92 THE PLANT WORLD 



up to the eaves. We also met two human beings (negroes) on a lighter^ 

 and in a bad plight, according to their story. 



At the landing called Blue Springs I found more of the GeratopteriSj 

 but the plants were not well developed. Near here I made collections 

 of Carya aquafica, and of the stately Thalia divaricaia. As we entered 

 great Lake George I was trying hard to reach the last of my Cei^atopte- 

 ris specimens, with my press on the lee side of the centerboard, but 

 before long the spray compelled me to stop. I need only add that 

 when I reached home the next day the specimens were all pressing 

 nicely, and that a few changes left them as dry and thin as tissue paper. 



Eighteen years later, in August, 1897, I was surprised to find the 

 Cerafo'pteris at Istachatta, on the Withlacoochee River, for it then 

 seemed to me that where I found it before was much farther south. 

 But the map shows that it is in about the same latitude, namely, be- 

 tween 29° and 28^° N. L. The three stations knowm to me are only 80 

 miles apart at the farthest. It may be incorrect to say that a freely 

 floating plant has any stations in a river. It might even escape from 

 the pond at Istachatta in a time of high water. 



In the picture of this fern in "Eaton's Ferns of North America" 

 there is entire omission of the curious floating leaves. These supple- 

 ment the function of the fertile fronds by producing, on their edges, 

 after the manner of Bryophyllum, numerous plantlets, which are set free 

 by the decay of the fronds. Next within the proliferous fronds is a set 

 of erect sterile fronds, which perform the functions of ordinary leaves. 

 From the center rise the finely divided fertile fronds, which are for 

 spore production. With such ample provision for reproduction, it 

 would seem that Cerafopferis ought to be more abundant than it is. 



Briefer Articles. 



"OCCASIONAL" LEAVES OF TRILLIUM. 



In some of the recent manuals of our eastern native plants, under 

 the description of the genus Trillium, it is stated that these j)lauts oc- 

 casionally produce from the rootstock long-petioled, simple leaves. On 

 looking over the material in several herbaria, it was noticeable, in view 

 of the above statement, how incomplete the proper collection of speci- 

 mens of Trillium had been, or how truly occasional indeed is the occur- 

 rence of these seemingly basal leaves. So far as ascertained the publi- 

 cations referring to this character are the manuals mentioned above. 



So far also, it has been impossible to locate any specimens showing 



