26 



0, S. U. Naturalist. 



[Vol. 1, No. 2 



meadows where the earlier stems have been destroyed or disturbed. 

 But often on sucli stems (marked 1) the leaves are broad and have 

 the natural shape. 



Size of Leaves. — The size of the leaves is strikingly variable. 

 The specimens shown on plate 4 being reproduced from photographs 

 exhibit correctly this variability. Careful measurements also were 

 made of leaves taken at random from hundreds selected to illustrate 

 this point. These since they give both the length and width of the 

 leaf demonstrate the shape as well as the size. The measurements 

 are in decimeters and one hundred of tliem are as follows : 



12x11.5 



11x10.5 



12x11 



13x10.6 



11x12 

 12.5x11.2 

 12.2x10 



12x11 



11x11 

 11.5x11.1 



11x10.8 



12x11.5 



12x10.6 



13x11 



12x11 

 11.5x10.8 



12x11.8 



12.5x9.5 



12x9.5 



12x11 



11x11.8 



12.2x9.8 



11.5x10 



13.5x10.5 



11.5x9.6 



8x5.5 



9x6 



9.2x6.5 



8x5.5 



9x7 



8.5x7;5 



7.5x4.5 



8.5x6.2 



9x7 



8.5x6 



7.5x5.5 



8.6x5.4 



8x6 



9x6 



8.5x6 

 8.5x5.8 

 9.8x6.4 



9x7.3 

 8.3x5.8 



9x6.5 

 9.9x7.6 

 8.2x4.6 



8.5x6 



8.8x6 



9.5x7 

 11.1x2.2 



9x2 



9x3.5 



8x1.5 



6x0.7 



8x1.5 



7x1.8 



6.8x2 



7.5x2.2 



5.5x2.5 



7.6x2.2 



7.8x2 



6.5x2 



7x0.8 



8.4x0.7 



8x1.4 



8.5x2 



9x3.5 



9.5x3.8 



8x4 



7x2.8 



8x3.8 



4.5x1 



7x2.2 



7x3.2 



6.2x2.5 



8.2x2.8 



6.5x2.2 



5.5x2.9 



7.3x2.7 



8x1.8 



9.5x1.9 



9.5x2.2 



8.4x2.2 



8x2.5 



7.8x2.2 



7.3x2.8 



6x1.7 



5.3x1.6 



8x3.4 



7.5x2.5 



6x2.5 



6x2.8 



6x2.6 



7x2.8 



8.4x3 



9.8x3.5 



10x3.5 



9.6x3.8 



7.5x1.7 



9.4x2.5 



Description of the Leaf. — Neither the description as given 

 originally (1787) by Walter nor those contained in our Manuals give 

 any intimation of such variability as actually occurs. Some of them 

 are as follows: Walter says "foliis oblongo-cordatis " ; Wood, 

 " ovate, finally nearly orbicular, abruptly contracted at one end "; 

 Gray, "ovate, rarely subcordate, abruptly mucronate"; Britton, 

 " ovate, acute or cuspidate at the apex, sometimes cordate at the 

 base. " I would suggest the following as applicable to the Ohio 

 specimens : Leaves mostly ovate^ often broadly oval ( occasionally broader 

 than long), sometimes oblong-ovate, varying to lanceolate or even linear ; 

 the base mostly sub-cordate but often cordate or even cuneate ; the apex 

 cuspidate to acute or sub-acuminate. 



Smii^ax spinulosa. — Britton and Brown in the illustrated 

 Flora, 1 : 440, appends to the description of Smilax glauca the follow- 

 ing paragraph: ''Smilax spinulosa J. E. Smith, is a form with 

 numerous small prickles on the lower part of the stem, and more 

 elongated, sometimes hall)erd-shaped leaves. It occurs in southern 

 New York, but is not well understood." However Smilax spinulosa 



