2 BOTANICAL BULLETIN. 



Rocky Mountains, may be found specimens more than a foot tall, laden with flowers, 

 and, beside thvm, dwarfs of an inch or two, each bearing a single large, yellow flower, 

 exceeding in size all the rest ot the i>Iant.— Prof. Thos. C. Porter, Easton, Pa. 



QuERCi NEAR Hanover, Ind.— In my botanical tramps this fall I have been very 

 much attracted, and in fact, charmed by the oaks of this neighborhood. For some unac- 

 countable reason these noble trees have never been satisfactorily determined. Many 

 botanists have gone i:)ro\vling around peering into every imaginable nook and corner for 

 fear some diminutive little member of the vegetable kingdom may escape them, although 

 it may be of no use to any one except a botanist. They never think of looking over their 

 heads and studying the grander works of the plant kingdom, and of learnino- the names 

 of thmgs not only interesting to themselves but to everj^ intelligent citizen in the land. 

 I have met botanists who had on their tongues' ends the name of every shrub and herb, 

 but who would have been compelled to yield to almost any intelligent farmer's boy if 

 asked to name the trees. With the aid of a botanical friend I determined to give the trees 

 of this region such an overhauling as they had never enjoyed. In the flora of Jefterson 

 county, contained in the Report of the Indiana State Geological Survey for 1870, five 

 Querci were reported for the county. In the list for 1874 the number was increased to 

 six. We are now able to report with certainty nine species of the genus Quercus growing 

 within an hour's walk of Hanover and hope to be able to report others from the county. 

 The species are Qu-'ims hI'ik, L., Q. mvroi-.'irp t, Mx., Q. hkolor, Willd., Q. Priims, L., var. 

 acuminata, Mx., Q. i)iihricnria, Mx., Q. coeeinm, Wang., Q. coccinea, Wang., var. tindoria, 

 Gr., Q. rubra, L., Q palustr/s, DuRoi. Q. alba is by far the most common and valuable, 

 species. (?. ^^^'«.s('/7\s' is used considerably for making clapboards and is one of tlie best 

 marked species of the genus. The acorns are much smaller than tho.se of any other of 

 our sp3cies, are b;'autifully striped with i):iler lines and grow in most wonderful jirofu- 

 sion. We noticed a tree upon which they were hanging in perfect clusters. It is report- 

 ed that Q. man-oatrpa is used for making shingles but I cannot vouch for the truth of this 

 statement. — Ed. 



Aster Nov^-Atsgli/E, L. — This large and beautiful Aster is found growrng spon- 

 taneously in this neighborhood. It sometimes attains a height of eight feet, showingthat 

 the conditions of soil and climate are very favorable for its development. I ha\ e 

 noted two things about this species that are not mentioned in any description I have 

 seen. Tlic first thing noticed when analyzing the flower was the strong, and to me, 

 ottensive odor coming from the heads, especially when bruised. I have been unable to 

 decide what the odor most resembles, and think it must be sui generis. It is a little like 

 camphor or turpentine, and probably is a mixture of several strong-smelling hydro- 

 carbons. It is so characteri.stic that if a head of the plant was brought to me in the 

 dark I could at once j^ronounce it to be A. Novon-A/iglioi. It is a pity that in dried 

 specimens tlie fragra:ice is lost. Many plant odors are very characteristic, but are never 

 mentioned because the plants have been described fnmi dried specimens and the dis- 

 coverer has made no note of the fact. Besides tlie odor of the plant just mentioned, I, 

 call to mind the deliglitfui fragrance of Coreopsis tripteris, L., the heads of which exhale 

 most decidedly the odor of mignonette. 



The second point noticed in regard to A . Nov(e-Anglim, was the wilting and folding 

 in of the rays after smisa. I tried to get some good specimens one evening after sun- 

 set but could not find a single head among the hundreds I saw that did not look hope- 

 lessly wilted. This is one of the finest illustrations of the so-called "sleep of plants" to 

 be seen in this region. — Ed. 



Notes on certain species of the genus Asplenium. — This genus of Filices 

 figures somewhat largely here when compared with other genera, not only in its number 

 of species, and their distribution, Imt also, in general interest. Of the Asplenia we 



