144 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



As an object lesson to the young student of Nature the observa- 

 tion was not without interest. — A. M. Johnson, University of 



Minnesota. 



Pith Rays a Misnomer. — Students of plant anatomy are 

 familiar with the white glistening lines radiating outward 

 through the wood which are commonly called medullary rays 

 or pith rays. In quarter-sawed lumber, it is these' so-called 

 pith rays that give the ''silver grain" to the wood. The rays, 

 as their name indicates, are often regarded as layers of pith 

 cells squeezed together by the developing woody bundles, but 

 this appears to be a mistake. In the wood of the fossil Lcpido- 

 dendrons, which flourished when the coal measures were being 

 formed, the primary wood, which of course is next to the pith, 

 does not possess these rays while in the secondary wood, at 

 some distance from the pith, they are very conspicuous. This 

 arrangement is also found in other stems. It therefore appears 

 probable that we are incorrect in calling them pith rays. Jeffrey 

 suggests that they be called wood rays. The principal func- 

 tion of these rays seems to be that of storage. 



Partridge Berry. — At the wood's edge, frequently al- 

 most concealed by white pine needles, the shining round leaves 

 and bright red berries of this dainty trailing vine may be 

 found all winter. During the last warm days of the year it 

 may be gathered for a winter bouquet. If a small fish bowl 

 be filled with the delicate sprays with many of the berries 

 placed near the glass, the bowl after watering may be turned 

 upside down on a glass plate and if the room is not too warm 

 this little trailer of the woods will keep fresh until the spring 

 flowers come. Mitchclla repens, the partridge berry, was named 

 for Dr. John Mitchell a botanist of Virginia and a corre- 

 spondent of Linnaeus. The common names suggest that the 

 berries have attracted the greatest amount of attention. In 

 addition to its best known name it has been called ground- 

 berry, squaw-berry, checker-berry and twin-berry, the last 



