76 The Botanical Gazette. [March, 



the margins often overlap to some extent and occasionally 

 unite for a short distance, thus making the leaf partially 

 peltate. 



■ 



In all cases a cup-like depression exists at the insertion of 

 the leaf-blade. The petiole is 2.5 to 7.5cm. long, roundish, 

 thick, swelling at the base and amplexicaul, with small tuber- 

 cular stipules visible at an early age. The petiole and stem 

 both diverge at their point of junction, giving the appearance 

 of a bifurcate stem. The upper leaf is smaller, sessile at the 

 junction of the peduncle of the flower with the stem, and 

 partly clasping. The absence of the leaf-stalk in the smaller, 

 combined with the angle of insertion of both blades, causes 

 the leaves to occupy the same horizontal plane. The third 

 leaf, when present, -is much smaller, often distorted, always 

 sessile on the peduncle, and possibly should be regarded as a 

 bract. The flower is white, with a diameter of 12 to 18 mm., 

 solitary, erect, terminal, on a peduncle 12 to 25 mm. long, 

 with 3 or 4 orbicular, concave, green or purplish, caducous se- 

 pals, and no petals. 



The stamens are 50 to 75, spreading, curving outward and 

 upward, the pure white filaments gradually dilated from the 

 base outward and somewhat contracted near the summit. 

 The anthers are pale straw-color, adnate, with lateral longitu- 

 dinal dehiscence. The 10 to 20 or more pistils are in a head, 

 with white flat broadly two-lipped stigmas, the lips thin, 

 rounded, and wavy-margined. The style is straw-colored, 

 short and thick, being simply a contraction of the upper part 

 of the ovary. The olive-green oval ovary is somewhat gibbous, 

 sparingly pubescent, sulcate along the whole ventral aspect 

 and the upper third of the dorsal, 1-celled and 2-ovuled. The 

 red fruit resembles a raspberry and ripens in July or August. 

 It consists of an aggregation of fleshy carpels, forming a glob- 

 ular head, each carpel bearing at summit the persistent style 

 which is strongly inclines toward its dorsal aspect. The one or 

 two seeds are small, about 2 by 3 mm. ovoid, black, hard and 

 polished, anatropous, pendulous, with ventral rhaphe, fleshy 

 albumen, and minute embryo. 



General observations. — The anomalous behavior of this 

 plant in its first stage of growth has escaped observation, partly. 

 I suppose, on account of its retiring habits. It always grows in 

 patches in secluded and shady spots, where the earth^is car- 



peted with decaying leaves; often beside rotting logs, where 



