THE AMERICAN BOTANIST, 99 



IS not the mere product of chemical action. The latex also 

 varies much with the season, being most al3undant and 

 richest during the months of March and April when the 

 tree is flowering and fruiting. Turning from the rubber 

 trees we find that the production of milky juice or gums is 

 a common characteristic of desert plants and from this we 

 ma^^ assume that protection from drouth is one of the 

 functions of latex, though it maj' turn out to be one of 

 lesser importance. 



Perfumes from Roots. — We usually think of scent 

 as residing in the flow^ers of plants, as- in the cases of roses, 

 carnations and stocks," say Gardening World, "in other 

 plants it resides in the foliage, as in thyme, balm, mint and 

 various other well-known plants. We now^ proceed to 

 ■speak of a very rare instance of the scent emanating from 

 the roots of a plant. We refer to Nardostachys Jataman- 

 si w^hich is a native of the Plimalayas and has been valued 

 in India from a remote period as a perfume. Dr. Royle 

 gave it as his opinion that it was the spikenard of the an- 

 cients." While this may be a rare instance in v^hich roots 

 furnish perfume of commercial value one must not over- 

 look the orris-root (Iris) in the same connection. Other 

 roots that produce agreeable odors are sweet flag(Acorus 

 calamus), the ebony and maiden hair spleenworts {Asple- 

 nJum ebeneum and E. t ric horn a ne s) , certain dracffinas,etc. 

 A complete list of odorous roots w^ould be interesting. 

 Who can add others ? 



Names of the Elephant's Ear.— It seems necessaTy 

 to attack the Editor's second attack on the names of the 

 elephant's ear, or Colocasia antiquorum esculenta, and 

 reiterate the previous statement that the eleplant's ear is 

 not, never has been and never shall be, called "Bleeding 

 Heart." The Caladium varieties which may have been 

 listed in the States under the whimsical name as "bleeding 

 heart" are know^n in Porto Rico as " Yautia del Jardin," 

 for it must be remembered that this is still an old Spanish 

 island belonging to the United States, where English is 

 spoken by only a comparatively few individuals on the 



