20 Kansas Academy OF Science.- 



ERYTHEOXIUM MESOCHOREUM n. sp. 



BY E. B. KNEKB, MIDLAND COLLEGE, ATCHISON. 



In the spring of 18i)0, I was struck with the very early appearance of an Ery- 

 thronium npon the campus of Midland College. At once I observed that, besides its 

 very early appearance, it showed characteristics dififerent from E. albidum Nutt., 

 chief among which was its slender, unmottled leaves, and the fact that almost every 

 23lant bore a flower. All available literature was at once examined, but I could find 

 nothing to agree exactly in descrijjtion with this plant. As soon as the flowers ap- 

 peared again, this last spring, I sent specimens to Processor Kellerman, thinking 

 that perhaps he could find a more accurate description in the library of the Agri- 

 cultural College. But he replied that E. albidum came nearest to it, though he ad- 

 mitted that the plant seemed to be an interesting variation. Specimens were then 

 sent to Doctor Trelease, who replied that his attention had been called to the same 

 plant only a few days previous by specimens found in the Missouri bottoms, and 

 that he would be on the lookout for the plant when it should again appear next year. 

 I then published in the May number of the Midland College Monthly an account of 

 the plant, under the name of Erythronium mesochoreum, in honor of Midland, show- 

 ing the leading points in which it differs from E. albidiint, with which it had hitherto 

 been confused. I also sent pressed specimens and bulbs to Prof. Sereno Watson, of 

 Cambridge, and he has kindly given it recognition in his revision of Erythronium, 

 as published in his last issue of " Contributions to American Botany," July. 1891, 

 where he says, that the plant was "first noted as a variety of E. albidum by Mr. R. 

 Burgess {Bot. Gaz. 2, 115), and Mr. M. H. Panton (same, 2, 123); perhaps well sep- 

 arated from that species by Prof. E. B. Knerr {Midland College Monthly, 2, 5)." 



The points of difference between the two species, upon which I would base their 

 distinction as such, are as follows: 



E. mesochoreum is about 10 days earlier in bloom; has much longer and more 

 narrow, unmottled leaves, these being usually from one-fourth to one inch wide, and 

 sometimes as much as 8 to 10 inches long; the perianth is also much longer, some- 

 times reaching two inches, is never reflexed a^ is E. albidum when in full bloom, and 

 is lavender tinted rather than pinkish. The ovary is oblong, arising from a stipe 

 as thick as its base, while the stipe of E. albidum is quite abruptly narrowed. The 

 cross section of the ovary is bluntly triangular, with the sides convex, because of 

 wider partitions, while in the other species they are concave. The capsules are obo- 

 vate, elongated sometimes as much as \i inches long and one-half inch thick. New 

 corms are developed at the base within the old in l^oth the sterile and fertile plants. 

 In each bulb four or five such corms, arranged somewhat spirally, may be counted, 

 the lowest and outermost furnishing the bud for the plant of the next season. It is 

 quite different with E. albidum, where as soon as the leaf is developed the corms send 

 off two shoots bearing enlargements at the ends, which are to become the corms for 

 the next year's plants. These shoots or underground runners vary in length, depend- 

 ing upon the soil, from 2 to 10 inches; but as the great majority of corms are small 

 tliey send up but one leaf. Only is it the rare exception that a runner has pene- 

 trated deep en(jugh and stored sufficient nourishment to send up the following spring 

 two vigorous leaves, bearing in their midst that most beautiful of our spring flow- 

 ers, the dogtooth violet. As each plant produces two new corms each season, we 

 readily see how a whole hill slope may become thickly carpeted with these exqui- 

 sitely-mottled leaves. But the plants bearing flowers are few in comparison. Not 

 .so with E. mesoch<>reu)n, f(ji' here the blooming forms are the multitiule and the 



