l8 9 1 -] Apical Growth of Liverworts. 141 



On our way home from Jamaica we stopped for three days 

 at Grand Cayman. This is a small coral island midway be- 

 tween Jamaica and the west end of Cuba, and a dependency 

 of the former. The inhabitants are mostly white, very hos- 

 pitable, and differ from those of the other islands visited in 

 being active, thrifty and enterprising. Here we saw the 

 walnut, 55 whose fruit resembles our black walnut in taste, 

 shape and in being enclosed in a rather woody shuck. 



Another interesting tree which we did not see in Jamaica, 

 was the manchioneal. 56 The inhabitants told great stories 

 about its deadly effects and warned me against it. To test 

 the matter I rubbed some of the fresh juice on the back of my 

 hand, allowing it to remain three hours, without result. This 

 only proves that the plant does not always have the effect as- 

 cribed to it. But it seems to be a fact, from the common re- 

 port, that the juice will frequently form bad sores where it 

 touches the skin. As is the case with our poison ivy, it prob 

 ably depends upon circumstances and the individual. 



During the trip I made collections of seeds, living plants 

 and herbarium specimens which are being studied at t^he Gar- 

 den. There are many difficulties in the way of collecting 

 dried plants in the tropics. One of the worst is the humidity 

 of the atmosphere. I succeeded in avoiding all trouble from 

 mould by using drying paper (best quality carpet paper) 

 which had been previously impregnated with corrosive subli- 

 mate. I used wire presses, with straps, changed the papers 

 at least twice a day, and frequently exposed the already dried 

 bundles to the sun. 



Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis. 



Notes on the apical growth of Liverworts. 



DAVID M. MOTHER. 



(WITH PLATE XIII. ) 



The striking similarity between the very young thallus of 

 certain liverworts and fern prothallia is a familiar fact to bot- 

 anists and has led me to suspect that a careful study of the 

 apical growth of several available forms, by more accurate 



* * Aleurites triloba. (Euphorb. ) 

 Hippomane mancinella (Euphorb.) 



