BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 43 



three tribes, as follows : i. Folliece, fruit indehiscent; 2. Cotnmelynece, 

 capsule loculicidal, fertile stamens 3-2 ; 3. Tradescantiea:, capsule loc- 

 ulicidal, fertile stamens 6-5. He also alluded to the manifest and 

 miportant change of color in the petals of several of the Comuielyna- 

 ce(B — Q. g., Aneilcma versicolor^ where from a bright yellow when 

 fresh, they become a deep blue when dry. — N'aiure. 



Automatic Movement of the Frond of Asplenium Tricho- 

 MANES. — In a letter to Dr. Gray in reference to the above article in 

 the March Gazette, Mr. E. J. Loomis says: The motion instead of 

 being " in the plane of the fron'l," is really at right angles to it. 



Four other fronds starting from two different roots exhibit motion, 

 but in less degree than the one first noticed. These are not new 

 fronds, but are old ones which were fully developed as to size when 

 taken up, but have fruited since transplanting. It seems to me that 

 the motion is confined, not only to the fruitful fronds, but to the pe- 

 riod of fructification, since these four fronds have been subjected to 

 the same condition as the first, but have exhibited motion only since 

 fruiting began. 



The stimulus of artificial light is sufficient to excite motion in the 

 fronds for a {qw minutes, but after the lapse of five or six minutes the 

 motion ceases and is not resumed. 



I have noticed that the end of the frond does not describe a straight 

 line but it moves in a long and very narrow ellipse, with the hands of 

 a watch. The motion is more vigorous and through a larger arc in 

 the middle of the day. 



Some Florida Ferns for Sale. — Miss Mary Reynolds, of St. Au- 

 gustine, Florida, has pressed beautiful specimens of some rare Florida 

 ferns. She has a large number of duplicates for sale, and the low 

 prices will enable every botanist interested in ferns to procure speci- 

 mens. The species are Asplenium firimim, A. myriophylliim, Pteris 

 Cntiea, Polypodium Plumiila, and Acrostichum aureum. The first four 

 can be procured for fifteen cents each. Upper sections of the fertile 

 frond of the Acrostichum cost from 20 to 60 cents; same with entire 

 small sterile frond, 60 to 90 cents; entire fruited frond, one dollar. 



Notes from Painesville, Ohio. — Dr. H. C. Beardslee has sent 

 specimens of Scirpus afro7<irens, with the viviparous growth in two 

 stages, one in which there are roots some inches in length. The spec- 

 imens were on culms which had been broken over and were found ly- 

 ing m the water of a small brook. 



Viviparous forms of Cenchrus tribuloides were also collected, a thing 

 that might be expected in a plant of its habits. 



Dr. Beardslee has also been watching the vegetation of the seeds of 

 Draba verna, and the growth of the rosettes of radical leaves which it 

 puts forth. This winter he watched it come into flower, which it did 



