24 Rhodora [JANUARY 
empty but, in C. digitalis, at least, sometimes contain stamens. | 
With this exception the female spikes of C. digitalis are strictly pis- 
tillate. In C. laxiculmis, however, at least one, usually a majority 
or all, of the pistillate spikes in each culm bear from one to three 
staminate flowers at the base. 
Mr. K. K. Mackenzie has called my attention to Kükenthal's 
description of the latter species (under the name Carex retrocurva 
Dewey) in the Pflanzenreich. Here this peculiarity is noted in the 
following words but is not emphasized as a distinctive character: 
“Spiculae laterales 3-4 9 (basi floribus paucis c vel squamis steril- 
ibus instructae)" As no mention of this character is made in 
Britton & Brown's Illustrated Flora, nor in Gray's Manual, it seems 
desirable to direct attention to it.— W. DEW. MrrrEm, Plainfield, 
New Jersey. 
GALAX APHYLLA INTRODUCED IN MassACHUSETTS.— In the fall of 
1917 while walking through woods in the northeastern part of Swamp- 
scott, Massachusetts, the writer found two clusters of round-heart- 
shaped, crenate-toothed, long-petioled shining leaves. Some of the 
leaves were sent to the Gray Herbarium where they were identified as 
“Galax aphylla L., the foliage of which is extensively used by florists." 
Galax aphylla is not native north of Virginia and in reference to the 
Swampscott plants which have established themselves among oak 
trees on dryish upland, Mr. M. L. Fernald writes, *I know of no other 
record of its attempting to become naturalized in New England." 
Several investigations since finding the Galax show the plants in 
thrifty condition as regards leaves, but no sign of bud or blossom has 
been seen.— ManTHA E. Warp, Lynn, Massachusetts. 
Vol. 20, no. 240, including pages 201 to 220 and title-page of the volume, was 
issued 27 January, 1919. 
