THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 69 



in this region. The plant is very resistent to drouth, even 

 growing on walls as its specific name indicates. Although 

 other plants bear the name of live-for-ever, the name seems 

 to belong to this species, both by virtue of its hardiness and its 

 generic appellation. 



Largk Ebony SplKEn worts. — Fern Books usually give 

 the height of the fertile fronds of the ebony spleenwort 

 (Asplcnhun ebencum) as not much exceeding a foot, but this 

 is less than half the size of vigorous specimens. Mr. W. M. 

 Buswell has recently sent specimens of this fern from Florida 

 that measure twenty-five inches in length and writes that such 

 lengths of frond are not uncommon in this region. All this, 

 of course, is in keeping with the general rule that plants in 

 the warmer parts of the globe tend to be larger than members 

 of the same species farther away from the equator. It may 

 be mentioned in passing that those who look for this fern in 

 recent' books under the scientific name assigned to it here, are 

 likely to overlook it. The name it often goes by now, is A 

 platyneuron. When Eaton wrote his monumental "Ferns of 

 North America," he was well aware that the fern had been 

 named platyneuron as well as ebeneum, but he deliberately 

 selected the more descriptive specific name and those who care 

 more for the proprieties than they do for priorities continue to 

 follow his example. 



Stamens of Meadow Parsnip. — The blooming florets 

 of the meadow parsnips seemed to have too few stamens, but 

 a microscope revealed the fact that the five stamens are there, 

 alternating with the petals as one would expect, but they de- 

 velop irregularly. Often only one is exserted, then again two 

 or three may stretch out of one small flower. The petals are 

 incurved bits of yellow and surround a green disk which re- 

 sembles a miniature parasol. I was wondering why the 

 wasps were visiting the old petalless florets and then discover- 



