEELE- N- L. BRITTON Committee an Finance^ JOHN L- WALL, WM. H- RUDKTN. Committee on Admissions^ BENJAMIN BRAMAN, JOSEPH SCHRENK, Library and Herbarium Committee* N. L. BRITTON, MARIA O. STEELE, LOUISE M. STABLER. ALICE B. RICH, Chairman of Section of Histology, JOSEPH SCHRENK. The New York City, on the second Tuesday of each month, except July and August, at 8 o'clock, p, M. Botanists are cordially invited to attend. TERMS for the Bulletin— One Dollar per annum— beginning with the January Number, Communications for publication and subscriptions should be addressed to the Editor, at Columbia College, New York, When money orders arc sent they should be made payable at Station H, Members of the Club will please remit their subscriptions, together with their annual dnes, for iS88, now payable, to Mr. F, J. H- Merrill, Treasurer, Columbia College, New York* ^ Terms for England and the Continent of Europe, 5 shillings. Agents for Europe, Messrs. DuLAU &: Co., 37 Soho Square, London, England. Back Volumes.— The Bulletln was published from 1S70 to 1875, inclusive, m yearly Tolumes, and was indexed at the end of the five years. The price of these n^e volumes is $3.75. The numbers from 1875 to 1879, inclusive, were allowed to run on as one volume (Vol. VL), and were indexed at the end of the five years. The price o this volume is $5. 00. Volumes VII. to XIV. have been indexed separately- The pnce of each is si. 00. I n Orders for the above may be addressed to the Editor. Subscriptions for 1888 are now due. f I Vol. XV. FEBRUARY, 1888 BULLETIN No. 2. OF THE ToRREY Botanical Club, MONTHLY JOURNAL OF BOTANY. Edited by ELIZABETH G. BRITTON. AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CLUB CONTENT PAGE On the Histology of the Vegetative Organs of Brasenia peltata, Pursh.: Joseph Schrenk. Plates LXVII and LXVIII, New or Rare Grasses : Dr. Geo. Vasey, The Proposed Botanical Exchange Club, Castalia versus Nymphiea: Joseph F. James, J^'otes on Smilax pumila, Walt. : E. E. Stems, Proceedings of the Club, Death of Dr. Gray, Botanical 29 48 49 SI S3 57 58 NEW YORK: PKESS OF HOLT BROTHERS, 17-37 VaKDEWATEB STREET. ■■.:^*=*^- Jtk-A.Tj'' - - ^^y--.^'-- THE TORREY. BOTANICAL CLUB. OFFICERS FOR 1888. President^ PROFESSOR JOHN S. NEWBERRY. Vice-President^ Treasurer, THO:^IAS HOGG. JUSTUS F. POGGENBURG, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, ARTHUR HOLLICK, HELENA C. GASKIN. Editor. ELIZABETH G. BRITTON. Associate Editors, JOSEPH SCHRENK, Histology. H. H, RUSBY, M.D , Medical Botany. EMILY L. GREGORY, Ph.D., German Literature. C. HENRY KAIN, Diatoms ARTHUR HOLLICK, Ctirator, Librarian, MARIA O. STEELE. N. L. BRITTON- Committee on Finance, JOHN L- WALL, WM. H. RUDKIN. Committee on Admissions, BENJAMIN BRAMAN, JOSEPH SCHRENK- Library and Llerbarium Committee, N. L. BRITTON, MARIA O. STEELE, LOUISE M. STABLER. ALICE B. RICH, Chairman of Section of Histology, JOSEPH SCHRENK. The Club meets regularly at Columbia College, 49th Street and rvtadison Avenue, New York City, on the second Tuesday of each month, except July and August, at 8 o'clock, p. M. Botanists are cordially invited to attend. TERMS for the Bulletin— One Dollar per annum— beginning with the January Number. Communications for ptiblication and subscriptions should be addressed to the Editor, at Columbia College, New York. When money orders are sent they should be made payable at Station H. Members X)F the Club will please remit their subscriptions, together with their annual dues, for 1888, now payable, to Mr. JusUis F, Poggenburg, Treasurer, 229 Broadway, New York City. Terms for England and the Continent of Europe, 5 shillings. Agents for Europe, Messrs. Dulau & Co., 37 Soho Square, London, England. Back Volumes.— The Bulletin was published from 1870 to 1875, inclusive, in yearly volumes, and was indexed at the end of the five years. The price of these five Tolumes is $3.75. The numbers from 1875 to 1879, inclusive, were allowed to run on as one volume (Vol. VI.), and were indexed at the end of the five years. The price of this volume i:,>5. CO. Volumes VIL to XIV. have been indexed separately. The price of each is Si. 00. Orders for the above may be addressed to the Editor. Subscriptions for 1888 are now due. Vol. XV. MARCH, 1888. No. 3. BULLETIN OF THE T ToRREY Botanical Club, MONTHLY JOURNAL OF BOTANY. Edited by ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CLUB OON^TENT PAGE . CO Asa Gray: Walter Deane. With Portrait, ^^ ^ ^^ Studies in the Typhacese: Thomas Morong. Plate LXXIX, ^^ Trigger-hairs of the Thistle Flower: Byron D. Halsted. (lUustrated), Bibliographical Notes on well-known Plants-VII: Edward L. Greene, -J Proposed Revision of North American Smilaces: E. E. Stems, ^^ Reviews of Foreign Literature, go Index to Recent American Botanical Literature, ^^ Proceedings of the Club, .^ . . ,. „ 06 Asa Gray-Resolutions by the Hamilton Literary and Scientific Association, 9<> NEW PRESS OF HOLT BROTOEBS, 17-S7 VANPEWATEK STKEET. ^"Wr flg«''''' Acid Phosphate. For Dyspepsia, Mental and Physical Exhaus- tion, Nervousness, Diminished Vitality, etc. Prepared according to fhe Directions of Prof. E. N. HORSFORD, of Cambridge. A preparation of the phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron with phos- phoric acid, in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system. Umversally recommended and prescribed by physicians of all schools. Its action will harmonize with such stimulants as are necessary to take. It is the best toaic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body. It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only. As A Brain and Nerve Tonic. can ?onMl7;p?n^n^^^F-?^'' ^^r^?'^"'^' ^- '^y^'- "From my experience, For Wakeful Catholfc n^ieJ; Ih^^^"^^/^?' ^f "'«' N- Y-' '^y^-- "I prescribed it for a etc andKitw •? J^''^ '^'"^%''^' *^' wakefulness, extreme nervousness, etc., and he reports that it has been of great benefit to him." In Nervous Debility. man?oh^?S|-fnI?f^f P«'-«^"'J. Me., says: "I have prescribed it for many ot the various forms of nervous debility, and it has never failed to do good." For the 111 Effects of Tobacco. De. c. a. fe nerve fimction, wit affected bv the tnn i< I have used it in cases of impaired IiiviiflraiiDi, StreilleiiiD J PRICES REASONABLE. PAMPHLET GIVING FURTHER PARTICULARS MAILED FREE- Manufactured by the EUMFOED CHEMICAL w OEKS. Providence, E. I. BEWARE OF IMITATIONS. ^^ M ESTABLISHED I 85 I. EIMER & AMEND 5 MANUFACTURERS AND IMPORTERS Ol Chemicals and Chemical Apparatus, 205, 207, 209 & 211 Third Ave., Corner of i8th Street, NEW YORI SOL" AGENTS FOR THE UNITED STATES ■m OF NORTH AMERICA, FOR E March's Saline Chemical Stone Ware. Schleicher & Schuell's Chemically Pure and Common Filter Paper, Doctor C. Scheibler's Saccharome- ters (Polariscopes). Prof. Jolly's Specific Gravity Bal- ances, etc. Le Brun F. Desmontes & Co., of Paris, Platinum. H. TronesdorfF's C. P. Chemicals. SPECIALTIES:— Bacterioscopical Apparatus, Normal Graduated Glass- ware, Porcelain from the Royal Berlin and Meissen Factories, Bohem- ian and German Glassware, Filter Papers, Agate Mortars, Pure Hammered Platina, Balan and Weights, Copperware, Bunsen's urners an B Sugar Chemists. d Combustion Furnaces, Apparatus and Chemicals for LABORATORY OUTFITS FOR FERTILIZERS, ASSAYERS. UNIVERSITIES AiND COLLEGES Glass-blowing, Etching, Grinding and REPAiRir.c. liLClCL Ph sphate For Dyspepsia, Mental and Physica! Exhaus- tion, Nervousness, Diminished Vitality, etc. Prepared according to the Directions of Prof. E. N. HORSFORD, of Cambridge. A preparation of the phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron with phos- phoric