132 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 



hypogaious, as from the great tliickaess of the cotyledons would have been expected, 

 the body of tlie seed in its shell was raised well out of the soil upon what seemed to be 

 a well developed radicle, like that of Erh/.noct/xfis. If the cotyledons had expanded, 

 though remaining lleshy, in the manner of PJutscolus, the ditference between this and 

 Echinocystis, with cotyledons trul_y foliaceous in germination, would be much less than 

 had been supposed. I waited long to see if this would occur; I also waited in vain for 

 the expected development of the ])lumule from Ijetwcen the bases of the fleshy cotyle- 

 dons. After the lapse of al)out a fortnight, the jilumule in all three of my germinating 

 plantlets came separately out of the soil of the pot; and, on exposing the whole to viewi 

 the following state of things came to view: The plumule came forth from the base of 

 what appeared to l)e an elongated radicle (of two or three inches in length) ; and below 

 this the thickening of the root, which acquires enormous dimensions in old plants, had 

 already commenced. A large amount of the nourishing matter stored in the cotyledons 

 had been carried down to the root and used in its growth as well as that of tlie plumule. 

 The latter came from a cleft at the very base of the seeming radicle, which otherwise 

 a|)i)eared to be solid. But on cutting it across toward the base this was found to be 

 tubular; and later, when more spent and beginning to wither, this stalk was separable 

 from above downward into-tvvo. 



"This, therefore, is a case in which long petioles to the cotyledons (of which there 

 is no appearance in the seed), connate into one body, are developed and greatly length, 

 enetl in i)lace of the radicle, which is thus simulated. It is the same as in DelpMnium 

 7)t/rl/'riinle of California, and some other species; only in that genus the cotyledons ex- 

 pand and become toliaceous. In the horse-chestnut petioles are also developed to the 

 cotyledons to a moderate extent, but without union, (see Gray's First Lessons, fig. 24), 

 thus pushing the radicle and plumule well out of the firm seed-coat, in which the very 

 heavy and fleshy cotyledons remain; and the radicle itself, as in the pea, does not fur- 

 ther lengthen. In Ipommi Icptophylla the radicle remains in like manner short, while 

 petioles to the (here foliaceous) cotyledons develope to a great length, bringing these 

 separately out of the ground, and the plumule between t\)llows later. 



"B )tanists on the Pacific coast are earnestly requested to examine the germination 



of all the species of Mer/arrhiza, and to compare them with the description here given. 



At least three species should be met with near San Francisco, and in ncighboi-ing parts 



of California. According to the characters assigned by Mr. Watson in t;ie Botany of 



C-alifornia, M. Oalifornicti should be known by its obovoid seeds, of less than an inch 



in length, with a small hilum at the narrow base; M. Marah, by its more numerous 



seeds horizontally imposeil in a large fruit (of four inches in length), eacn seed roundish 

 and depressed, flattened, an inch in diameter and about half as thick, with a prominent 

 lateral hilum. M. vmricata, by a nearly naked fruit only an inch in diameter, con- 

 taining only two globose seeds of half an inch in diameter. M. Oref/aiui, -which is 

 known to occur from the Columbia River to the nortii of California, appears to have 

 seeds resembling those of ,]f. M(iirih, but rather smaller; but they are not well known. 

 The remaiiiinu: one, M. Gnii<hilupi'nsis, of Guadalupe Island, off Lower California, is 

 much out of ordinary reach, unless it should l)e found in the so uthcrn part of the State. 

 Mature fruits and seeds of all the species are much desired." 



All comnuuii cations sJiould be addressed to 



John M. Coidtcr, Hnnover, Ind., 

 or, M. S. Coulter. Lo^nnsport, Ind. 

 Terms: — Sidtscription $1.00 a year. Shufle Nnnihcrs 10 cents. 



