THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 125 



f.'irthest north lands seen by I'eary in his trip to the pole a 

 hit of rock was sent nie cm which the lichens left no unex- 

 posed .surface, while on many seashores, rocks submerged at' 

 every tide are e([ually well-covered by these strange plants. 

 The lace lichen, {Rainaliud reticulata) largest and bulkiest of 

 North American lichens reaches its maximum development 

 with a rainfall of about sixteen inches, while in the forests 

 of the outer coast range of Oregon or the mountains of 

 Java, whrc the rainfall is measured with a yardstick, Usnca 

 longissima justifies its name, attaining at times a length of 

 10 meters (thirty-two feet.) — Albert W . C. T. Herre in 

 Scientific Monthly. 



Range of Magxouas. — The species of Magnolia are re- 

 garded as decidedly Southern in distribution. The closely 

 related tulip tree {Liriodendron tulipifcra) pushes northward 

 into southern Michigan and the cucumber tree {Magnolia 

 acuminata) is reported in the books to range from New York 

 to Illinois and southward. Although the natural range may 

 be as indicated, it by no means indicated the area in which 

 species of Magnolia are hardy. The umbrella tree (Magnolia 

 tripctala) which in nature ranges no further north tlian the 

 Ohio river, thrives in Joliet's Arboretum in Northern Illinois 

 and this year produced several blossoms. The writer of this 

 paragraph recently noticed a fine old specimen of Magnolia 

 acuminata at Whitehall, Michigan, which is well north in the 

 State and more than a hundred miles bevond its natural habi- 

 tat. 



Phuox steij.aria. — In reply to the query regarding the 

 habitat of PJdox stellaria, Dr. Frank T. McFarland writes : 

 "About ten years ago I made several tri[)s along the Kentucky 

 river and I ran across a phlox which I identified more or less 

 doubtfully as belonging to this species. I paid no further at- 



