THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 91 



a leaf directly over the first. In others the twine goes around 

 but once and the fourth leaf is over the first. Now looking down 

 on the end of the stem or sighting along it, we see in the first 

 instance that the leaves are arranged in five longitudinal rows, 

 and in the second they are arranged in three. From the fact 

 that five and three are numbers so characteristic of the parts 

 of flowers, it is assumed that the flowers also correspond to 

 the arrangement of the leaves, the principal difference being 

 that the leaves are arranged in an ascending spiral, while the 

 floral parts are in circles. Sometimes, however, as in the 

 magnolia, even the floral parts are in spirals. 



The Way Woodbine Climbs. — The books are full of 

 instances in which an error once made in print is repeated 

 again and again by authors too indolent to examine for them- 

 selves. One of these relates to the Virginia creeper or wood- 

 bine (Anipclopsis quinquefolia). Several books examined re- 

 cently aver that this vine climbs by means of adhesive disks on 

 the end of its tendrils. Other books assert that the tendrils 

 twine as do the tendrils of the grape. The writer of this para- 

 graph contends, however, that both are wrong, for the wood- 

 bine not onlv has twining tendrils but it has adhesive disks as 

 well. In some regions but one form is found ; in others, both 

 occur. The question then arises, shall we call each form an 

 "elementary species" or are the two forms interchangeable? 

 A( t mncli is known about the distribution of the two forms 

 and liere is a case in which everybody who knows this common 

 vine may be of use to science by recording the form or 

 forms that grow in his own locality. But who can say, 

 off-hand, which form is found in his locality? It is easy 

 to see that even familiar species have many unknown points 

 about them. It would be interesting to grow the two forms 

 side by side for comparison. We expect to do this and hope 

 to report conclusions later. 



