THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 65 



by the fact that Amanita has a sort of cup at its base in 

 which the young plant is enclosed while developing. When 

 the growing plant bursts from the cup, it usually carries 

 flakes of this cup up on its cap. It is well, therefore, to 

 avoid all mushrooms with white gills, especially if they 

 have a cup or volva at base and a scaly cap. 



Monstrosities of Trillium. — The genus trillium seems 

 to be strongly inclined to the production of abnormalities. In 

 the Ohio Journal of Science, William H. Watson has brought 

 together a number of references to such abnormal plants, but 

 has overlooked the form mentioned in this magazine for 1916. 

 Judging from this list, the most frequent variation from the 

 normal is an increase in the number of perianth segments. 

 Such multiplication of parts has been recorded for the painted 

 trillium, (T. Undulaium), red trillium (7\ erectum), sessile 

 trillium (T. sessile), and recurved trillium (T. rccurvatum) . 

 The number of perianth divisions in such flowers ranges from 

 twelve to twenty, and there is usually a reduction in the num- 

 ber of the stamens and carpels, but not always. Another vari- 

 ation is that in which an extra member appears in each whorl, 

 but this is not surprising when we reflect that the Old World 

 g'enus Paris, also a member of the Triliiaceae, is constructed on 

 the plan of four throughout. Owing to its conspicuous flowers, 

 the great white trillium (7\ grandiflorum) is very frequently 

 the subject of reported abnormalities. The most remarkable 

 of these is a plant reported from Ohio with no less than thirteen 

 whorls of petals. Flowers with from nine to twenty extra 

 parts seem not uncommon. The relationship that exists 

 between leaves and petals is frequently shown by most of the 

 additional parts being green. When cultivated these abnormal 

 specimens show a tendency to continue their peculiarities. The 

 plant with thirty-nine petals remained constant to this feature 

 for at least ten years. 



