6 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



sepal-like leaves in the flower of hepatica are supposed to be 

 bracts. What man^' believe to be four white petals in the 

 blossom of the flowering dogwood {Cornus Borida) are 

 really bracts. Still more, the "corolla" of the calla lily, 

 and the hood of the skunk's cabbage are simply modified 

 bracts. The real flowers are the comparatively insignifi- 

 cant parts in the centre. This is easier to believe when one 

 has seen that odd plant, the golden c\\xh {Or ontium) which 

 flourishes in many cold sphagnum bogs. The golden club 

 is closely related to the stately calla lily, but as its name 

 indicates the flowers are on slender club-like spikes quite 

 like the organ in the centre of the calla. As the plant often 

 grows there is no sign of a bract, but if one is careful to 

 pull up the flowering parts entire, he will flnd a papery- 

 affair near the base that corresponds to the white part of 

 the calla. It must be added, however, that when bracts 

 are so transformed as in these latter instances, they are 

 more properly called spathes. The spathes of Jack-in-the- 

 pulpit are well known to most collectors. Other curious 

 modified bracts form the cup of the oak and the involucre 

 of the spurges ( Euphorbia ) &.nd of the great composite fam- 

 ily which indudes the sunflowers, asters, thistles and a 

 great number of others. 



HERCULE'S CLUB. 



BY A. S. FOSTF.K. 



RANGING from Southern Oregon up to the Arctic Circle 

 ' grows a peculiar member of the Aralia family, named 

 by the "timber cruiser" devil's club or devil's walking 

 stick. However, it is generally conceeded that his satanic 

 majesty is not yet suflficientl}^ decrepit to need any kind ot 

 vStaff'for support but maybe frequenth- in need of most any 

 kind of weapon to further his purposes. Echinopanax 

 borridum of Descaine and Planchet and Fatsia horrida ot 

 Bentham and Hooker seems to be the same plant. There 

 are very few trees or shrubs in our western development 

 that are common to both sides of the continent, yet there 

 are close resemblances. To all appearances E. borridum 



