TBE PLANT WORLD. 153 



AN OBSERVATION ON THE WATER-SHIELD 



(BRASENIA PELTATA). 



By E. J. Hill. 



WHEN examining Brasenia peltata the early part of September 

 for fruit nearly all the peduncles bearing carpels were 

 found detached and floating in the water beneath the peltate 

 leaves. If a stem had more than one cluster of carpels — two or three 

 being common — it Avas broken off as a whole. This at first was 

 deemed accidental, but it appeared too general to be explained in this 

 way. Nor was there any apparent external force to cause it. 1 had 

 not observed it before and am not aware that it has been mentioned by 

 others, and write in part to call attention to the phenomenon to see if 

 it shall be verified hereafter. This would manifestly be an advantage 

 to the plant in the dissemination of its seed. It usually grows in rather 

 dense patches, often nearly or wholly excluding from the area it occu- 

 pies with other prominent pond vegetation. As it fruits quite freely, 

 there would be much less advantage to it in dropping its seed in the 

 muddy bottom beneath, already well provided with the rootstocks of 

 the plant, than to have it carried to some other place by the water to 

 start new communities. 



Chicago, in. 



RADIATE STRUCTURE OF THE WILD GOURD 

 (CUCURBITA FOETIDISSIMA). 



By Charles Newton Gould. 



OF the plants of the plains none is more uniquely conspicuous 

 in time of drouth than the wild gourd, Cucurhitd fo<itidiss- 

 ima. While the number of individuals of this species on a 

 given area is ordinarily not as great as that of many other plants, its 

 larofe size and uniform dark oreen color combined with the fact that it 

 apparently thrives best when most others have succumed to the heat, 

 all tend to render the species worthy of remark. In fact with the ex- 

 ception of some species of Artemisia and the hardy Ipomoea jpandura- 

 ta this plant is more frequently remarked than any other. 



During the past summer while travelling in AVestern Oklahoma 

 with the Oklahoma Geological Survey my attention was repeatedly 

 called to the peculiar radiate structure assumed by the plant. A par- 



