60 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



Agua and around the edges of the huge volcano of Fuego in 

 Guatamala." On this account it is sometimes known as the 

 "rose of hell", but from such information as we can gather, 

 we infer that a wooden flower would be quite evanescent in 

 the region for which it was named. 



Some years ago, the Ladies Home Journal had an account 

 of this form from which we quote as follows : "This unique 

 blossom is rough but beautiful and odd and wonderful in 

 many respects. It is composed of four distinct petals, concave 

 in form and arranged like the petals of a half-blown rose. The 

 outside of these petals or divisions is covered with thick bark 

 like an ordinary tree. Inside the hard surface is indented with 

 lines that follow each other in the most delicate tracery like 

 the veins in the petals of some flowers. The flower measures 

 about twelve inches across and is borne in a light strong stem 

 of solid wood about a foot long, covered with heavy bark. 

 Stem and flower are dark brown in color and grow on trees 

 of large size." 



As a matter of fact, the specimen is a gall similar to the 

 galls so common on our oaks and other plants and like them 

 due to the attacks of either insects or fungi. It appears to be 

 fairly common in Guatamala, and according to a correspond- 

 ent, may be purchased for a few cents in the streets of 

 Guatamala City. The specimens are brought in by the Indians 

 from the mountainous country not far distant. There is a 

 picture of the wooden flower in Engler & Prantl's "Natur- 

 lische Pflanzenfamilien" (III. 1. p. 161, fig. 10713). Accord- 

 ing to Engler the "wooden rose" is caused neither by insect 

 nor fungus but is due to another parasite, belonging to the 

 mistletoes (Phoradendron) . The illustration herewith was 

 originally published in The Guide to Nature and was kindly 

 loaned by that publication for reproduction here. If any of 

 our readers can add anything further to this account, we shall 

 be glad to publish it. 