acid, in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system. ITiiiversally recommended and prescribed by physicians of all schools. timulants as are necessarv to take It is the best tonic known, furmshing sustenance to both brain and body It makes a delicious drink with water and suprar onlv. As A Brain and Nerve Tonic. "^^'v^n^^' RC>BERTSON, Cleveland, O., says: **From my experience, can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc., etc." > f j For Wakefulness. Dr. WM. P clothier, Buffalo, N. Y., says: '*I prescribed it for a Catholic priest, who was a hard student, for wakefulness, extreme nervousness, etc., and he reports that it has been of great benefit to him." In Nervous Debility. Dr EDWIN F yoSE, Portland, Me., says: "I have prescribed it for many ol the various forms of nervous debility, and it has never failed to do good." For the ill Effects of Tobacco. „^^J^f' ^:- ■*■• ^ERNALD, Boston, says : "I have used it in cases of impaired InJoJXfh' ^'^^' beneficial results, especially in cases where the system is affected by the toxic action of tobacco. " IcvipraiiM, Strei m, PRICES REASONABLE. PAMPHLET GIVING FURTHER PARTICULARS MAILED FREE Ma aufactnred by tte EUMFOED CHEMICAL WGEKS. Providence, E. I. BEWARE OF IMITATIONS. ESTABLISHED 1 85 1. EIMER & AMEND J MANUFACTURERS AND IMPORTERS OF Chemicals and Chemical Apparatus, 205, 207, 209 & 211 Third Ave., Corner of i8th Street, NEW YORK. SOLE AGENTS FOR THE U OF NORTH AMERICA, FOR STATES E. March's Sasline Chemical Stone Ware. Schleicher & Schuell's Chemically Pure and Common Filter Paper. Doctor C. Scheibler's Saccharome- ters (Polariscopes). Prof. Jolly's Specific Gravity Bal- ances, etc. Le B run F. Desmontes & Co., qf H t Paris, Platinum. 3 H. Tronesdorff's C- P. Chemicals. SPECIALTIES:— Bacterioscopical Apparatus, Normal Graduated Glass- ware, Porcelain from the Royal Berlin and Meissen Factories, Bohem- ian and German Glassware, Filter Papers, Agate Mortars, Pure Hammered Platina, Balances and Weights, Coppcrware, Bunsen's Burners and Combustion Furnaces, Apparatus and Chemicals for Sugar Chemists. LABORATORY OUTFITS FOR FERTILIZERS, ASSAYERS, UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES. Glass-blowing, Etcheng, Grinding and Repairing. ^*r «u«'*» ^4« Acid Pliosphate For Dyspepsia, Mental and Physical Exhaus- tion, Nervousness, Diminished Vitality, etc. Prepared according to the Directions of Prof. E. N. HORSFORD, of Cambridge. A preparation of the phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron with phos- phoric acid, in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system. Universally recommended and prescribed by physicians of all scbools. Its acHon will harmonize witli sucb stimulants as are necessary to take. It is the best tonic known, furnisliing sustenance to both brain and body. It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only. As A Brain and Nerve Tonic. Dr. E. W. ROBERTSON, Cleveland, O., says: **From my experience, can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc,^ etc." For Wakefulness- Dr. WM. p. clothier, Buffalo, K T., says: -I prescribed it for a Latholic priest, who was a hard student, for wakefulness, extreme nervousness, etc., and he reports that it has been of great benefit to him." In Nervous Debility. Dr EDWIN F YOSE, Portland, Me., says: -I have prescribed it for many of the various forms of nervous debility, and it has never failed to do good.'^ For the ill Effects of Tobacco. r.^,. ^f ^i'^' ^^^^^-^LI^T Boston, says : '^ I have used it in cases of impaired ff t Y? lu°' ^^^.^ l>eneficial results, especially in cases where the system is anectea bv the tone i^rtinn nf t^.^^^r.^^ » -^ -' lEFipratlit Vmikmi HealtlfBl, Mresliai. PRICES REASONABLE. PAMPHLET GIVING FURTHER PARTICUURS MAILED FREE Manufactured by the EUMFOSD CHEMICAL WOEKS, Providence, E. I BEWARE OF IMITATIONS. r ESTABLISHED lS5l. EIMER & AMEND > MANUFACTURERS AND IMPORTERS OF W Chemicals and Chemical Apparatus, 1 205, 207, 209 & 211 Third Ave., \ Corner of i8th Street, NEW YORI \ I i SOLE AGENTS FOR THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA, FOR E. March's S:^line Chemical Stone Ware. Schleicher & Schuell's Chemically Pure and Common Filter Paper. Doctor C. Scheibler's Saccharome- ters (Polariscopes), Prof. Jolly's Specific Gravity Bal- ances, etc. Le Brun F. Desmontes & Co., of Paris, Platinum. H. Tronesdorff's C. P. Chemicals. SPECIALTIES:— Bacterloscopical Apparatus, Normal Graduated Glass- ware, Porcelain from the Royal Berlin and Meissen Factories, Bohem- ian and German Glassware, Filter Papers, Agate Mortars, Pure Hammered Platina, Balances and Weights, Copperware, Bunsen's A Combustion Furnaces, Apparatus and Chemicals for rners an Bu Sugar Chemists. LABORATORY OUTFITS FOR FERTILIZERS, ASSAYERS, UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES. Glass-blowing, ErcHtNG, Grinding and Repairing. Acid Phosphate. For Dyspepsia, Mental and Physical Exhaus- tion, Nervousness, Diminished Vitality, etc. Prepared according to fhe Directions of Prof. E. N. HORSFORD, of Cambridge. A preparation of the phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron with phos- phoric acid, in such form as to be readiljr assimilated by the system. Universally recommended and prescribed by physicians of all schools. Its action will karmonize with such stimulants as are necessary to take. It is the best tonic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only. As A Brain and Nerve Tonic. W ROBERTSOX, Cleveland, O., says: "From my experience, can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc., etc." For Wakefulness. De. WM. p. clothier, Buffalo, N. Y., says: ''I prescribed it for a Catholic priest, who was a hard student, for wakefulness, extreme nervousness, etc., and he reports that it has been of great benefit to him." J- In Nervous Debility. Dr EDWIN F, VOSE, Portland, Me., says: "I have prescribed it for many of the various forms of nervous debility, and it has never failed to do good.'* For the ill Effects of Tobacco. Dr. C. a. FERNALD, Boston, says : " I have used it in cases of impaired nerve function, with beneficial results, especially in cases where the system is affected by the toxic action of tobacco." IiTiEDralii, J PRICES REASONABLE. PAMPHLET GIVING FURTHES PARTICULARS MAILED FREE Manufactured by the EUMFOED CHEMICAL WOEKS, ProTidence, E. I. BEWARE OF IMITATIONS. t ♦ As there has been a demand for Dr. Gray's portrait, we announce that extra copies may be obtained at 25 cents each on apphcation to the Editor. Vol. XV. MAY, 1888. No. 5. BULLETIN OF THE ToRREY Botanical Club, MONTHLY JOURNAL OF BOTANY, Edited by ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CLUB PAGE 121 White Mountain Willows-L: M. S. Bebb. Plate LXXXI, Linnseus and his Genera of Plants: Edward L. Greene, ^^^ Diatoms of Atlantic City and Vicinity: C. Henry Kain Notes on the Flora of the Upper Chemung Valley : Isabel S. Arnold, 3^^ Capsicum fasciculatum: E. Lewis Sturtevant, Flora Temiscouatensis: Henry M. Ami, Botanical Notes, Notes on Medicinal Plants, . ■ t- i, ^ Annovincement of the A. A. A. S. Committee on a Botanical Exchange, Reviews of Foreign Liierature, Index to Recent American Botanical Literature, Proceedings of the Club, 134 137 138 139 139 143 149 ]N^EW YOKK: Pbbss The new Catalogue of Plants within One Hundred Miles of ^^-v^'ork C^X is ready for distribution. It is a pamphlet of xvi-f90 P^ges- For copies address the Secretary of the Club. Price, one dollar. THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. OFFICERS FOR 1888. President^ PROFESSOR JOHN S. NEWBERRY. Vice-President^ Treasurer, THOMAS HOGG. JUSTUS F. POGGENBURG. Recording