THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 161 



Nectariks oi" Toad Liuy. — The toad lily (Tricyrtis 

 Jiirta) which seldom blooms in the Northern States until after 

 the first frosts have appeared, is a nmst interesting flower. Its 

 three stvles are surmounted by hitid stigmas which radiate 

 from the center like the spokes of a wheel and leave six open- 

 ings which are filled by the anthers of the six stamens. Nec- 

 tar is secreted i)v tlie three outer members of the perianth — 

 really the sepals — each of which has a rounded hollow at base 

 in which are two nectar pits. Both petals and sepals are white 

 but so thickly dotted with purple as to have a purplish effect. 

 At the entrance to each nectary, however, the purple stops 

 abruptly and is replaced by a pair of small orange-colored 

 nectar guides. The petals lack nectaries but the appearance 

 of the nectar guides upon them indicate, perhaps, that they 

 secrete a small amount of nectar, also. Various kinds of 

 bees frequent the l)lossoms liut in northern latitudes the 

 frost is almost certain to kill the aerial parts of the plant be- 

 fore the seeds ripen. The toad lily is not found in every 

 dealer's catalog, but it is an attractive little plant and well 

 worth adding to the garden. It is the very ^latest of the mon- 

 ocots to bloom if we except the autumn crocuses which really 

 ought to wait till spring. An illustrated account of our spe- 

 cies appears in this magazine for October, 1920. 



Symbiosis in the RubiaceaE- — The legumes have long 

 enjoyed the distinction of bearing nodules on their roots in 

 which live nuiltitudes of bacteria capable of fixing atmos- 

 pheric nitrogen in a form available for higher plants. This 

 enables the legumes to live in soils in which other plants, 

 l.'icking the friendly bacteria, would find existence difficult. 

 Anybody who will dig up the nearest plant of clover or al- 

 falfa may see these nodules for himself. It has been known 

 for some time that certain members of the Rubiaceae also 



