1879. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



80 



ble the sundews. The chief points of the differ- 

 erence in the dioutea and the sundews are its in- 

 dehiscent fruit, and erect aestivation and placen- 

 ta placed at the base of a one-celled capsule, 

 coupled with tlie extreme irritability of the gland- 

 ular hairs whicli reaches its inaximum in dioneea 

 in this ixencra, and somewhat resembles the 

 Mimosa sen.sitiva in the strange sensibility of its 

 leaf which closes its folioles when the obscu- 

 rity of night sets in, or when touched by a fly or 

 other insect, the slightest touch sufficing to make 

 its folioles close upon their supports. 



in the Dionjca muscipula We have the phenom- 

 ena of irritability under the influence of action 

 only, displayed in a remarkable degree, and 

 altliough it may properly be classed a carnivor- 

 ous plant also, yet I do not think it a fair test to 

 apply this variety standing alone as it were, 

 either at the end, head, or on the dividing line of 

 a group, to a large class of plants apparently 

 differently constituted. The latter having beauti- 

 ful leaves of spongy, cellular tissue, furnished 

 with countless viscid glandular hairs, to attract, 

 entangle and hold fast until death, the insect in 

 the viscid fluid and retain the same until it has 

 become decomposed and digested by the leaf in 

 precisely the same way as digestion is carried 

 on in the human frame ; only as in case of neces- 

 sity with us, another way of administering it as 

 claimed b}^ some of Mr. Darwin's followers. As 

 already stated, no doubt both parties are correct 

 and I only ofter these remarks in the hope of 

 harmonizing diff"erent effects from probably dif- 

 ferent causes, and trust that the best representa- 

 tives of the European carnivora have not been 

 put in competition or contrast with the poorest 

 of the same class, but the only representative 

 here. I close with the suggestion to all investi- 

 gators to make all conditions equal if possible, 

 as it appears to me there is a reasonable doubt 

 of tliis in the present case. Although I may be 

 mistaken in my premises I submit matters as 

 I view them. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



A Probable new Daelingtonia. — Every 

 one has heard of the very curious California 

 Pitcher Plant, Darlingtonia Californica. The 

 California Horticulturist, the January number 

 of which by the way, comes to us as we antici- 

 pated wonderfully improved under Mr. Shinn's 

 •editorial management, gives a figure of a form 



i once thought to be distmct from the ongmal 

 species. 



j Absorption of Water by Foliage. — Pro- 

 fessor Henslow has proved by careful experi- 

 ments, that where the supply of water from the 

 roots is cut off", submerged branches can absorb 

 moisture enough to supply those exposed to the 

 atmosphere. 



Insects and Colored Flowers. — Mr. I. 

 TuUy of Kent's Store, Virginia, writes to the 

 Popular Science Monthhj , that colored petunias 

 are torn to pieces every day before noon by 

 various honey seeking insects, while the white 

 ones are untouched. He has noticed that the 

 same occurs with other white flowering plants, 

 though the white flowers had the advantage in 

 fragrance ; thus leaving tlie inference that in the 

 day time insects are chiefly attracted by color. 



DiCENTRA OR DiCLYTRA. — When "we were 

 boys" we only knew of the Diclytra. Some 

 twenty or thirty years ago, we were told that the 

 original name was Dicentra, that Diclytra came 

 in only as a typographical error. Professor 

 Gray has now had the opportunity of examining 

 the original name and it tm-ns out to be not a 

 typographical error, but that the legitimate 

 name is really Diclytra ; so we must change back 

 to our old name. 



CoNOPHALLUS TiTANUM. — The Amorplioph- 

 allus is now well known as a large and very 

 interesting aroid. Since its introduction a much 

 larger one, Godwinia gigas was found in Central 

 America, and was as large as it was thought 

 possible to be. Xow the announcement ismade 

 of another called Conophallus Titanum found 

 in West Africa, that has a tuber five feet in 

 circumference, the divided leaf forty-five feet 

 in circumference, and the spadix, that is the 

 part answex'ing to the club-like center of the 

 flower of the Indian Turnip or the common 

 Richardia or " Calla " Lily, is six feet long. 

 Certainly in size this Arum ought to anticipate 

 no superior. 



The English Sparrow in Washington. — 

 Professor C. V. Riley has written a letter to the 

 Commissioners of the District of Columbia cor- 

 recting some misapprehensions that have been 

 circulated regarding his views of the English 

 sparrow. He thinks the sparrows have been 

 useful in ridding the shade trees of cities of the 

 canker worm, but believes that they will become 

 great pests in time to the farmer and fruit 

 grower. He believes that the insects most 