Secretary^ Corresponding Secretary^ ARTHUR HOLLICK. HELENA C. GASKIN. Editor. ELIZABETH G. BRITTON. Associate Editors^ JOSEPH SCHRENK, Histology. H. H. RUSBY, M.D , Medical Botany. EMILY L. GREGORY, Ph.D., German Literature. C. HENRY KAIN, Diatoms. ARTHUR HOLLICK. Curator^ lAhrarian^ MARIA O. STEELE. N. L. BRITTON. Comynittee on Finance^ JOHN L. WALL, WM. H. RUDKIN. Co?nmittee on Admissions^ BENJAMIN BRAMAN, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Library and Herbarium Co?nmittee, N. L. BRITTON, MARIA O. STEELE, LOUISE M. STABLER. ALICE B. RICH. Chairjuan of Scctiojz of Histology^ JOSEPH SCHRENTC. Committees on the Local Fiora^ PHANEROGAM I A, CRYPTOGAM [A, J. F. POGGENBURG, ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, N. L. BRITTON, MARIA O. STEELE, E. E. STERNS. S. E. JELLIFFE. The Club meets regularly at Columbia College, 49th Street and Madison Avenue, New York City, on the second Tuesday of each month, except July and August, at S o'clock, p. M. Botanists are cordially invited to attend. TERMS for the Bulletin— One Dollar per annum — beginning with the January Number. Communications for publication and subscriptions should be addressed to the Editor, at Columbia College, New York. When money orders are sent they should be made payable at Station H. Members of the Club will please remit their subscriptions, together with their annual dues, for 1S88, now payable, to Mr. Justus F. Poggenburg, Treasurer, 229 Broadway, New York City. Terms for England and the Continent of Europe, 5 shillings. Agents for Europe, Messrs. Dllau & Co., 37 Soho Square, London, England. Back Volumes.— The Bulletin was published from 1870 to 1875, inclusive, in yearly volumes, and was indexed at the end of the five years. The price of these five volumes is S3-7S- The numbers from 1S75 to 1879, inclusive, were allowed to run on as one volume (Vol. VI.), and were indexed at the end of the five years. The price of this volume is §5.00. Volumes VII, to XIV. have been indexed separately. The price of each is Si. 00. Orders for the above may be addressed to the Editor. > T As there has been a demand for Dr. Gray's portrait, we announce that extra copies may be obtained at 25 cents each on application to the Editor. i i Vol. XV. ^ JUNE, 1888- ^°- ^- ! I f i s x1 u 1 F 4 I 1 F ^ i ^ i t 1 *" ^ BULLETIN OF THE ToRREY Botanical Club, MONTHLY JOURNAL OF BOTANY. Edited by ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, AND OTHER MBMBERS OF THE CLUB, PAGE 164 CONTENTS: The Development of Symplocarpus foetidus (L.), Salisb.: Aug. F. Foerste. . Plate LXXXII, j-e Fresh-water Algse of Maiiie.-L: F. L. Harvey, ^^^ Some Peculiarities in the Seed of Smilax, Tourn.: E. E- bterns Another Station for Rhododendron Vaseyi : John Donnell Smith, Aquilcgia Canadensis. L., van flaviflora (Tenney), Bntton : John Rd, n o„, 65 Saxifraga Virginiensis, Michx.. var. pcntadecandra, Stems : E. E. Sterns, Rules for the Botanical Exchange Club, Reviews of Foreign Literature, Botanical Notes, Index to Recent American Botanical Literature, Proceedings of the Club, 167 169 169 170 175 NEW YORK: PRESS OP HOLT BBOTHERS, 17-27 VAKDEWATKB STKEET, The new Catalogue of Plants within One Hundred Miles of ^-w York City is ready for distribution. It is a pamphlet of xvi-j^ pages. For copies address the Secretary of the Club. Price, one dollar. THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. OFFICERS FOR 1888. President^ PROFESSOR JOHN S. NEWBERRY. Vice-President, Treasurer, THOMAS HOGG- JUSTUS F. POGGENBURG. Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, ARTHUR HOLLICK. HELENA C. GASKIN. Editor. ELIZABETH G- BRITTON. Associate Editors, JOSEPH SCHRENK, Histology. H. H. RUSBY, M.D., Medical Botany. EMILY L. GREGORY, Ph.D., German Literature. C. HENRY KAIN, Diatoms. ARTHUR HOLLICK. Curator, Ubrarian, MARIA 0. STEELE. N. L. BRITTON. Committee on Finance, JOHN L. WALL, WM.' H. RUDKIN, Committee on Admissions^ BENJAMIN BRAMAN, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Library and Herbarium Committee* N- L. BRITTON, MARIA O- STEELE, LOUISE M. STABLER. ALICE B. RICH. Chairman of Section of Histology, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Committees mi the Local Flora, FHANEROGAMIA, CRYPTOGAMIA, J. F. POGGENBURG, ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, N, L. BRITTON, MARIA O. STEELE, E. E. STERNS. S. E. JELLIFFE. The Club meets regularly at Columbia College, 49th Street and Madison Avenue, New York City, on the second Tuesday of each month, except July and August, at 8 o'clock, p. M. Botanists are cordially invited to attend. TERMS for the Bulletin— One Dollar per annum— beginning with the January Number. Gommttni cat ions for fitblication and subscriptions should be addressed to the Editor, at Columbia College, New York. When money orders are sent they should be made payable at Station H. Members of the Club will please remit their subscriptions, together with their annual dues, for 1888, now payable, to Mr. Justus F. Poggenburg, Treasurer, 229 Broadway, New York City. Terms for England and the Continent of Europe, 5 shillings. Agents for Europe, Messrs. DULAU & Co., 37 Soho Square, London, England. Back Volumes.— The Bulletim was published from 1870 to 1875, inclusive, in yearly volumes, and was indexed at the end of the five years. The price of these n\e volumes is $3.75. The numbers from 1875 to 1S79, inclusive, were allowed to run on as one volume (Vol. VL), and were indexed at the end of the five years. The price o tliis volume is $5.00. Volumes VII. to XIV. have been indexed separately. The price of each is Si. 00. Orders for the above may be addressed tc the Editor. Vol. XV. JULY, 1888. No. 7. BULLETIN OF THE ORREY Botanical MONTHLY JOURNAL OF BOTANY. Edited by ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CLUB CONTENTS: ^^^^ An Enumeration of the Plants Collected by Dr. H. H. Rusby in South America, ^^^ I885-I8S6.— I., j8- Bryological Notes: John Macoun, ^g^ The Genu.s Disponini, Salisb.: N. L. Britten, A Suggestion Concerning Smilax heibacea, L.:E.E Sterns , On some Inaccuracies De Candolle's ''Cultivated Plants' : K. B. Claypole. 190 Botanical Notes, jo^ Reviews of Foreign Literature, Index to Recent American Botanical Literature. ^^^ Proceedings of the Club, NEW Press Th« „c„ C,Ul„g.e of P.a.B within 0..e Hundred !*te of ^'-^l^l^^^' " «»'"' for distribution. -I-90 pages. For copies address the Secretary of the Club. Pnce, one doUar. THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. OFFICERS FOR 1888. 1 4 President, PROFESSOR JOHN S. NEWBERRY. Vite-President, Treasurer, THOMAS HOGG. JUSTUS F. POGGENBURG. Recording Secretary. Corresponding Secretary, ARTHUR HOLLICK. HELENA C. GASKIN. Editor. ELIZABETH G. BRITTON. Associate Editors, JOSEPH SCHRENK, Histology. " H. H. RUSBY, M.D , Medical Botany. EMILY L. GREGORY, Ph.D., German Literature. C. HENRY KAIN, Diatoms. ARTHUR HOLLICK. Curator, ' Librarian, MARIA O. STEELE. N. L. BRITTON. Committee on Finance^ JOHN L. WALL, WM. H. RUDKIN. Committee on Admissions^ BENJAMLX BRAMAN, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Library and Herbarium Committee, N. L. BRITTON, MARIA O. STEELE, LOUISE M. STABLER. ALICE B, RICH. Chairman of Section of Histology ^ JOSEPH SCHRENK. Committees on the Local Fiora^ PHANEROGAMI.