94 



JOURNAL OF THE 



THE TWISTING OF TREES. 



During the past two years the writer has been interestfed in ob- 

 serving among forest trees the spiral arrangement of fibres of the 

 trunk, commonly known as twisting of trees. These observations 

 go to show, (1.) That all our common forest trees are occasionally 

 to be seen with their trunks twisted. (2.) These trees are liable to 

 twist in fertile as well as poor soils, shaded as well as sunny places. 

 (3.) These trees may twist so that the spiral arrangement of the 

 fibres is in the direction of the hands of a watch, or the reverse, and 

 I have been unable to see that the one course was the more common 

 or the other. (4.) This twisting is not limited to trees of any size, 

 but is common among small as well as large trees. 



Unwemity of N. C. J. A. Holmes. 



A SPORT IN THE LEAF OF BLEPHILIA 

 CILIATA, RAF. 



This is quite a common plant, usually found in dry open places 

 throughout the Southern States. It attains a height of two to three 

 feet; bears a small blue flower, with leaves simple, two to three 

 inches long. 



In the year 1877, at a point three miles north of States ville, I 

 found these plants with trifoliate leaves. A week later I found in 

 the same place a plant bearing five-foliate leaves. Two weeks later 

 I succeeded in finding a single specimen bearing eight-foliate leaves. 



A sport of this kind with this plant is exceedingly rare. Time and 

 again I have searched for duplicate specimens of these I have on 

 hand, but in vain. 



Statesville, N. C. M. E. Hyams. 



