THE PLANT WORLD 165 



surprised to find a luxuriant growth of it near Valdosta, Georgia, on 

 September 1, 1902. The plants were growing in profusion in a pool by 

 the railroad, about a mile north of the city, some floating in deep water 

 and others rooting on the muddy shores. The rooting plants were much 

 the taller, some of them reaching a height of three feet, and their petioles 

 were not at all inflated, thus resembling very much those of the related 

 native species Pontederia cor data. Being at that time in flower, the plants 

 presented a very handsome appearance. 



I made some inquiries in Valdosta about this colony of water-hyacinth, 

 but found no one who was even aware of its presence, so I could learn 

 nothing concerning the date or manner of its introduction. Fortunately 

 there seems to be little chance for the plant to escape from this pool and 

 obstruct navigation, and there is no navigable river anywhere in the 

 vicinity. The drainage from this point is into the Withlacoochee River, 

 a tributary of the Suwannee. 



Associated with the water-hyacinth in a peculiar way was another 

 interesting plant, Habenaria repens. All the specimens of this orchid 

 that I saw were supported on the floating masses of the water-hyacinth, 

 in water about six feet deep. Where it grew before the advent of the 

 water-hyacinth is a mystery, unless it was introduced at the same time. 

 Habenaria repens was originally described from the vicinity of Savannah 

 by Nuttall in 1818, and its status as a native of North America has 

 apparently never been questioned. But it is also reported from the West 

 Indies and South America (in which regions Piaropus crassipes is native), 

 and the manner of its occurrence near Valdosta suggests that it may not 

 be indigenous in the United States at all, or at least in the northern 

 portions of its range. Roland M. Harper. 



The crane-fly orchid iTipularia) is said to be "very scarce," and the 

 only ones I have seen in fourteen years were come across this summer — 

 seven in one woods and a solitary one nine miles away. The small 

 purplish-green flowers on the slender brownish, leafless scape are quite 

 inconspicuous in the woods when the ground is covered with dead leaves 

 from the trees. The first plant had only buds on it, but it was easy after 

 that to see the others. A thorough search would probably have brought 

 to light several dozen of them . Are not many of our ' ' rare and local ' ' 

 plants simply inconspicuous — hiding in full view until we can not help 

 seeing them ? Schweinitzia is another brownish plant that has been found 

 in many places near Baltimore, though few of the local botanists have 

 ever seen it. — C. E. Waters, Baltimore, Md. 