\, CRYPTOGAMIA, J. F. POGGENBURG, ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, K L. BRITTON, MARIA O. STEELE, E. E. STERNS. S. E. JELLIFFE. The Club meets regularly at Columbia College, 49th Street and Madison Avenue, New York City, on the second Tuesday of each month, except July and August, at 8 o'clock, p, M, Botanists are cordially invited to attend. TERMS for the Bulletin— One Dollar per annum— beginning with the January Number, Communications for publication and subscriptions should be addressed to the Editor, at Columbia College, New York. When money orders are sent they should be made payable at Station H. Members of the Club will please remit their subscriptions, together with their annual dues, for 1888, now payable, to Mr. Justus F. Poggenburg, Treasurer, 229 Broadway, New York City, Terms for England and the Continent of Europe, 5 shillings. Agents for Europe, Messrs. DuLAU & Co., 37 Soho Square, London, England. Back Volumes.— The Bulletin was published from 1870 to 1875, inclusive, in yearly volumes, and was indexed at the end of the five years. The price of these five volumes is $3.75. The numbers from 1875 to 1879, inclusive, were allowed to run on as one volume (Vol. VI.), and were indexed at the end of the five years. The price ot Ais volume is $5.00. Volumes VTI. to XIV. have been indexed separately- The price of each is Si. 00. Orders for the above may be addressed to the Editor. t. Vol. XV. AUGUST, 1888. No. 8. BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB, MONTHLY JOURNAL OF BOTANY. Edited by AND ELIZABETH G. BRITTON. OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CLUB, CONTENTS: ^^^^ ■ The Fruit of Calycanthus, L. : E. E. Sterns An Inviting Field for a Collector: W. E Safford Cheilanthe. vestita. Sw., on New York Island: E E Sterns, Abnormal Ash Leaves : Bvron D. Halsted (Illustrated), Kansas Botanical Notes: J. H. Oyster, Onondaga Plant Names: W. M. Beauchamp. ^^ ,,^^. jy, Valery Distribution of the Buflalo Grass (Buchloe dactylordes, Engelm.) . Dr. V ry Havard, Botanical Notes, Index to Recent American Botanical Literature, 205 210 211 212 213 214 215 218 222 >'EW YOKK: PHESS OF IIOX.T BKOTHEKS, 17-27 VANPKWATKH SXBKET T.e new C.>a,o,.e of PUn. .U.,in <>- ""f t+^ltf^Stop^' '" ""'' address the Secretary of the Club. THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. OFFICERS FOR 1888. President^ PROFESSOR JOHN S. NEWBERRY. Vice-President, Treasurer, THOMAS HOGG. JUSTUS F. POGGENBURG. Recording SecrettDj, Correspondifig Secretary^ ARTHUR HOLLICK- HELENA C. GASKIN. Editor^ ELIZABETH G. BRUrTON. Associate Editors y JOSEPH SCHRENK. Histology. H. H. RUSBY, M.D , Medical Botany. EMILY L. GREGORY, Ph.D., German Literature. C. HENRY KAIN, Diatoms. ARTHUR HOLLICK. Cnrator, Librarian, MARIA O. STEELE. N. L. BRITTON. w Committee on Finance, JOHN L. WALL. WM. H. RUDKIN. Committee on Admissions, BENJAMIN BRAMAN, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Library and Herbarium Committee, N. L. BRITTON, MARIA O. STEELE, LOUISE M. STABLER. ALICE B. RICH. Chairman of Section of Histology, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Committees on the Local Floi'a, PHANEROOAMIA CRYPTOGAMIA, J. F. POGGENBURG, ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, N. L. BRITTON, " MARIA O STEELE, E. E. STERNS. S. E. JELLIFFE. The Club meets regularly at Columbia College, 49!h Street and Madison Ave- nue, New York City, on the second Tuesday of each month, except July and Au- gust, at S o'clock, P.M. Botanists are cordially invited to attend. TERMS for the Bulletin — One Dollar per annum — beginning with the Jan- uary Number, Communications for ptiblicat ion a.nd subscnptions should be addressed to the Editor, at Columbia College, New York. When money orders are sent they should be made payable at Station H. Members of the Club avUI please remit their subscriptions, together with th-eir annual dues, for iS88, now payable, to Mr. Justus F. Poggenburg, Treasurer, 229 Broadway, New York City. Terms for England and the Continent of Europe, 5 shillings. Agents for Europe, Messrs. DuLAU & Co., 37 Soho Square, London, England. Back Volumes.— The Bulletin wns published from iSjoto 1875, inclusive, in yearly volumes, and was indexed at the end of the five years. The price of these five volumes is $3.75. The numbers from 1875 to 1879, inclusive, were al- lowed to run on as one volume (Vol. VL), and were indexed at the end of the five years. The price of this volume is $5 00. Volumes Vil. to XIV. have been in- dexed separately. The price of each is $1.00. Orders for the above mav be addressed to the Editor. ESTABLISHED I 85 I. EIMER & AMEND J MANUFACTURERS AND BIPORTERS OF Chemicals and Chemical Apparatus, 205, 207, 209 & 211 Third Ave., Corner of 1 8th Street, NEW YORK I SOLE AGENTS FOR THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA, FOR E March's Sa;line Chemical Stone Ware. Schleicher & Schuell's Chemically Pure and Common Filter Paper. Doctor C. Scheibler's Saccharome- ters (Polariscopes). Prof. Jolly's Specific Gravity Bal- ances, etc Le Brun F. Desmontes & Co., Paris, Platinum. H. TronesdorfF's C. P. Chemicals. of SPECIALTIES :-BacterioscopicaI Apparatus, Normal Graduated Glass- T, 1 ■ r ^^ th^ Rnval Berlin and Meissen Factories, Bohem- ware. Porcelain from the Ko^ai DCMiii 11 German Glassware, Filter Papers, Agate Mortars, lan and German (glassware-, r.iLv.. .^^-.-, Hammered Platina, Balances and Weights, Copperware Bunsen's Burners and Sugar Chemists, Combustion Furnaces. Apparatus and Chemicals for LABORATORY OUTFITS FOR FERTILIZERS, ASSAYERS, UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES. Glass-blowing. Etching, Grinding and REPAiRixc. '*'Arz „o-**'' Acid Phospjiate. For Dyspepsia, Mental and Physical Exhaus- tion, Nervousness, Diminished Vitality, etc. Prepared according to fhe Directions of Prof. E. N. HORSFORD, of Cambridge. A preparation of the phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron with phos- phoric acid, in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system. Uaiversally recommended and prescribed by pHysicians of all scliools. Its action will harmonize with such stimulants as are necessary to take. It is tte best tonic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only. As A Brain and Nerve Tonic. Dr. E. V^\ ROBERTSON, Cleveland, O., says: ''From my experience, can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc., etc." For Wakefulness. Dr. WM. p. clothier, Buffalo, K Y., says: '*I prescribed it for a Catholic priest, who was a hard student, for wakefulness, extreme nervousness, etc., and he reports that it has been of great benefit to hiui." In Nervous Debility. Dk. EDWIN F. VOSE, Portland, Me., says: "I have prescribed it for many of the various forms of nervous debility, and it has never failed to do good." For the III Effects of Tobacco. Db. C. a. FERNALD, Boston, says : '* I have used it in cases of impaired nerve function, with beneficial results, especially in ca^es where the system is affected by the toxic action of tobacco." IiTipraliBL SlreD[tlieDiD|, HealMil. Eefresliini. PRICES REASONABLE. PAMPHLET GIVING FURTHER PARTICULARS MAILED FREE Manufactured by the ETJMPOED CHEMICAL WOEKS, Providence^ E. I- BEWARE OF IMITATIONS. ESTABLISHED I 85 I. EIMER & AMEND 5 MA^"UFACTUREKS AND IMPORTERS OF Chemicals and Cliemical Apparatus, 205, 207, 209 & 211 Third Ave., Corner of i8th Street, NEW YORK. SOLE AGENTS FOR THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA, FOR E March's Sreline Chemical Stone Ware. Schleicher & Schuell's Chemically Pure and Common Filter Paper. Doctor C. Scheibler's Saccharome- ters (Polariscopes). Prof. Jolly's Specific Gravity Bal- ances, etc. of Le Brun F. Desmontes & Co., Paris, Platinum. H. TronesdorfF's C. P. Chemicals. SPEClALTIES:-Bacterioscopical Apparatus, Normal Graduated Glass- ware. Porcelain from the Royal Berlin and Meissen Factories, Bohem- German Glassware, Filter Papers, Agate Mortars. Pure Copperware, Bunsen s lan and Hammered Platina, Balances W Burners and Sugar Ch Combustion Furnaces, Apparatus and Chemicals for ts, LABORATORY OUTFITS FOR FERTILIZERS, ASSAYERS, UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES GtASS-BLOWING. EtCHIXO, GRINOmG AND REPAIRING. '**'*7 nu*.