29 
a handful I was surprised to see a number of whitish threads 
hanging from the axils of the lower leaves. On examination of 
these threads, which were from three to six inches long, I found 
that near the extremity of each of these was a short oblong or 
cylindrical tuber, from a quarter to half an inch long, and these 
tubers were undoubtedly for the propagation of the plants. 
Most of the specimens had evidently borne flowers and fruit at 
the upper axils, but three or four of the lower joints had devel- 
oped these tuberiferous threads. {sent some specimens to Dr. 
Gray, who was interested in them, and wrote that he had often 
observed the threads, but never the tubers. 
GEO. VASEY. 
Index to Recent American Botanical Literature. 
Anemone nudicaulis,n. sp. Asa Gray. (Botanical Gazette, xi., 
(1886) p. 17. 
Dr. Gray calls attention to an undescribed species of Ane- 
mone, to which he gives the above name, from wet places 
near Sand: Bay, Minnesota, in or near Canadian territory. The 
radical leaves resemble those of A. Richardsoni, but the invol- 
ucre consists of a single. petiolate leaf, or is wholly wanting; the 
akenes are tipped with rather short and hooked styles very un- 
like the long ones of the Arctic plant above mentioned. Flow- 
ering specimens are needed to complete the description of the 
species. 
Apples distinguished by their Flowers. W. J. Beal. (Amer. 
Nat., xx., (1886) pp. 162-165. 
Professor Beal suggests that instead of describing apples by 
their fruit alone, pomologists would do well to pay more atten- 
tion to the floral characters, and extends the same suggestion to 
the varieties of other cultivated plants. He gives five figures 
illustrating the differences in floral structure in as many kinds of © 
apples, which show marked differences in the relative lengths, — 
breadths and hairiness of the styles and their stipes. 
Asa Gray. By Charles R. Barnes. (Bot. Gazette, xi., (1886), — 
pp. I-10.) - 
An interesting account of Dr. Gray’s life and an enumera- 
tion of his most important botanical works. A good photo- 
* 
