THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 109 



and an inch and a half through — nearly five inches in circum- 

 ference. The fruit is light crimson in color and the flavor 

 is said to resemble that of the logan-berry. It is said to 

 possess more seeds and less juice than do o^'dinary black- 

 berries from whicli it is apparent that its chief use to Ameri- 

 can growers will be for hybridizing with more palatable fruits 

 in order to increase their size. The plant prefers a moist, 

 cool climate but is reported to be somewhat tender and it is 

 likely therefore to be useful only in parts of the West. In 

 cross-section the fruit is inclined to be four or five-angled. 

 Some question still exists as to the exact scientific name of 

 the new fruit. It is much like forms of Rubiis macrocarpiis 

 and Rubus roseiis with considerable likelihood that it is the 

 latter species. 



Forma versus Variety. — What is the difference be- 

 tweeil a form and a variety? The average individual would 

 reply that there is no difference worth mentioning, but the 

 scientist can distinguish tweedledee from tweedledum with a 

 large margin of safety, especially when such distinction give 

 him a chance to make one of the "new combinations" so dear 

 to the heart of the closet naturalist. A variety is a form 

 differing from the normal, but the variety is by implication 

 a rather more stable thing than the form. It is, however, 

 rather amusing to find reputable botanists venturing a double 

 author citation on the strength of calling a variety a form 

 or the reverse. The botanical species has recently been 

 roughly handled by the scientist who finds it to include ele- 

 mentary species, races, varieties, sub-varieties and a large 

 number of geographical, ecological, physiological, seasonal 

 and other forms. To dignify these small differences from the 

 normal with a double author citation seems to many people 

 un worth v the attention of a real scientist and gives reason for 



