(0S 
Vol. VI., No. 21.] BULLETIN OF THE TORREY Boranicat Crus. [New York, Sept., 1876. 
§ 111. Sudden appearance of plants.— A few days since, while 
botanizing on the shores of the Delaware River below Philadelphia, 
I found a tract of meadow land, several acres in extent, which had 
been filled in with mud dredged from the river, and growing on it 
a great variety of plants, such as are usually found along river shores, 
Polygonums, Chenopodiums, Amarantus, Atriplex, Acnida, &c., 
&c., many of which had attained an unusual size. A species of 
Acnida was observed which measured 64 inches in circumference at 
the base. Polygonum orientale was growing in great abundance, 
more plants I think than I had ever seen before, during 15 years 
botanizing. Some of them were more than 10 feet in height, and 
branching in all directions, the main stem from 4 to 6 inches in cir- 
cumference, many of the leaves would measure 10 to 12 inches in 
length. Growing with Polygonum orientale was Cleome pungens, 
a West Indian plant, though occasionally met with in gardens, 
Charles F. Parker had previously called my attention to these two 
plants growing together on the river dredgings, he having found 
them both in great abundance two years ago. It is difficult to ac- 
count for the presence of the Cleome here, except that the seeds 
must have been in the mud when dredged up, as there was no pro- 
bability of its having been planted, and there are no gardens any- 
where in the neighborhood from which it might have escaped. 
There are several large sugar refineries on the river above the place, 
and it has been suggested that seeds may have been introduced in 
the importations from the West Indies, and with other waste mate- 
rial washed into the river, in turn to be brought up as above. It 
does not seem likely to maintain itself in the locality, as I found but 
a limited quantity. Mr. Parker says, when he first obse1 ved it there 
was an abundance of specimens. Has anybody observed the growth 
on river-dredgings elsewhere ? Isaac C, Marrinpate, 
Campen, N. J., August 8, 1876. 
§ 112. Opuntia vulgaris a New Jersey plant.—In June last I 
collected near Haddentield, N. J., an Opuntia in full flower, which, 
on comparing with the figures of O. vulgaris and O. Rafinesquii in 
volume 4 of the Pacific Railroad reports, I was satisfied was O. 
vulgaris ; after the fruit became fully developed, I again examined 
it with the same conclusions, As there had been so much contro- 
versy about the Opuntia of New Jersey, some claiming that the O, 
vulgaris did not occur in the State, but that all was O. Rafinesquii ; 
I forwarded a fresh specimen to Dr, George Engelmann at St. Louis, 
and have his reply now before me, dated August 7th, in which he 
says: “It is Opuntia vulgaris, which I had not seen north of the 
Falls of the Potomac. The specimen shows clearly the color, bristles, 
fruit, and leaves of that species; there is no doubt about it. I have 
in cultivation here (St. Louis) the Eastern mostly spineless O, 
’ Rafinesquii, from Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and New 
Jersey ; the O. vulgaris I have only from Falls of the Potomac, and 
- from South Carolina.” Te adds: “Is your plant a real native?” 
On that point there can be no doubt. John Gill, who owns the land 
