HOTAMICAL 

 fiAHMiK 



The American Botanist 



VOL. XXIX MAY. 1923 No. 2 



Skirling the rocks at the forest's edge 

 With a running flame from ledge to ledge, 

 Or swaying deeper in shadoxoy glooms, 

 Jl smouldering fire in her dusk}) blooms; 

 ^ronzed and molded by roind and sun 

 ^M^addening, gladdening every one 

 With gipsy beauty full and fine. 

 Gracefully blossoms the columbine. 



THE FLOWERS OF THE MAGNOLIA 



By WlLLARD N. CivUTE 



TT i> well known that not only [)lant families but lesser 

 groups arc based largely upon the structure of the flower. 

 We are quite accustomed to refer i)lants with lilylike flowers 

 to the Tviliaceae, those with rosclike flowers to the Rosaceae, 

 and so on, but we run some risk of (n'erlooking the fact that 

 there are other 'features of the flower that are quite as char- 

 acteristic and striking. Take size, for instance. There seems 

 to be no reason why different si)ecies in the same family should 

 keep within definite limits as to size and yet there are > whole 

 plant groups that are distinguished almost as much by the 



. size of the flowers as by any other feature. The LTmbelli ferae 

 almost without exception have very small flowers that are 

 conspicuous onl\- because massed and the flowers of Cruci- 



3 ferae, though much larger are| still so small that taken singly 



o few are noted for their beauty. 



