140 GYMNOLOMIA PORTERI. STONE-MOUNTAIN STAR. 



all drawn spirally together as close as they possibly can be, we 

 shall have just what occurs when Nature forms the " compound 

 flower." Each floret in the head of a Composite, therefore, 

 represents a flower on the stem, and the scales which often 

 accompany these florets are simply the leaves or the bracts, 

 from the axils of which the flowers start. Our Gymnolomia is 

 very well fitted to prove the truth of this theory, as the scales 

 of its receptacle, which latter, as we now see, is nothing but a 

 contracted stem, have retained more of their leafy character 

 than usual. 



Since our plant was first discovered by Dr. Porter, it has 

 been diligently looked for in the South, but it has never been 

 found elsewhere than on Stone Mountain, in Georgia. This is 

 a curious fact, and stimulates speculation. We know that, in 

 the course of ages, some species die and others are born. Con- 

 ceding this to be a fact, it is always interesting, when we find a 

 plant which is unlike any of its neighbors, to inquire whether it 

 is a new creation which originated on the spot where it was 

 found, or whether it is the last of a race which is dying out. 

 In this case, arguing from the fact that our species has a num- 

 ber of relatives in South America from which it is separated by 

 a vast distance, it is reasonable to suppose that the G. Portcri 

 is the remnant of an old family, which, owing to some favorable 

 circumstances, has been preserved in the small spot where it is 

 found to tell the disastrous tale of the destruction of its rela- 

 tives. 



" But what is the common name 1 " asks the wild-flower col- 

 lector. As it is an asteraceous plant, — a " Stanvort," as Lind- 

 ley would say, — suppose we call it "Stone-Mountain Star".? 



The plant from which our drawing was made was grown by 

 Mr. Jackson Dawson, in the gardens of the Bussey Institute. 



Explanation of the Plate.- i. Flowering branch.-2. Enlarged floret, with the scale 

 at the base o£ the achene.-3. Lower portion of a flower-stalk, showing its branching 

 character. 