*^'"'' Acid Phosphate. For Dyspepsia, Mental and Physical Exhaus- tion, Nervousness, Diminished Vitality, etc. Prepared according to fhe Directions of Prof. E. N. HORSFORD, of Cambridge. A preparation of the phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron with phos- phoric acid, in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system. -V Universally recommended and prescribed by physicians of all schools. Its action will harmonize with such stimulants as are necessary to take. • It is the best tonic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body. It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only. As A Brain and Nerve Tonic. Dr. E. W. ROBERTSON, Cleveland, 0., says: "From my experience, can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc., etc." For Wakefulness- De. WM. p. clothier, Buffalo, N. T., says: "I prescribed it for a Catholic priest, who was a hard student, for wakefulness, extreme nervousness, etc., and he reports that it has been of great benefit to him." In Nervous Debility. Dk. EDWIN F. VOSE, Portland, :VIe., says: *'I have prescribed it for many of the various forms of nervous debility, and it has never failed to do good." For the III Effects of Tobacco. De. C._ a. FERNALD, Boston, says : '* I have used it in cases of impaired nerve function, with beneficial results, especially in cases where the system is affected bv the toxic action of tnhsinrr\ " iBviioratiDi, StreiiitleiiiDs, Healtlfsl. Eefresliis, PRICES REASONABLE. PAMPHLET GIVING FURTHER PARTICULARS MAILED FREE Manufactured by the ETJMFOED CHEMIGAL WOEKS, Providence, E. I. BEWARE OF IMITATIONS. ESTABLISHED I 85 I i J 5 3 r ^ J 'I EIMER & AMEND 5 MANUFACTURERS AND IMPORTERS OF Chemicals and Cliemical Apparatus, 205, 207, 209 & 211 Third Ave., Corner of i8th Street, NEW YORK SOLE AGENTS FOR THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA, FOR E. March's Ssline Chemical Stone Ware. Schleicher & Schuell's Chemically Pure and Common Filter Paper. Doctor C. Scheibler's Saccharome- ters (Polariscopes). Prof. Jolly's Specific Gravity Bal- ances, etc. Le Brun F. Desmontes & Co., Paris, Platinum. H. TronesdorfF's C. P. Chemicals. of SPECIALTIES :-Bacterioscopkal Apparatus, Normal Graduated Gla. ware. Porcelain from the Royal Berlin and Me.ssen Fa-rt. Boher^^ German Glassware, Filter Papers, Agate Mortars, Pure Weights, Copperware, Bunsen s lan and (jerman »jrjasswii<^, Hammered Platina, Balances Burners and Sugar Chemists Combustion Furnaces, Apparatus and Chemicals for LABORATORY OUTFITS FOR FERTILIZERS, ASSAYERS, UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES. Glass-blowin ;g, Etching, Grinding and REPAiRiNG, '**'*r„uw.'°'^ Acid Phosphate. For Dyspepsia, Mental and Physical Exhaus- tion, Nervousness, Diminished Vitality, etc. Prepared according to ftie Directions of Prof. E. N. HORSFORD, of Cambridge. A preparation of the phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron with phos- phoric acid, in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system. I Universally recommended and prescril^ed by physicians of all schools. Its action will harmonize with such stimulants as are necessary to take. It is the test tonic known, famisMng sustenance to both brain and body- It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only. As A Brain and Nerve Tonic. Dr. E. W. ROBERTSON, Cleveland, O., says: **From my experience, can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc., etc." For Wakefulness. Dr. WM. P, clothier, Buffalo, N. Y., says: '*I prescribed it for a Catholic priest, who was a hard student, for wakefulness, extreme nervousness, reports In Nervous Debility. Dr. EDWIN R VOSE, Portland, Me., says: "I have prescribed it for many of the various forms of nervous debility, and it has never failed to do gooa. For the III Effects of Tobacco. Db. C. a. fern ALD, Boston, says : " I have used it in cases of impaired nerve function, with beneficial results, especially in cases where the system is affected by the toxic action of tobacco." IiYipralii, Streictlieiiiiii, Bealllfil, EefresMi. PRICES REASONABLE. PAMPHLET GIVING FURTHER PARTICULARS MAILED FREE Manufactuied bj tlie EUMTOED CHEMICAL ¥OEES, ProYidence, B. !■ BEWARE OF IMITATIONS. A T 1 t ; 1 I i # ^ ^ L- F -1' "F I ESTABLISHED I 85 I. EIMER & AMEND J MA^-UFACTUREKS AND IMPORTERS OF Chemicals and Chemical Apparatus, 20 , 207, 209 & 211 Third Ave., Corner of 1 8th Street, NEW YORK. SOLE AGENTS FOR THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA, FOR E March's Saline Chemical Stone Ware. Schleicher & Schuell's Chemically Pure and Common Filter Paper. Doctor C. Scheibler's Saccharome- ters (Polariscopes). Prof. Jolly's Specific Gravity Bal- ances, etc. Le Brun F. Desmontes & Co., Paris, Platinum. H. Tronesdorff's C. P. Chemicals of SPECIALTIES :^Bacterioscopical xA.pparatus Normal Graduated Glass- ware ' T^ T X Roval Br in and Meissen Factories, Bohem- , Porcelain from the Ro>al Belm ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ Bunsen's ian and German Glassware, Filter Papers, Agate Hammered Platina, Balances and Weights. Copperware Burners and Combustion Furnaces, Apparatus and Chemicals Sugar Chemists. LABORATORY OUTFITS FOR FERTILIZERS, ASSAYERS, UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES Glass-blowing. Etching, GRmmNG and Repa '""^.ri.uM.^^*^' Acid Phospliate. For Dyspepsia, Mental and Physical Exliaus- tion, Nervousness, Diminished Vitality, etc. Prepared according to the Directions of Prof. E. N. HORSFORD, of Cambridge. A preparation of the phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron with phos- phoric acid, in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system. Universally recommended and prescribed by pbysicians of all scLools. Its action will harmonize with such stimulants as are necessary to take. It is the best tonic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body. It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only, As A Brain and Nerve Tonic. Dr. E. W. ROBERTSON, Cleveland, O., says: **From my experience, can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc., etc." For Wakefulness. De. WM. p. CLOTHIER, Buffalo, N. Y., says: "I prescribed it for a Cathohc priest, who was a hard student, for Avakefulness, extreme nervousness, etc., and he reports that it has been of great benefit to him." In Nervous Debility. Dk EDWIN F. YOSE, Portland, Me., says: '^ have prescribed it for many of the various forms of nervous debility, and it has never failed to do good." For the III Effects of Tobacco. De. C. A- FERNALD, Boston, says : *' I have used it in cases of impaired nerve tunction, with beneficial results, especially in cases where the system is aiiectea bv the tnxw nnt.mn nf fr,^^^r^nr. " lETipratlBf, StreDiikiiiDS, HealtlM, PRICES REASONABLE. PAMPHLET GIVING FURTHER PARTICULARS MAILED FRE Manufactured by the EUMPOED CHEMICAL WOEKS, Providence, 1. 1. BEWARE OF I M ITATiONS. 1 4 Vol. XV. SEPTEMBER, 1888. No. 9. BULLETIN OF THE ■ ToRREY Botanical Club J MONTHLY JOURNAL OF BOTANY. i Edited by ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CLUB COISTTENTS : p^ge Fern Notes.-X.: Geo. E. Davenport, The Nomenclature Question and How to Settle It Botanical Notes, Review of Foreign Literature, Index to Recent American Botanical Literature, 225 E. E. Sterns, ^30 236 237 239 i I 1 OF noiT NEW YORK: BKOTHEIiS, ir-^ VAKDEWATKB STREET. "J The „.w CaU,o,„. of Plan., wi.hin On. H-^-f_«;'« »if ' ^."tpieJ ^ '""' ,„ dis,„bu.io.,. 