Studies in the Botany of the Southeastern United States.— IX, 



By John K. Small. 



I. THE SESSILE-FLOWERED TRILLIA OF THE SOUTH- 

 ERN STATES.* 



In the spring of 1896, Professor Underwood and the writer in- 

 dependently became interested in a species of Trilluim native in the 

 southern Atlantic and the Gulf States.f Professor Underwood 

 collected his material in Alabama, while I received specimens col- 

 lected in western North Carolina, by my friend Mr. A. M. Huger. 



The plant in question, judging both from descriptions and 

 specimens preserved in our larger herbaria, has without exception 

 been included in Trilliiun sessile. As I shall show, this is an error, 

 and was committed by Linnaeus himself and both general bot- 

 anists, and monographers of this group have apparently followed 

 his disposition of the plants to the present time. 



Without doubt the original Trillium sessile of Linnaeus;}: was 

 a composite species, for after his description, " Trillium flora ses- 

 sile erecto," he quotes descriptions from the three authors, Grono- 

 vius, Plukenet and Catesby, as follows: 



* This study has been furthered by the loan of material from the herbaria of 

 Harvard University and the United States Department of Agriculture. 



f After extensive field observations during the spring and summer, Professor Un- 

 derwood read a paper on the sessile Trillin before Section G of the American Associ 

 ation for the Advancement of Science at its last meeting. He expected to finish and 

 publish the results of the study, but, being pressed for time, requested the writer to 

 complete the work already well advanced. 



\ Species Plantarum, 340. 



