102 The Ottawa Naturalist. [Nov. 



In the marsh grows the Marsh Mallow, Malva rnosJieutos, 

 a pink hybiscus of hollyhock-like aspect and striking beauty. 

 Another plant not growing on the Point but found in some of 

 the streams emptying into the Detroit River nearby is the 

 American Lotus, Nehimho lutea, a plant of such trojiical char- 

 acteristics as to seem qiiite out of place in our Canadian flora. 

 Its leaves stand up some eighteen inches or more from the water 

 on stiff round stemis, each surmounted with a circular pad nearlv 

 two feet in diameter, balanced in the center like a spinning plate 

 on a juggler's wand. The flower is like a large water lily six 

 inches in diameter and of a rich cream color, having a yellow 

 green seed pod in the center, of curious form, studded with the 

 projecting heads of acorn-like seeds. 



The Red Mulberry, Morus rubra, is not an uncommon tree 

 and occurs in scattered individuals throughout the hardwood 

 section, growing in some instances into large forest trees. 

 Evidently they do not bear fruit ever}- year, as some that we 

 were informed bore profusely the previous year were this season 

 barren and others were well laden that had not been observed 

 fruiting before. Though the habit of growth at the ends of the 

 branches of large trees makes the fruit difficult of gathering, 

 we secured several lots of berries for the table and found them 

 delicious. The great variety in shape of the leaves is surprising 

 and seems to be largelv characteristic of individual trees, thovigh 

 partially an efl'ect of age. Young trees always show much 

 variety of leafage shape, and old ones frequently do so. 



Sassafras, Sassafras voriijoliuin, is very common and 

 occurs to considerable size. A like variation of leaf shape is 

 shown in the species, variation always appearing in young shoots 

 and frequently in the old trees. 



The most striking plant on the Point, however, is the 

 Prickly Pear, Opuntia Rajinesquii, a cactus growing low on the 

 grotind, but of typical cactus form and shape and more than 

 usually well armed with many clusters of minute hair-like 

 prickers and a few scattered thorns of heavier growth. It 

 occurs in more or less circular beds on the driest soil and blossoms 

 profuselv. The flowers are some two and a half inches across 

 and of a bright lemon-yellow color. A bed in fuir bloom is a 

 most striking sight. The plant is very hardy and can stand 

 the extremest aestivation.' Bits and lobes that we brought 

 home without earth and never watered remained fresh and solid 

 looking for several months, and some belated blossoms opened 

 out nearly seven weeks after being collected. 



