243 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 



CiiroX liurc.l, Nutt — I have specimens uf Caivx aiiira, Nutt., 

 found i^rowing in the mnist, sandy soil just hack of the lake beach, 

 'lliey fruit very abundantly and many of the spikes are decompound 

 which on examination proves to be due to the proliferation of second- 

 ary spikes from the lower perigynia. In most cases this is shown by 

 a tumidity of the base of the peduncle but in others ( when thespikelets 

 are small) the mother periszynium is quite well developed and occasion- 

 ally one perigynium is superposed upon another. An interesting 

 theory of the mode of development of the spikes of Caria's might be 

 based upjn these sports. — J. J. Davis, Raciiir, IVis. 



Cypi'ipediuiU CJllKlidnill.— Dr. Gray savs that this plant 

 grows *in bogs. C. piil'csccns and s/^fciabilc are found here in damjj 

 woods and I have searched in simdar localities, for years, for candi- 

 diim, without success. Yesterday I discovered a fine lot growing on 

 the driest kind of a rocky hill.- E. W. Holwav, Dccorah, Iowa. 



Dovolopiueiit of Heat in Flowers of Pliytelei)lias.— it 



has long lieen an admitted f ict tiiat many plants at their season of 

 flowering exhibit appreciable elevations of temperature : Lamarck, 

 rather more than a century ago. was, I believe, the first to notice the phe- 

 nomenon. As the few books I have had the time or opportiuiity 

 of thus far consulting contain no mention of the behavior of the 

 Ivory Palm {P'lytdeplus macrocarpa), I now write to put briefly on 

 record two or three observations respecting that plant. A fine ex- 

 amjfle (female) was recenUy in flower in the House No. i at Kew 

 On April 20th, at i p. m., the tem[>erature of this house was 68 

 Fahr.; the bulb of the thermometer, which had been suspended for some 

 time near the plant in ([uestion, was i)laced in the center nfthe cream- 

 colored inflorescence, and the mercury almost instantly rose to 92°, 

 showing an increase in temperature of 24°. It is probably fair to assume 

 that the normal temperature of a plant like the Pliytclcplias with such 

 a large surface for evaporation, &c., is considerably 1 iwer than tliat of 

 the surrounding air ; in any case the actual increase in tempera- 

 ture is remarkable. The following day, at the same hour, the ther- 

 mometer registered 72° degrees in the house, and, wlien placed in the JM| 

 same position in the center of the inflorescence, only rose to the same^W 

 height as that reached the preceding day, viz. 92°. As the drawn- 

 out end of the bulb prevented it from actually touching the convex 

 ovarie':, a small incision was made in one of these, and the thermom- 

 eter then rose to 94°. Within the last week PJiiiodcndron sa\:;ittifoli;nn . 

 with its anthers nearly ready to dehisce, showed a rise from 69" to |t 

 81°, and r. iwiiiiiuin, at a time when by sun heat the house had risen 

 \^^ 82'^, exhiliited a further increase of 10°. Carhidovica Pluiiiia-i rose v 

 from 73" to 90°, but this list was certainly not in good conditi(^n, for 

 the long barren stamens had already changed from creamy-white to . 

 cinnamf)n color, and the spathe had commenced to decomj^ose, al- * 

 though not three hours had elapsed since the flowers liad opened. — 

 Geoucf. Nicholson, /// Tri)uc!fs Journal. 



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