his. I hi v< ii 111* di ,< i < (U'( 111 red in iln i! ,n, I in mi n n nil 

 ing in the loss of indiviMual plants here and there in the beds. 

 Sometimes an infected plant recovered, pushing out new roots 

 from the rhizomes. 



During the past year we have had a severe disease of the foliage. 

 The most obvious symptom is the appearance of a rosv coloration 

 on the upper side of the leaves, especially where they more or less 

 clasp the stem or fold over each other. When the disease was 

 severe and early the plant failed to bloom, frequently dying down 

 more or less completely to the ground. If, however, the trouble 

 appeared later, the flowers seemed to be normal, but as the season 

 progressed the leaves became more and more severely injured. 



Miss Marjorie K. Swabey lias isolated a species of Fusarium 

 with great regularity from these discolored leaves, which may be 

 responsible for the diseased condition. A similar organism has 

 been isolated from the fibrous roots, and it may be that the same 

 organism is responsible for both conditions. Further work, how- 

 ever, is necessary to clear up these points. 



Systematic Botany 



The Classification am! /■ rn ln! ion of the Trankeniaceae 

 The progress of research on the Frankeniaceae has been greatly 

 aided by the appointment of Miss Maud Purely as part time 

 curatorial assistant for microscopic work and drawings. An 

 article comparing Krankcmaccae and Caryophyllaceae was pub- 

 lished in Torre ya in June. The definite establishment of a re- 

 lationship Frankeniaceae-Farvophyllacea would fix the systematic 

 position of a number of families of herbaceous apetalous plants. 

 1 have later been occupied with the study of the species of 

 Frankeniaceae of North and South .America. In North America 

 there are three or four species, of which, Frankenia Jamesii and 

 F. Falmcri have the somewhat unusual distinction of having never 

 had any other names. In South .America nearly twenty names 

 have been given to what appears to be not over seven or eight 

 species of Frankenia. Frankenia peruviana Schellenberg 1913 

 appears to be identical with F. lignosa Rusby 1910. Specimens 

 of these plants have the unusual character of having about four 



