214 Rhodora [Novemrek 



extant throe very meafjre .sjx'ciniens sent out by Dr. Bigelow evidently 

 taken from the same plant whieh he says grew in a swamp in Sudbury, 

 Mass. Dr. Rydberg assumes that these three specimens belong to a 

 species distinct from the great mass of what is known as R. setosu,s' 

 which he by this {)rocess makes nameless and proceeds to name. The 

 writer in August, 19()(), gathered this species from about a dozen stations 

 in Sudbury each different from the others and varying as much or 

 more from each other as they do from Dr. Bigelow's. This species 

 is variable but the variations afe not deep. If these slight variations 

 are to be considered as specific there is no end to the sjiccies that can 

 be made from them. His specimens and his description will probably 

 satisfy botanists, acquainted with this species in its haunts, that this 

 plant may ])ro])erly still be known as R. sefofiufi Bigelow. 



Rubus tardatus, n. sp. Plants slighdy glandular, very late in 

 starting and fruiting, decumbent, seldom branched tending to be 

 prostrate and entirely so the second year, tip|)ing vigorously; stems 

 terete, hard, with numerous strong bristle-])rickles; leaves quinate, 

 leaflets narrow, dark green, thick, smooth and somewhat leathery. 

 Some of the leaves on the fruit branches often ([uinate. 



Netv raiics. Stems decumbent, tending to be prostrate, seldom 

 branched, brown, hard, 3 to () ft. long, tipjiing vigorously in Sej)tem- 

 ber; pith slightly pentagonal; proper pubescence on the stem none, a 

 few or numerous red-glanded hairs, commonly present. Prickles 

 varying from spiny ones to strong bristles, ^ in. long, 25 to 30 to the 

 inch of stem, set at random. Leaves large, 5-foliate, large ones 7 in. 

 long by in. wide, thick, leathery, very dark green and perfectly gla- 

 brous on the upper surface, pubescence close on the lower surface or 

 wanting, not aj)preciable to the touch. Leaflets long oval to obovate, 

 outline entire, narrowly cuneate and rather long-pointed, entire at the 

 base, serrate then serrate-dentate above. Petiole and petiolules slen- 

 der, yellowish, glabrous save a few glatitled hairs, well grooved, prickles 

 long, slender, straight; the petiolule of the middle leaflet ^ in. long, 

 the side ones short, and the basal leaflets sessile. 



Old rancs. Stems prostrate, slightly killed back, prickles somewhat 

 broken, (irowth of second year consisting of erect leafy branches 

 or stemlets, 7 in. to 1 foot high, one from each old leaP-axil. Axis 

 nearly straight, glabrous, j^rickles few and weak. Ivcaves in color 

 and texture like those on new canes, 3-foliate or often the lower 5- 

 foliate the upper iniifoliate; leaflets often 2 in. long, generally narrow, 

 long-cuneate, pointed, singly serrate, the middle one short-stalked. 

 Liflorescence occu})ying about one-fourth of the axis a simple raceme, 

 8 to 12 flowers, subtended by small bracts and unifoliate leaves, pedi- 

 cels and pedunck^ with numerous glanded hairs. Flowers, appearing 

 first al)out the 10th of July, about one inch broad, petals one-half as 



