52 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



time they will assume the hues of the fully expanded flower. 

 There is much still to be investigated in this subject. We 

 would like to have some explanation from this theory on the 

 causes of the color changes in flowers — those that open red and 

 change to blue or those that open yellow and change to red, 

 for instance. The flowers that open white and turn to pink, 

 as in the case of Trillium gradifiorum, can be explained upon 

 the supposition that the red pigment is here late in developing. 

 The pigments in many flowers seem very stable, since speci- 

 mens that have been pressed and dried for more than half a 

 century gave nearly as good results as fresh flowers. 



Flowers of the Tropical Forest. — Some of the forest 

 trees of Uganda offer magnificent displays of flowers. There 

 is one, the Spathodea with crimson-scarlet flowers larger than 

 a breakfast cup and not very dissimilar in shape. These flow- 

 ers grow in bunches like large bouquets and when in full blos- 

 som one of these trees aflame with red light is a magnificent 

 spectacle. The Lonchocarpus trees have flowers in color and 

 shape like the wistaria ; from the branches of the lofty erioden- 

 drons depend on thread-like stalks, huge dull crimson flowers 

 composed of innumerable stamens surrounded by thick car- 

 mine petals. The Eryfhrinea trees on the edge of the forest 

 seldom bear leaves and flowers at the same time. When in a 

 leaflless state they break out into a crimson-scarlet efflorescence 

 of dazzling beauty. The Pterocarpus trees have large flowers 

 of sulphur-yellow. — National Geographic Magazine. 



Living and Dead Matter. — We are accustomed to 

 think of the cell as the smallest part of a living plant and a 

 structure quite distinct from ordinary inorganic matter but a 

 writer in Science takes a different view of the subject. He 

 says "The only essential characteristic and constant difference 

 between living and non-living matter is that within the former 

 there is constant and rythmic metabolism, while in the latter 