1. i. a P-Pl;" ° - '-tj»Xon. dollar. address the Secretary of the CluD. ^ THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. OFFICERS FOR 1888. w /'resident, * PROFESSOR JOHN S. NEWBERRY. Vice> Presiden t. Treasurer, THOMAS HOGG. JUSTUS F. POGGENBURG. Recording Secretaty, Corresponding Secretary, ARTHUR HOLLICK. ' HELENA C. GASKIN. Editor, ELIZABETH G. BRITTON. Associate Editors, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Histology. H. H. RUSBY, M.D , Medical Botany. EMILY L. GREGORY, Ph.D., German Literature. C. HENRY K AIN, Diatoms. ARTHUR HOLLICK. Curator, Librarian, MARIA O. STEELE. N. L. BRITTON. Committee on Finance, JOHN L. WALL, WM. H. RUDKIN. Cornmittee on Admissians, BENJAMIN BRAMAN, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Libra)y and Herbarium Committee^ N. L. BRITTON, MARIA O. STEELE, LOUISE M. STABLER, ALICE B. RICH. Chainnan of Section of Histology, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Committees an the Local Flora, niANEROGAMIA. CRYPTOGAMIA, J F. POGGENBURG, ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, N. L. BRITTON, MARIA O. STEELE, E. E. STERNS. S. E. JELLIFFE. The Club meets regularly at Columbia College, 49th Street and Madison Ave- nue, New York City, on the second Tuesday of each month, except July and Au- gust, at 8 o'clock, P.M. Botanists are cordially invited to attend. TERMS for the Bulletin— One Dollar per annum— beginning with the Jan- uary Number. Communications for publication and stibsc7 iptions should be addressed to the Editor, at Columbia College, New York. When money orders are sent they should be made payable at Station H. Members of the Club will please remit their subscriptions, together with their annual dues, for 1888, now payable, to Mr. Justus F. Poggenburg, Treasurer, V 229 Broadway, New York City. Terms for England and the Continent of Europe, 5 shillings. Agents for Europe, Messrs. DULAU & Co., 37 Soho Square, London, England. Back Volumes.— The Bulletin was published from 1870 to 1875, inclusive, in yearly volumes, and was indexed at the end of the five years. The price o these five volumes is $3.75. The numbers from 1875 to 1879, inclusive, were al- lowed to run on as one volume (Vol. VI.), and were indexed at the end of the ^^e years. The price of this volume is $5 00. Volumes VII. to XIA^ have been in- dexed separately. The price of each is $1.00. Orders for the above may be addressed to the Editor. The price of the Bulletin is one dollar per annum without exception Vol. XV. OCTOBER, 1888 No. 10 BULLETIN OF THE ToRREY Botanical Club, MONTHLY JOURNAL OF BOTANY. Edited by ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CLUB. CONTENT PAGE \ An Enumeration of the Plants CoUectedby Dr. H.H. Rusby in South Ameiica, RepoTup^'hTMeeling of .h, Bo.anica. Club o, .he AAA. S,, Cleveland, Ohio, August 15th to 2ist, 1888 : Douglas H. Campbell The Systematic Position of the Rhizocarpece : Douglas H. Campbell. Onondaga Indian Names of Plants: W. M, Beauchamp, On Irregular Tendencies in Tubifloral Composit.. : Thos. Meehan Is the Amber-Colored Choke-Cherry entitled to a distinct name? IL L. 1 . Wolcott, Reviews of Foreign Literature, Index to Recent American Botanical Literature, 247 254 258 262 266 267 26S 274 NEW YORK: Pbess ■] The new Catalogue of Plants within One Hundred M lies of New York City is ready for distribution. It is a pamphlet of xv,+qo pages. For copies address the Secretary of the Club. Pnce, one dollar. THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. OFFICERS FOR 1888. President^ PROFESSOR JOHN S. NEWBERRY. Vice-President, Treasurer, THOMAS HOGG. JUSTUS F. POGGENBURG. Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, ARTHUR HOLLICK. HELENA C. GASKIN. Editor, ELIZABETH G. BRITTON. 4 Associate Editors, JOSEPH SCHRENK, Histology. H. H. RUSBY, M.D , Medical Botany. EMILY L.GREGORY, Ph.D., German Literature. C. HENRY KAIN, Diatoms. ARTHUR HOLLICK. Ciiratof, Librarian, * MARIA O. STEELE. N. L. BRITTON. Committee on Finance, JOHN L. WALL, WM. H. RUDKIN. Committee on Admissions, BENJAMIN BRAMxVN, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Library and Herbarium Committee, N. L BRITTON, MARIA O. STEELE, LOUISE M. STABLER. ALICE B. RICH. Chairman of Section of Histology, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Committees on the Local Flora, PHANEROGAMIA, CRYI'TOGAMIA, . J F. POGGENBURG, ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, N. L. BRITTON. MARIA O STEELE, E. E. STERNS. S. E. JELLIFFE. The Club meets regularly at Columbia College, 49th Street and Madison Ave- nue, New York City, on the second Tuesday of each month, except July and Au- gust, at 8 o'clock, P.M. Botanists are cordially invited to attend, TERMS for the Bulletin — One Dollar per annum — beginning with the Jan- uary Number. Co J7i muni cations for publication and snbsc? iptions should be addressed to the Editor, at Columbia College, New York. When money orders are sent they should be made payable at Station H. Members of the Club will please remit their subscriptions, together with their annual dues, for 1888, now payable, to Mr. Justus F. Poggenburg, Treasurer, 229 Broadway, New York City. Terms for England and the Continent of Europe, 5 shillings. Agents for Europe, Messrs. DuLAU & Co., 37 Soho Square, London, England. Back Volumes. — The Bulletin was published from 1870 to 1875, inclusive, in yearly volumes, and was indexed at the end of the five years. The price 01 these five volumes is $3.75. The numbers from 1875 to 1879, iiiclusive, were al- lowed to run on as one volume (Vol. VI.), and ^vere indexed at the end of the five years. The price of this volume is $5 00. Volumes VII. to XIV. have been in- dexed separately. The price of each is $1.00. r Orders for the above may be addressed to the Editor. The price of the Bulletin is one dollar per annum without exception Vol. XV. NOVEMBER. 1888. No. 11 BULLETIN OF THE ToRREY Botanical Club, MONTHLY JOURNAL OF BOTANY. Edited by ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CLUB. CONTENT The Genus Ricoria of Rafinesque : N. L. Britton, IX : Edward L. Greene, Bibliographical Notes on well known Plants. On the Opening of Stomata; Filibert Roth, Schweinfurth's Method of Preserving Plants for Herbaria : J. Schrenk, On two Species of Grarnineoe: Geo. Vasey, s on Some Rare Grasses: Geo. Vasey, Note Index to Recent American Botanical Literature, Botanical Notes, Proceedings of the Club, PAGE 277 287 292 293 294 295 300 300 NEW YORK: Pkt=:ss of noLT Brothers The new Catalogue of Plants within One Hundred Miles of ^^^^^^^ ^ ^^'^ for distribution. It is a pamphlet of xv.+,o page. Fo-optes address the Secretary of the Club. Pace. or.e dollar. THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB OFFICERS FOR i88S. President, PROFESSOR JOHN S. NEWBERRY. Vice^ President, Treasurer, THOMAS EIOCG. JUSTUS F. POGGENBURG. Recording Secretmy, Corresponding Secretary, ARTHUR HOLLICK HELENA C. GASKIN. Editor, ELIZABETH G. BRITTON. Associate Editors, lOSEPfl SCHRENK, Histology. H. H. RUSBY, M.D , Medical Botany. EMILY L. GREGORY, Ph.D., German Literature. C. HENRY KAIN, Diatoms. ARTHUR HOLLICK. Curator , Librarian, ^L\RIA O. STEELE. N. L. BRITTON. Committee on Finance, JOHN L. WALL, WM. H. RUDKIN. Committee on Admissions, BENJAMIN BRAMAN, . JOSEPH SCHRENK. Library and Herbarium Committee, N. L. BRITTON, MARIA O, STEELE, LOUISE M. STABLER. ALICE B. RICH. Chairman of Section of Histology, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Committees on the Local Flora, PHANKROGAMIA. CKYVTOGAMIA, J. F. POGGENBURG. ELIZABETH G. BRITTON. N. L. BRITTON, MARIA O STEELE, E. E. STERNS, S. E. JELLIFFE. The CUib meets regularly at Columbia College, 49ih Street and Madison Ave- nue, New York City, on the second Tuesday of each month, except July and Au- gust, at 8 o'clock, p.m. Botanists are cordially invited to attend. TERMS for the Bulletin— One Dollar per annum— beginning with the Jan- uar}' Number. Communications for publication d^x\& subscriptions should be addressed to the Editor, at Columbia College, New Y^ork. When money orders are sent they should be made payable at Station H. Members of the Club will please remit their subscriptions, together with their annual dues, for iSSS, now payable, to Mr. Justus F. Poggenburg, Treasurer, 229 Broadway, New York City/ Terms for England and the Continent of Europe, 5 shillings. Agents for Europe, Messrs. Dulau & Co., 37 Solio Square, London, England. Back Volumes.