THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 67 



tor experiment in a series of acclimatization studies carried 

 i»n bv the Desert Botanical Laboratory in Arizona was the 

 witch hazel {Hamamclis I'irgitiiana.) This species has a re- 

 ported range from Canada to Texas, blooming in autumn in 

 northern regions and in early spring in the southern. It is 

 likely that the southern plant is a different species, but this is 

 not important in the present instance, since all the plants selec- 

 ted w ere from northern stock accustomed to blossoming from 

 ()clol)er to December. When transferred to Arizona, liow- 

 eyer, the plants bloomed in early July of about a hundred 

 (.lays after growth was resumed in spring. Seeds were ri|)e 

 in January and February, whereas the fruits in New England 

 recpiire practically a full year to mature. 



iVlUL,TiPi^E; N0MENC1.ATLIKK. — In flower nomenclature, 

 botanists have been altogether too lavish in their terms to the 

 great disgust of the teacher wIkj finds it necessary to teach 

 all of them to each pupil in order that they may be sure to 

 get i)ast the college professor who is committed to his own 

 brand of names. When the pessimists begin to ask what is 

 the matter with botany, it might be well to look into this phase 

 of tile matter. When the petals are entirely separate and dis- 

 tinct, the flower is often said to be polypetalous but the mean- 

 ing of this word makes it inapplicable. It is from the Greek 

 polys many and petaloii, a leaf or petal. Another term used 

 is eleutheropetalous which is from the Greek eleutheros, free, 

 and pctalon. The word is rather too long for this fast age 

 and choripetalous has been suggested as a substitute for it. 

 This is form the Greek choris, separate, and the word for 

 petal and exactly expresses it. Still another word is dialype- 

 talous, the first part of which comes from dia, asunder and 

 lyin. to loose. A similar condition exists in the terminology 

 of united petals. The old term monopetalous will not answer 



