102 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



tinguished at once by a sort of additional calyx and a peren- 

 nial habit. The larger species, C. Sepiiim, is a free twiner, 

 very beautiful in the fields and with an added beauty near the 

 sea-shore where the flowers assume an exquisite pink hue. 

 When cultivated they are apt to become white. Why? 



If introduced into the garden, it for the first summer fills 

 one with joy from its beauty. The next year it is found to be 

 an exquisite nuisance as it spreads by its underground stems. 

 It will soon fill an entire yard, crowding out everything else, 

 unless it be the wild cucumber, which is even more aggressive. 

 One has to wage upon them an unrelenting war. They pitch 

 their tents, I am referring now to the bind-weeds, with no 

 regard, apparently, to picturesque or strategic position. 



A smaller species, Convolvulus arvensis, turns up in fields 

 or abandoned lands. It has small white flowers and though 

 of European origin appears to be perfectly established. 



Little Convolvulus spithamaeus, six to nine inches high does 

 not twine but it is erect or ascending merely. A very charming 

 convolvulus is C. tricolor of gardens with blue corolla merging 

 toward the center into pale yellow and finally white. This, 

 too is a non-climber. Cypress vine (Ipomoea quanwclit) a 

 west Indian or tropical plant has very delicate pinnate leaves 

 and a small scarlet or white trumpet shaped corolla. 



The moon-flower, before mentioned comes from tropical 

 America, but appears to be native, also, in Florida. Its large 

 fragrant corolla, has green folds and is salver form. It twines 

 high and rapidly but the New England season is hardly long 

 enough for us to see il in perfection; at least, such is my ex- 

 perience, in growing it out of doors. The sweet potato is an- 

 other species of Ipomoea and has a handsome purple funnel- 

 form flower. The origin of the plant, as is usually the case 

 with those used for food, is unknown or conjectural. Cuba is 

 an island abounding in Convolvulaceae. I remember once, in 

 looking over the collections of the late Charles Wright, being 



