Proceedings of the Club 91 



account of its supposed near relationship to Corallorhiza, which de- 

 velops short coralloid outgrowths without roots, but producing a 

 mycorhiza and sending out hyphae into the soil. Material of 

 Hexalectris from Alabama, although possessed of somewhat similar 

 coralloid growths, was found to contain no fungi, and to be with- 

 out apparent adaptation to growth by mycorhiza. No one seems 

 to have seen the roots of this plant. 



The third paper was by Dr. N. L. Britton, " Notes on Spe- 

 cies of Crataegus'' 



Dr. Britton exhibited and discussed 34 species of the north- 

 eastern United States, and remarked upon the great need of per- 

 sistent field-study in determining this genus. One must have 

 flowers, mature leaves and mature fruit from any individual bush 

 before he can begin to find its relationship to any other form. The 

 most difficult part of the genus is perhaps the C tomentosa group. 

 Many southern species have recently been found to extend their 

 range into Virginia, as C. Chapmani, C Carolina, etc. ; and others 

 into Missouri, as C. berberifolia. The identity of the original of C 

 coccinea of Linnaeus proves to have a special local interest. Lin- 

 naeus seems to have had, as often, no specimen before him, but 

 based his description on a plate of Plunkenet and another of Ray. 

 Few herbarium specimens correspond well to the figure, which 

 answers only to leaves of a shrub collected twice near New York, 

 once by Mr. E. P. Bicknell along the Harlem River, and once by 

 the late Professor E. H. Day on Persimmon Island, near New 

 Rochelle, N. Y/ The leaves bear a remarkable resemblance to 

 those of Bctula nigra. Search for similar specimens near New 

 York should be made; the leaves are longer, and with blunter, 

 shallower lobes than in the commonly-received C coccinea. 



Dr. Britton is endeavoring to get together at the Botanical Gar- 

 den a collection of these species, and has now a dozen or more ; 

 but the wild stock is very difficult to grow and is impatient of 

 transplanting. Most gardeners graft or grow from seed. 



Edward S. Burgess, 



Secretary. 



