246 THE PLANT WORLD. 



Buckbrnsh is the largest constituent of the brush of the valley. 

 There are at least two species, of which Ceanothiis z'clutinus is the 

 most attractive. It possesses thick, oval to circular leaves. The 

 foliage is so refulgent that it gives at all times of day the appear- 

 ance of being covered with a heavy dew upon which the sun 

 shines. The fruit, borne in a corymb, resembles a buckwheat seed 

 in shape and size. It attains a height of 2-5 feet, and readily 

 takes possession of " burns," often to the exclusion of everv- 

 thing else. 



Ceanothiis sanguineus differs from its relative in smaller foli- 

 age, that lacks altogether the remarkable reflective power of the 

 latter. It more often takes possession of the steeper burnt slopes. 

 It has a habit of reclining down hill, and its exceedinglv dense 

 growth forms a barrier, to surmount which tries the strength 

 and fortitude of the forester to the utmost. Is it a wonder that 

 the tender seedlings of a fire-killed forest perhaps never again 

 gain a foothold? 



The nine-bark {Opulaster monogynus) is perhaps even more 

 prevalent than the foregoing, growing everywhere except in 

 swamps and the densest shade. But by reason of its smaller bulk 

 it is less obtrusive. Its leaves resemble those of the gooseberry. 

 Its inconspicuous flowers are borne in small flat clusters or 

 corymbs. 



THE GERMINATION OF THE MORNING GLORY. 



By Mary Ellen Tayler. 



An article in the Botanical Gazette for August, 1905, by Pro- 

 fessor Beale, suggests certain germination experiments wdiich 

 were undertaken by the writer upon the seeds of our common 

 morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth, in connection with 

 the study of the development and morphology of that species. In 

 tlie unripe seed the embryo is bright green, but as the seeds ripen 

 the embryo becomes yellowish or whitish. Characteristic leaf 

 structures, such as palisade parenchyma and stomata, are present 

 in the cotyledons before germination. Large spherical cavities 



