88 Macfar/anc — Obscrrations on Sonic Hybrids 



Detailed comparison of the leaves, flower stalks, inflores- 

 cence, flowers and period of blooming, still further confirmed 

 the suspicion entertained on finding them. Histological inves- 

 tigation of the three, as well as of D. rotiindifolia, which was 

 only sparingly present in the marsh, shows that the last- 

 named species does not contribute to the formation of the 

 plants in question. It equally demonstrates a minute blend- 

 ing, in all parts of the hybrids, of the histological peculiarities 

 of D. fiUforiuis and D. iiitirDicdia. 



When the eleven specimens were collected, care was taken 

 to remove sods of both parent species, and all three were 

 grown in neighboring flats in the greenhouse. The parent 

 species matured an abundance of what seemed to be good 

 seeds. The contents of the hybrid pods were apparently 

 useless. A detailed description of the macro- and micro-mor- 

 phology of each will now be given under the following heads : 

 (c?) leaves, (b) a.xis of inflorescence, (r) inflorescence, {d) period 

 of blooming, (c) size and color of the blooms, (/) floral struc- 

 ture. 



(a) Leaves. — The leaves of D. filifonids (Plate XII, Fig. l) 

 are on the average 8 inches long and jV inch wide. The 

 statements made in current botanical manuals that there is 

 " no distinction between blade and stalk," * also that they are 

 "glandular-pubescent throughout," f are equally incorrect. A 

 non-glandular portion ^3 to ^ of an inch long is the petiole, 

 and in the winter bud-leaves is the only part developed for 

 protective purposes. The base of this non-glandular part is a 

 flattened quadrangular area ^-^ inch by ):^ inch. It is densely 

 tomentose-pubescent along its lateral and upper margin, as 

 well as externally. The individual hairs varj' greatly in size, 

 in the number of cells composing each, and in the amount of 

 their branching. While some consist of a few cells joined 

 lengthwise into a long thread which may give off one or two 



* Gray's Manual of Botany, 6th edit., 1S89. 



\ Britton and Brown's Illustrated Flora, Vol. II, p. 162. 



