Vol, III, No. 5.) BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. — [New York, May, 1872, 
33—The Torrey Botanical Club met Tuesday evening, April 30th. 
Present, eighteen members, viz., Messrs. Torrey, Wood, Allen, 
Leggett, Austin, Merriam, Bower, Gross, Hogg, Wilber, McIntyre, 
Ruger, C. Gerard, Parker, Paine, Hall and LeRoy. Visitors—three. 
Mr. Hogg brought specimens of Forsythia suspensa, Corylopsis 
paniculata and spicata, Stachyurus praecoa, Parrya Siberica, and two 
species of Orchidacee. . 
Mr. Austin brought, and distributed specimens of Danthonia 
compressa. Danthonia Alleni was shown by Dr. Allen. Both are 
described in the Bulletin. 
Icones lllustratrae Indiae Orientalis, 6 volumes, by R. Wright, 
received in the College Herb. Library. P. V. LeRoy, Sec. 
34, Helonias—On the 3rd of May, Messrs. J. H. Redfield and C. F. 
Parker, Dr. Hassler, two Messrs, Tryon and myself made an excur- 
sion from Philadelphia into the edge of the Pines, chiefly in search 
of Helonias bullata, L. We were quite successful, finding the plant 
in all stages of the flowering process, from the imperfect bud to the 
turning green of the perianth. The plant is a shy-blooming thing, 
only a few out of many sending up a scape, and those few being 
very far between, except where two or three scapes grow from tae 
same clump. The favorite situation for flowering seemed to be just 
on the edge of a swift stream, or in rich moist earth supported by 
some root or log that either crossed the stream or lay between two 
holes filled with water. One plant I found in flower close beside 
and touching Orontium aquaticum, also in bloom and growing in the 
water. The easiest way to find the flowers was to make one’s way 
in the middle of the stream by means of logs in the water, or cling- 
ing to the branches above, now and then getting deep in the water 
or mud; and all the while struggling through a fearful tangle of 
underbrush, shrubbery and prickly stuff, which quite hid the sun 
and limited the view to a rod or two. The denser the thicket, the 
more freely the plant bloomed; but, still, hunting for the flowers 
reminded me of the hunt for Aplectrum hyemale in a locality where 
that plant is abundant. Nor was the difficulty at all ended with 
the finding of the plant, for the scapes are hollow, very thin and 
brittle, and filled with water; and, after the roots were apparently 
quite loosened from the earth, the least shock or jerk in lifting the 
plant up, would cause the scape to snap off, and spoil the beauty of 
the specimen. Then, after getting up the plant, it was very difficult 
to get out of the thicket without spoiling the flowers or breaking 
the scape to pieces against the brush, or by the shock of a jump or 
: Altogether, we came to the conclusion that Helonias bullata 
is a very hard plant to collect in flower. Besides the locality of last 
year, we found another locality new to us, but probably the same 
that Dr, Leidy discovered some years ago. Unfortunately, how- 
ever, the plant must perish there before another season, as 
the thicket is just cut off and the clearing of the ground commenced. 
year, though, the plants grew and flowered finely, and were 
much farther advanced than those first mentioned. Here, also, we 
