32 THE PLANT WORLD 



not known to botanists of the present, that an older generic name than 

 Aquilegia for this genus is Aqmlina, evidently at first Planta aquilina; 

 and this Aquilina name was, for a certain length of time, long past, the 

 prevalent generic name. The bird's foot suggestion is here again in 

 evidence. 



Is there, in ^iew of these few historic facts, any further room for 

 doubt that Columbine is an alteration of Pes columbinus, dovefoot? — 

 Edw. L. Greene, Washington, D. C. 



Range of the Mistletoe in Ol<la[ioma. 



It is a curious fact that the Mistletoe, Phoradendroi} flavescens 

 (Pursh) Nutt., which is the State flower of Oklahoma, is confined in its 

 habitat to a comparatively small area of the territory. In this regard 

 it is in marked contrast to the sunflower, the State flower of Kansas, 

 which is not only rampant in all parts of that State, but also overflows 

 into all neighboring regions. 



The Mistletoe is classed among the half-parasitic plants, or those 

 which take a portion of their food from the host and manufacture the 

 rest themselves. It roots on the branches of deciduous trees, notably 

 the tupelo, maple, elm, oak, and cottonwood. Its habitat, according to 

 Britton & Brown, is " central New Jersey to Ohio, Indiana and Mis- 

 souri, and south to Florida and Texas." 



In Oklahoma the Mistletoe is most abundant in the southeastern 

 part of the territory. It grows chiefly on the elm, Ulmus Americanus, 

 where it sometimes forms clusters as large as a bushel basket, but is 

 also occasionally found on the cottonwood. Being a semi-tropical 

 plant, it can not thrive in the northern and western parts of the Terri- 

 tory, which are subject to occasional blizzards during the winter 

 months. In the Indian Territory it is abundant as far north as the 

 Cherokee Nation, but in Oklahoma comparatively little Mistletoe is 

 found north of the North Canadian river. It is most abundant in the 

 valley of the South Canadian, which forms the southern boundary of 

 the Territory. In this region it is not unusual to find dozens of the 

 large dark green clusters encircling the branches of a single elm tree. 

 It is reported along the lower course of the Cimarron as far north as 

 Guthrie and Stillwater, but in these localities is not at all abundant. 



The severe winter of 1898-99 killed much of the Mistletoe in Okla- 

 homa, and last year there were very few berries to be found. Even 

 during the present season they are not nearly so abundant as formerly. 

 Farmers and others in southern Oklahoma derive considerable income 

 from shipping Mistletoe to the northern States to supply the Christmas 

 trade. — Charles Newton Gould, University of Oklahoma. 