— The Bulletin was published from 1870 to 1875, inclusive, m yearly volumes, and was indexed at the end of the five years. The price ot these five volumes is $3.75. The numbers from 1875 to 1879, inclusive, were al- lowed to run on as one vohime (Vol. VI.), and were indexed at the end of the nve years. The price of this volume is $5 00. Volumes VII. to XIV. have been in- dexed separately. The price of each is $1.00. Orders for the above mav be addressed to the Editor. The price of the Bulletin is one dollar per annum without exception Vol. XV. DECEMBER, 1888. No. 12. BULLETIN OF THE ToRREY Botanical Club, A MONTHLY JOURNAL OF BOTANY. Edited by ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CLUB. CONTENTS: ^^^^ A Recent Discovery of Hybrid Oaks on Staten Island: Arthur Hollick. Plates LXXXIII-LXXXV, 303 309 AlgK from Atlantic City, N. J.: Frank S. Collins, ■ Notes on the Development of Corynites Curt.ssx.. B.: Joseph F. James. Plate LXXXVI, On the Bract in Tilia : Thos. Meehan. The "Bulblets" of Lycopodium lucidulutn, M.chx,: E. E. bterns. Reviews of Foreign Literature, ^22 Index to Recent American Botanical Literature, ^^^ Proceedings of the Club, 314 316 317 •^20 NEW YOKK: Pbbss THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. OFFICERS FOR 1888. Presiden f, PROFESSOR JOHN S. NEWBERRY. Vue*^ President, Treasurer, THOMAS HOGG. JUSTUS F. POGGENBURG. Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, ARTHUR HOLLTCK- HELENA C. GASKIN. Editor, ELIZABETH G. BRITTON. Associate Editors, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Histology. H. H. RUSBY, M.D , Medical Botany. EMILY L. GREGORY, Ph.D. , German Literature. C. HENRY KAIN, Diatoms, ARTHUR HOLLICK. Curato-} , ^ Librariaft, MARIA O. STEELE. N. L. BRITTON. Committee on Finance, JOHN L. WALL, WM. H. RUDKIN. Cammittee on Admissions, BENJAMIN BRAMAN, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Library and Herbarium Committee, N. L BRITTON, MARIA O. STEELE, LOUISE M. STABLER. ALICE B. RICH. Chairman of Section of Histology, JOSEPH SCHRENK. Committees o?t the Local Flora, PHANEROGAMIA, CRYPTOGAMIA, J F. POGGENBURG, ELIZABETH G. BRITTON, N. L. BRITTON, MARIA O STEELE, E. E. STERNS. S, E. JELLIFFE. ' The CUib meets regularly at Columbia College, 49th Street and Madison Ave- nue, New York City, on the second Tuesday of each month, except July and Au- gust, at 8 o'clock, P.M. Botanists are cordially invited to attend. TERMS for the Bulletin — One Dollar per annum— beginning with the Jan- uary Number. Commtinications for publication and subsc7iptions should be addressed to the Editor, at Columbia College, New York. When money orders are sent they should be made payable at Station H. Members of the Club will please remit their subscriptions, together with their annual dues, for 1888, now payable, to Mr. Justus F. Poggenburg, Treasurer, 447 East 57th Street, New York City. Terms for England and the Continent of Europe, 5 shillings. Agents for Europe, Messrs. DuLAU & Co., 37 Soho Square, London, England Back Yolumes.— The Bulletin was published from 1870 to 1875. inclusive, in yearly volumes, and was indexed at the end of the five years. The price of these five volumes is S3. 75. The numbers from 1875 to 1879, inclusive, were al- lowed to run on as one volume (Vol. VI.), and were indexed at the end of the five years. The price of this volume is $5 00. Volumes VIL to XV. have been in- dexed separately. The price of each is $1.00. Orders for the above may be addressed to the Editor. Subscriptions to Vol. XVI. are now payable. ESTABLISHED 1 85 I. EIMER & AMEND J MA^'UFACTURERS AND IMPORTERS OF Chemicals and Chemical Apparatus, 205, 207, 209 & 211 Third Ave., Corner of i Sth Street, NEW YORK SOLE AGENTS FOR THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA, FOR E. March's Saeline Chemical Stone Ware. Schleicher & Schuell's Chemically Pare and Common Filter Paper. Doctor C. Scheibler's Saccharome- ters (Polariscopes). Prof. Jolly's Specific Gravity Bal- ances, etc. Le Brun F- Desmontes & Co., of Paris, Plaiinam. H. Tronesdorff's C. P. Chemicals. SPECIALTIES :-Bacte.ioscoplcaI Apparatus, Normal Graduated Gla. ware. Porcelain from the Royal Berlin and Meissen Factories, Bohem German Glassware, Filter Papers, Agate Mortars, Pur , ■„, .•_. D.1....C .n^ Weiehts. Copperware, Bunsen s lan and Hammered PUtba, Balances and We,gh.,, "PP"^- " "; Burners and Combustion Furnaces, Apparatus and Chemicals Burners and Sugar Chemists. LABORATORY OUTFITS FERTIUZERS, ASSAYERS, UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES Glass-blowng, ErcHrao, Grinding and Repairing. "ATT flu^'* m A Acid Pliosphate. For Dyspepsia, Mental and Physical Exhaus- tion, Nervousness, Diminished Vitality, etc. Prepared according to the Directions of Prof. E. N. HORSFORD, of Cambridge. A preparation of the phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron with phos- phoric acid, in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system. UniveTsally recommended and prescribed by physicians of all schools. Its action will harmonize with siicli stimulants as are necessary to take. It is the best tonic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body. It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only. As A Brain and Nerve Tonic- De. K W. ROBERTSON, Cleveland, O., says: **From my experience, can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc., etc." For Wakefulness. WM. P. CLOTHIER, Buffalo, N. Y., says: '*! prescribed it for a Catholic priest, who was a hard student, for wakefulness, extreme nervousness, etc., and he reports that it has been of great benefit to him." In Nervous Debility. Dr. EDWIN F. VOSE, Portland, Me., says: "I have prescribed it for many of the various forms of nervous debility, and it has never failed to do good." For the III Effects of Tobacco. Dr. C. a. FERXALD, Boston, says : ** I have used it in cases of impaired nerve function, with beneficial results, especially in cases where the system is affected bv the inx'\o. af tinn nf tr\h*innn " iBViEoratifli, SireaiileEiiii, Bealllifiil, EefresliM. PRICES REASONABLE. PAMPHLET GIVING FURTHER PARTICULARS MAILED FREE Manufactured by tlie EUMFOHD CHEMICAL WOEKS, Providence, E. I. BEWARE OF IN! ITATiONS. Be 9ure the word » Horsford'a " is printed on ttie lalbel. Ail others are spurious. IseTer ^ola m hulk. ESTABLISHED I 85 I EIMER & AMEND J MA^'UFACTURERS AND IMPORTERS OF Chemicals and Chemical Apparatus, 4 205, 207, 209 & 211 Third Ave., Corner of iSth Street, NEW YORK. SOLE AGENTb VOK THE UMTED STATES OF N(5RTH AMERICA, FOR. E March's Ss^line Chemical Stone Ware. Schleicher ^ Schuell's Chemically Pure and Common Filter Paper. Doctor C. Scheibler's Saccharome- ters (Polariscopes). Prof. Jolly's Specific Gravity Bal- ances, etc. Le