THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 73 



pure red though far behind the cardinal flower or bee bahn in 

 the quality of color. Variations in the direction of yellow are 

 also known as might be expected in flowers in which both 

 colors are due to varying amounts of the same pigment. In 

 the yellowish specimens, however, there is practically always 

 suflicient red present to give the flowers a tawny hue and it 

 was something of a surprise, last year, to come upon a plant 

 with clear lemon-yellow flowers without trace of red or or- 

 ange. This plant, removed to my garden has thrown up nu- 

 merous stems which during the first half of July were loaded 

 with flowers. Other plants of the same kind are likely to be 

 discovered in any considerable area in which the plant grows, 

 though they are scarcely likely to become common. To fa- 

 cilitate mention of the plant it seems desirable that a form 

 name be given it and I therefore characterize it as 



ASCLEPIAS TUBEROSA f. LUTA. 



Flowers clear lemon-yellow the reflexed petals tinged on the 

 exterior with orange ; otherwise like the type. 



The form, liitca, is comparable to the white-flowered and 

 white berried forms found in many species though it prob- 

 ably represents a transition stage midway between flowers 

 with the absence of pigment and those having an abundance 

 of it. It is another illustration of the well-known rule that 

 red flowered forms may be expected to have yellow varieties. 

 It is noticeable that yellow flowers rarely produce white or 

 albino forms, though red and black colors are often accom- 

 panied by yellow specimens. 



THE CACTUS AND THE DESERT. 



THE cacti are the most unique feature of the verdant ar- 

 boreal desert. The man with a camera goes daft over 

 them. Whenever I took a picture, I found myself skirmish- 

 ing about to see if I could include a tall suhuaro, as the giant 

 cactus is called. If I could not find a suhuaro with its stately 



