256 Rhodora [NOVEMBER 
Norte on Frurr or Mountain Macnouia.— The writer’s attention 
was called to a curiously misshapen fruit cone from a mountain 
magnolia (Magnolia acuminata L.). Investigation showed that the 
original tree, as well as others in the vicinity, bore a large quantity 
of similar ones, It will be remembered that the fruit of this species 
superficially resembles some of the larger, and more cylindrical, pine 
cones, and is ordinarily 3 or 4 in. in length. The abnormal fruits, 
for their part, were lumpy in appearance, unsymmetrical in develop- 
ment, corkscrew in shape, or otherwise twisted about their long axis, 
some resembling the head of a bird in shape, and all shorter. 
‘With the view of ascertaining the probable cause of this abnormal 
development, the writer made dissections of a number of cones. No 
sign of insect injury, or parasitic growth was found, but on the other 
hand, there were evident differences in the size of the fleshy follicles 
composing them, accounted for by the size of the seeds within them. 
The abnormal fruits contained numerous ovules which had evidently 
never been fertilized, and the corresponding portions of the cone 
showed signs of atrophy. The seeds in this fruit are described as 
being distributed 1 or 2 in each carpel; 2 seeds were noted, but in 
half of the cases examined, one had never developed. These cases 
were interesting since there seemed to be plenty of opportunity for 
cross-pollination. It was apparently clear then that the distortion 
of the fruits was due primarily to want of complete pollination re- 
sulting in an uneven distribution of maturing seeds throughout the 
cone, the development of the seeds producing the mechanical force 
requisite.— N. M. Grier, Central High School, St. Louis, Mo. 
Vol. 19, no. 226, including pog s 221 to 286 was issued 21 November, 1917. 
