﻿528 
  Mutations 
  

  

  character 
  may 
  make 
  their 
  appearance. 
  They 
  

   warn 
  us 
  that 
  the 
  capacity 
  for 
  such 
  sinuosities 
  

   is 
  not 
  wholly 
  lost, 
  but 
  only 
  lies 
  dormant 
  in 
  the 
  

   new 
  variety. 
  It 
  is 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  latent 
  state, 
  ex- 
  

   actly 
  as 
  are 
  the 
  apparently 
  lost 
  characters 
  of 
  

   so 
  many 
  ordinary 
  horticultural 
  varieties. 
  

  

  Lacking 
  the 
  undulations, 
  the 
  laevi 
  folia-leaves 
  

   are 
  smooth 
  and 
  bright. 
  They 
  are 
  a 
  little 
  nar- 
  

   rower 
  and 
  more 
  slender 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  La- 
  

   marcMana. 
  The 
  convexities 
  and 
  concavities 
  of 
  

   leaves 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  useful 
  in 
  drv 
  seasons, 
  

  

  V 
  

  

  but 
  during 
  wet 
  summers, 
  such 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   last 
  few 
  years, 
  they 
  must 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  very 
  

   harmful, 
  as 
  thev 
  retain 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  which 
  

  

  / 
  * 
  

  

  falls 
  on 
  the 
  plants, 
  prolonging 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  

   water 
  on 
  the 
  leaves. 
  This 
  is 
  considered 
  by 
  some 
  

   writers 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  some 
  utility 
  after 
  slight 
  show- 
  

   ers, 
  but 
  was 
  observed 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  weak- 
  

   ness 
  during 
  wet 
  weather 
  in 
  my 
  garden, 
  pre- 
  

   venting 
  the 
  leaves 
  from 
  drying. 
  Whether 
  the 
  

   laevifolia 
  would 
  do 
  better 
  under 
  such 
  circum- 
  

   stances, 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  tested. 
  

  

  The 
  flowers 
  of 
  the 
  laevifolia 
  are 
  also 
  in 
  a 
  

   slight 
  degree 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  Lamarck- 
  

   iana. 
  The 
  yellow 
  color 
  is 
  paler 
  and 
  the 
  petals 
  

   are 
  smoother. 
  Later, 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  on 
  the 
  weaker 
  

   side 
  branches 
  these 
  differences 
  increase. 
  The 
  

   laevifolia 
  petals 
  become 
  smaller 
  and 
  are 
  often 
  

   not 
  emarginated 
  at 
  the 
  apex, 
  becoming 
  ovate 
  

  

  