MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 123 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE COLLECTION AND STUDY OF CRATAEGI 

 IN THE VICINITY OF PORT HT^RON, MICHIGAN. 



C. K. Dodge. 



Since leaving the University of Michigan in L870, 1 have been interested in 

 botany as a recreation. I went to Port Huron, i\Iichigan, in 1875, but did not 

 proceed in a systematic way in my investigations until 1892. 1 now much re- 

 gret the valuable time lost. Feehng the need of more outdoor exercise, I 

 proposed to myself to search out, if possible, every plant growing wild within 

 40 miles of Port Huron, confining myself almost exclusively to flowering plants, 

 ferns and their allies. One of my first troubles was with the thorns. They 

 would not fit the descriptions in Gray. I wrote to Prof. C. F. Wheeler about it 

 and sent specimens. He said I must apply the procrustean method and make 

 them fit, for as yet there was no other way. It seemed there was no end 

 to variation. I naturally enough divided them into groups for my own 

 convenience, Coccinete, Tomentosie, Punctatas, and Crus-galli, afterward 

 adding Molles. The Punctatse and Crus-galli were not very troublesome, 

 but the Coccineae, Tomentosre and Molles were conundrums. I could not 

 reconcile them. It appeared to me that if Torrey and Gray could have seen 

 some of my Molles in the field, the tops spreading thirty feet, limbs touching 

 the ground, with body sixteen inches in diameter three feet from the ground, 

 they never would have said "C. coccinea var. Mullis." The Tomentosse 

 in particular seemed to me to differ among themselves in general appear- 

 ance as much as does white oak from bur oak. 



About 1895 I heard that a few botanists were investigating the Crataegi. 

 Early in 1900, I think it was, I received a letter from W. W. Ashe, of Raliegh, 

 North Carolina, requesting me to send him specimens of thorns from my 

 locality. I did so, and he was at once interested. He visited me in Sep- 

 tember, 1901, and again in September, 1902, naming a number of species. 

 Later in 1900 I received a request from Prof. J. W. Beal to collect for Prof. 

 C. S. Sargent of the Harvard Arboretvmi. I sent Prof. Sargent specimens, 

 I think, in 1903. He also took great interest in them; visited me in Sep- 

 tember, 1904 and again in September, 1906. 



Mr. Ashe apparently dropped his work in Michigan, Init Prof. Sargent, 

 having already examined many specimens of thorns from Michigan collected 

 by Miss Emma J. Cole, of Grand Rapids, Kent Co., and in a few other lo- 

 calities, kindly consented to do what he could with the thorns of my locality 

 aiid other places in IMichigan. The main question with us here today is as 

 to how we can best solve the question of Cratagus species for our state. I 

 think Prof. Sargent will kindly continue to help us if we will only do some- 

 thing for ourselves. His first paper on Michigan Cratsegi has been prepared, 

 is now submitted to us, and will soon be printed by the Michigan Board of 

 Geological Survey as a contributioii to the biological survey of the state. 

 Information regarding this paper may be had from the State Geologist, 

 Alfred C. Lane, Lansing. 



The specimens of Cratregi from Michigan heretofore collected and placed 

 in the herbaria of the country cannot be relied on. Usually they are badly 



