THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 11 



er's College in New York who writes that the dead leaves 

 were caused by the attacks of a fungus parasite. So far as we 

 could learn in summer the only effect of the parasite upon the 

 trees was to give them a temporary check. New and vigor- 

 ous branches had risen above the zone attacked. This disease 

 has not long been reported from America and at present has 

 not reached the Middle West, so far as we are aware. 



Habitats of Cystopteris Fragilis. — There are few ferns 

 in the world more widelv distributed than the common bladder 

 fern (Cystopteris fragilis). It has been reported from Alaska, 

 the West Indies, Cape of Good Hope, New Zealand^ China, 

 and Europe. Its predilection for moist rocks is well-known 

 and in regions where such habitats are to be found, the fern 

 is rarely found elsewhere, but in the woodlands that border the 

 streams through the prairie regions of our Aliddle West, where 

 no rocks are to be found, the fern grows in the soil like the 

 lady feni usually does. In such woods this fern is usually the 

 most abundant species, and frequently is the only fern to be 

 found. — Fern BuUctin. 



Color Changes in Weigelia. — An interesting bush often 

 found in the old gardens is Weigelia rosea. When its flowers 

 open they are nearly white but they soon change to rose-color, 

 hence the specific name. Several of our American bush honey- 

 suckles (Dierz'illa) are closely related to weigelia and it is 

 interesting to note that all have the same trait of changing 

 color. The common bush honeysuckle (D. triUda) opens cit- 

 ron-yellow and later turns to red or scarlet, D. riviilaris opens 

 yellow and turns to dull red, D. sessilifolia opens citron-yellow 

 and changes to a deeper shade of yellow, the lip becoming 

 orange. In all the lower lip of the flower is most deeply col- 

 ored. It is supposed that these changes of color in the flower 

 are due to pollination and have been evolved as an aid to the 

 visiting insects by showing them which flowers have been pol- 



