﻿Monstrosities 
  403 
  

  

  slender 
  rootstocks 
  or 
  runners 
  producing 
  at 
  their 
  

   tips 
  new 
  rosettes 
  of 
  leaves 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  

   these 
  the 
  flowering 
  stem. 
  My 
  original 
  plant 
  

   has 
  since 
  been 
  propagated 
  in 
  this 
  manner, 
  and 
  

   during 
  several 
  years 
  I 
  preserved 
  large 
  beds 
  

   with 
  hundreds 
  of 
  stems, 
  in 
  others 
  I 
  was 
  com- 
  

   pelled 
  to 
  keep 
  my 
  culture 
  within 
  more 
  restricted 
  

   limits. 
  This 
  plant 
  has 
  produced 
  twisted 
  stems, 
  

   of 
  the 
  curious 
  shape, 
  with 
  a 
  nearly 
  straight 
  

   flag 
  of 
  leaves 
  on 
  one 
  side, 
  described 
  by 
  De 
  Can- 
  

   dolle 
  and 
  other 
  observers, 
  nearly 
  every 
  year. 
  

   But 
  only 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  instances 
  of 
  abnormal 
  

   stems 
  occurred 
  in 
  each 
  year, 
  and 
  no 
  treatment 
  

   has 
  been 
  found 
  that 
  proved 
  adequate 
  to 
  increase 
  

   this 
  number 
  in 
  any 
  appreciable 
  manner. 
  I 
  have 
  

   sown 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  this 
  plant 
  repeatedly, 
  either 
  

   from 
  normal 
  or 
  from 
  twisted 
  stems, 
  but 
  without 
  

   better 
  results. 
  It 
  was 
  highly 
  desirable 
  to 
  be 
  

   able 
  to 
  offer 
  instances 
  of 
  this 
  rare 
  and 
  interest- 
  

   ing 
  peculiarity 
  to 
  other 
  universities 
  and 
  mu- 
  

   seums, 
  but 
  no 
  improvement 
  of 
  the 
  race 
  could 
  be 
  

   reached 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  constrained 
  to 
  give 
  it 
  

   up. 
  My 
  twisted 
  valerian 
  is 
  a 
  poor 
  race, 
  and 
  

   hardly 
  anything 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  with 
  it. 
  Perhaps, 
  

   in 
  other 
  countries 
  the 
  corresponding 
  rich 
  race 
  

   may 
  be 
  hidden 
  somewhere, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  had 
  

   the 
  good 
  fortune 
  of 
  finding 
  it. 
  

  

  This 
  good 
  fortune, 
  however, 
  I 
  did 
  have 
  with 
  

   the 
  wild 
  teasel 
  or 
  Dipsacus 
  sylvestris. 
  Twisted 
  

  

  