128 



is certainly a very striking one in the argument to sustain the one 

 ring theory. But he, immediately after, in the same letter, helps the 

 other side by a statement which is just as strong, if not more conclu- 

 sive, for the second growth hypothesis. He goes on to say: *^ Young 

 pear stocks do make a second growth as I have in thousands of cases 

 seen. The seedling or sucker, as the case may be, if cut off within a foot 

 or fifteen inches of the ground and then transplanted, after growing 

 rapidly say a month or six weeks forms a terminal bud, which aftej a 

 little period of rest pushes again, sometimes as late as September, the 

 sap flows a second time, and inoculation may now be accomplished 

 if it had been neglected during the first flow of sap." 



This last statement shows, in a most conclusive manner, that a 

 second growth may, and does take place in our exogens of this lati- 

 tude. I hope to show in a future article that, in regions of no frost, 

 this is still more frequent. We see by Mn Foster's statement, that so 

 far as the pear tree is concerned, the occurrence is by no means 

 abnormal. I have reason to believe that it is frequent in other 

 genera, and, though usually the second ring is less distinct than the 

 first, yet in some cases it is quite as prominent, 



O. R. Willis. 



125. Virescence in Leontodon— My attention was attracted 



to-day to a sickly-looking,malformed specimen oi LeQjitodon aiitumnale, 



in w^hich all the heads were green. Examination shows 

 the florets to be constructed about as represented in 

 the accompanying sketch. The corolla is ligulate and 

 exhibits its normal dentation, but is green in color. 

 In place of the usual tawny pappus there is an in- 

 definite number of laciniate green expansions, inte- 

 resting perhaps as showing from reversion what may 

 be the morphology of pappus. The androecium ap- 

 pears normal. The pistil, however, is quite changed, 

 the usual filiform style being much thickened and 

 the branches aborted to the two teeth shown in the 

 figure. In several florets I detect what appears to 

 be phyllody of the ovule. I have specimens in 

 alcohol for further investigation. 



Brown University, Sept. 30, 1881, 



W. Whitman Bailey. 



1 



126. Note on Ilex opaca, Ait.— I found this plant in a dwarf 

 state last summer at Rockaway beach. I also saw it on the Nave- 

 sink Highlands in abundance, aild every specimen that I examined 

 showed signs of winter-killing at the top. The head had evidently 

 been damaged by frost every successive winter during the life of the 

 plant. I have a specimen growing on my lawn, which for twelve 

 successive winters has been killed at the top, up to last winter, when 

 it lost its leaves, but the head did not die ; yet the temperatu 

 lower than inany previous winter for the last twenty years, 

 thermometer indicated a temperature ranging from five to fifteen de- 



fell 

 The 



grees below zero for several successive days. 

 White Plains, Oct. 13, 1881. 



O. R. Willis. 



