112 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



has a well deserved reputation for failing to blossom. In some 

 vears one may examine extensive colonies of it without finding 

 a flower. This, however, is only another illustration of the 

 fact that plants able to spread easily by vegetative means often 

 arc chary of flowers or fruits. A similar illustration is found 

 in the potato which rarely blossoms and still more rarely sets 

 seed. This year, plants of the live-for-ever in the editor's 

 grounds have bloomed for the first time in five years. 



Oregon Chenopodiums. — In your note in the Feb. 1916 

 number you include New Zealand spinach among the Cheno- 

 podiaceae. If you mean Tetragona expansa I am inclined to 

 feel that this is a lapsus calami. I am interested in this plant 

 because I found it growing on ballast at Linton (a "first oc- 

 currence" for Oregon) and my understanding is that it be- 

 longs to the Aizoaceae, along with Mesembryanthcnnnii, two 

 s[)ecies of which I found associated with it. All our Cheno- 

 podiums here in Western Oregon seem to be introduced. The 

 most interesting one is the Australian C. carinatum which is 

 beginning to appear in the Southwest. C. Botrys, not men- 

 tioned in Piper and Beattie's "Flora of the Northwest" is 

 beginning to be abundant along the shores of the Willamette. 

 Should you not have included this among the species of medi- 

 cinal value. I remember that my grandmother used to set 

 considerable store by it. I want to enter a mild protest 

 against Mr. Saunders' statement that C. Premonti is "abun- 

 dant in Oregon". Howell does not mention it at all which 

 is evidence enough that it was not common in his time. It 

 is not known to occur on the western side of the Cascades. 

 Perhaps Saunders based his statement on the Californis dis- 

 tribution. — /. B. Nelson, Salem, Oregon. 



SiTKKKi) PjUTTKRFey Pka. — One of our most commiMi 

 and attractive wild flowers during the sunmier months is the 

 spurred butterfly pea {Bradhurya Virginiana) , a slender climb- 