Brun F. Desmontes Sc Co., of Paris, Platinum. H. Tronesdorff's C. P. Chemicals. , ... -Bacterioscopical Apparatus, Norma! Graduated Glass- Porcdain from the Royal Berlin and Meissen Factones. Bohem^ .an and German Glassware. Filter Papers, Agate Mortars, Pure Hammered Platina, Balances and Weights, Copperware. Bunsen s Burners and SPECIALTIES: ware. Combustion Furnaces, Apparatus and Chemicals for Sugar Chcroists LABORATORY OUTFITS FOR FERTILIZERS, ASSAVERS, UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES. GLASS-BLOWING, EVCH.XO, GeINDIN'O AND REPA,EING. *"VT RU-f° Acid Phosphate. For Dyspepsia, Mental and Physical Exhaus- tion, Nervousness, Diminished Vitality, etc. Prepared according to fhe Directions of Prof. E. N. HORSFORD. of Cambridge. A preparation of the phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron "with phos- K phoric acid, in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system. Universally recommended and prescribed by physicians of all schools. Its action will harmonize with such stimulants as are necessary to take. It is the best tonic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only. As A Brain and Nerve Tonic. Dr. E. W. ROBERTSON, Cleveland, 0.,.says: "From my experience, can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc., etc." For Wakefulness. Dr. ^;M. p. clothier, Buffalo, N. Y., says: "I prescribed it for a Catholic priest, who was a hard student, fur wakefulness, extreme nervousness, etc., and he reporu that it has been of great benefit to him." In Nervous Debility. Dk. EDWIN F. YOSE, Portland, Mt^, says: **I have prescribed it for many of the various forms of nervous debility, and it has nrver failed to do good." For the III' Effects of Tobacco. Dr. C. a. FERXALD, Boston, says : " I have used it in cases of impaired nerve function, with beneficial results, especially in cases where the system is affected bv the toxic artion nf tnhn/^f»n " Iiv:pra!iiii, StreB|tl8iii!L SealtlM EeMlM, PRICES REASONABLE. PAMPHLET GIVING FURTHER PARTICIjURS MAILED FREE Manu&ctnred by the EITMrORD CHEMICAL WOSK^, Providence, E. I. BEWARE OF IMITATIONS. Be sure the ^ord " norsfwd's ■' is printed on the label. AU others are spurions. Never sold in bulk* ESTABLISHED l85l. EIMER & AMEND y MANUFACTUREKS AND DirORTERS OF Chemicals and Chemical Apparatus, 205, 207, 209 & 211 Third Ave., Corner of i8th Street, NEW YORK. SOLE AGENTS FOR THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA, FOR E March's Sieline Chemical Stone Ware. Schleicher & Schuell's Chemically Pare and Common Filter Paper. Doctor C. Scheibler's Saccharome- ters (Polariscopes). Prof. Jolly's Specific Gravity Bal- ances, etc. Le Brun F. Desmontes & Co., of Paris, Platinum. H. TronesdorfF's C. P. Chemicals. ^ • -1 Ar^T^jrarns Normal Graduated Glass- SPEClALTIES:-Bactenoscopical Apparatus, iNormai _ T, 1- r r^.■R^val Berlin and Meissen Factories, Bohem- ^ ware. Porcelain from the Ro>al B m a ^^^^ German Glassware, Filter Papers, Agate Mortars, lan and Uerman vjiasr^wai^, Hammered Platina, Balances Weiehts, Copperware, Bunsen*s Burners an d Combustion Furnaces, Apparatus and Chemicals for Su^ar Chemists. LABORATORY OUTFITS FOR FERTILIZERS, ASSAYERS, UNIVERSITIES AN "T^i COLLEGES- GLASS-BLOWING, Etching, Grinding and Repairing. "*/ flU-*** vis3m Acid Phosphate. For Dyspepsia, Mental and Physical Exhaus- tion, Nervousness, Diminished Vitality, etc. I Prepared according to fhe Directions of Prof. E. N. HORSFORD, of Cambridge. A preparation of the phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron with phos- phoric acid, in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system. Universally recommended and prescribed by physicians of all schools. Its action will harmonize with such stimulants as are necessary to take. It is the best tocic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body It makes a delicious drink with water and sn^rar onlv. As A Brain and Nerve Tonic. Dr. E. W. ROBERTSON, Cleveland, 0., says: ''From my experience, can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc., etc." For Wakefulness. Dk. ^Yil. p. CLOTHIER, Buffalo, N. Y., says: *'I prescribed it for a Catholic priest, who was a hard student, for wakefulness, extreme nervousness, etc., and he reports that it has been of great benefit to him." In Nervous Debility. Dr. EDWIX R VOSE, Portland, Me., says: *'I have pn scribed it for many of the various forms of nervous debility, and it has never failed to do good." For the 11! Effects of Tobacco. Dr. C. a. FERNALD, Boston, says : " I have used it in cases of impaired nerve function, with beneficial results, especially in cases where the system is aSected by the toxic action of tobacco." IiiTiEoralifli, StreBitaioi, HealliM UmM. PRICES REASONABLE. PAMPHLET GIVING FURTHER PARTiCUURS MAILED FREE Manufactured by the EUMPOED CHEMICAL WOEKS, Providence, fi. L BEWARE OF IMITATIONS. Be sure the word " Ilorsfora^s " is printed on ih^ labeK AU others are spurious. Xever Hola m bulk. / \ ESTABLISHED 1 85 I. EIMER & AMEND "> MANUFACTUREK S AND IMPORTERS OF Chemicals and Cliemical Apparatus, 205, 207, 209 & 211 Third Ave., Corner of 1 8th Street, NEW YORK. SOLE AGENTS FOR. THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA, FOR E March's Sieline Chemical Stone Ware. Schleicher & Schuell's Chemically Pure and Common Filter Paper. Doctor C. Scheibler's Saccharome- ters (Polariscopes). Prof. Jolly's Specific Gravity Bal- r ances, etc. *si Le Brun F. Desmontes & Co., of Paris, Platinum. H. TronesdorfF's C. P. Chemicals. SPECIALTIES :-Bacterioscopical Apparatus, Normal Graduated Glass- ware, Porcelain from the Royal Berlin and Meissen Factories, Bohem iau and German Glassware,. Filter Papers, Agate Mortars, Pure Hammered Platina, Balances and Weights, Copperware, Bansen Burners and Combustion Furnaces, Apparatus and Chemicals for Sugar Chemists. LABORATORY OUTFITS FOR FERTIJJZERS. ASSAYERS, UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES, Glass-blowin ;g, Etching, Grinding and Repairing. *'*r nu»**° Acid PhospJiate. For Dyspepsia, Mental and Physical Exhaus- tion, Nervousness, Diminished Vitality, etc. Prepared according to fhe Directions of Prof. E. N. HORSFORD, of Cambridge. A preparation of the phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron with phos- phoric acid, in such form as to be readily assimilated by the system. It makes a delicious drink with water and sugar only. As A Brain and Nerve Tonic. W liTisoralii, StrmtleBini HealtiM, EelresMnt PRICES REASO*iABLE. PAMPHLET GIVING FURTHER PARTICULARS MAILED FREE Manufactured by the ETJMrOED OHEMIOAL WOEKS, Providence, E. I. BEWARE OF IM ITATJONS. * / f Universally recommended and prescribed by physicians of all schools. Ita action will harmonize with such stimulants as are necessary to take. «| j It is the best tonic known, furnishing sustenance to both brain and body. . 1 1 ROBERTSON, Cleveland, O., says: **From my experience, can cordially recommend it as a brain and nerve tonic, especially in nervous dyspepsia, etc., etc." Far Wakefulness. Dr. WM. p. clothier, Buffalo, K Y,, says: "I prescribed it for a n Catholic priest, who was a hard student, for wakefulness, extreme nervousness, etc., and he reports that it has been of great benefit to him." In Nervous Debility. Dr. EDWIN F. VOSE, Portland, Me., says: *'I have prescribed it for many of the various forms of nervous debility, and it has never failed to do good." For the III Effects of Tobacco. Dr. C. a. FERNALD, Boston, says: '*Ihave used it in cases of impaired nerve function, with beneficial results, especially in cases where the system is aflEected bv the toxic action nf tnhnnm » i