230 
accurate observer. The flower stalk began to rise early in July. After 
September 5th, (when it had reached a height of about 47 inches) 
the growth diminished rapidly ; about the end of the month the head 
began to swell, three months later the first blossoms opened, and the 
flowering season occupied from six to seven weeks. The first flow- 
ers opened on the lowest branch, the innermost ones of each cluster 
first. On the second day the anthers are shrivelled though quanti- 
ties of pollen remain adhering to them even to the fifth day [in the 
green house] when the style has reached its full development, more 
than an inch higher than the stamens. The stigmatic fluid remains 
fresh the second and even the third day. While the flowers were 
open the whole tube was filled to the brim with a sweetish watery 
liquid. Mr. Greene found a similar phenomenon in Agave Parryi, 
in New Mexico. Dr. Englemann invites attention to this secretion 
in other cases, as A. Virginica exudes only a small quantity of honey 
in the base of the tube.—TZhe American Junipers of the Section 
Sabina:—A Synopsis of the American Firs, ( Abies, Link,) i. e., Bal- 
sams not Spruces. Dr. Engelmann remarks: “ It is a most inter- 
esting as well as significant fact that while the anatomical structure 
of the leaves of higher organized plants shows considerable uniform- 
ity, so that it rarely can be made available for diagnostic purposes, 
the conifers exhibit. such a wonderful variety of leaf structure 
(approaching thereby the lowest orders of vascular plants), that often 
a single leaf is sufficient to recognize the genus, and often the spe- 
cies, even when the ordinary characters may leave us in doubt.” In 
the case of the Junipers “the edges of the leaf are rarely entire, 
mostly delicately denticulate, or irregularly fringed with minute cor- 
neous often curved processes.” The figures given represent the 
margin of the leaf when magnified 280 times, but a much lower 
power will enable the student to recognize its character. Of our 
species, J. Californica, Carriére (J. tetragona, var. osteosperma, 
Torr.), has the fringe most marked, J. Virginiana, L., the least or 
almost straight. Of the nine species of Sabinae enumerated, three, 
J. Mexicana, flaccida, tetragona, are confined to the highlands of 
Mexico ; J. Bermudiana to the West Indies. J. Californica is pecu- 
liar to the coast ranges and islands of California; J. pachyphloea, 
Torr., (with thick bark) to the interior of Arizona and New Mexico. 
J. occidentalis, Hook., is characteristic of the whole western moun- 
tain region from West Texas to California and Oregon, some, having 
a diameter near their base of three feet, must be upwards of a thous- 
and years old. J. Sabina, L., var. procumbens, Pursh, does not 
come south of Maine and shores of the great Lakes, J. Virgini- 
ana, L., is singular in its wide distribution ; it is not found, however, 
in California and perhaps Oregon. J. communis, L., whose leaves 
are wholly acicular, does not belong to this section. As the pro- 
priety of calling the flowers of Juniperus, at least the staminate 
heads, lateral has been questioned in the Club, we were curious to 
see what Dr, Engelmann has to say on the subject. He is rather 
obscure: “The male FLowers (zvu/go aments) and female aments 
have, like the peduncles, and in continuation of them, binate or ter- 
nate scales ; the edge of the anther-scales corresponds in its charac- 
