462 MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN 



the next year what is left of the stem may be bearing the short 

 spiciform branches of the \ar. nujwsum; and the next season will 

 see numerous stems surrounding the base of the old one, whence 

 we ha\'e the var. caespitosum. To apply names of specific or other 

 rank to such forms is the climax of folly. On the other hand, 

 when a species is normally unbranched, if a form of it is found 

 that constantly produces branches naturally, i. e., not due to an 

 injury, such a form is a normal variety; such a form can not be 

 found on the same rhizome with another of different character, 

 while all the so-called varieties due to an injury may be found 

 along with the normal stem emanating from the same rhizome 

 and sometimes two or more such forms may be found on the 

 same crown! I have observed several forms due to an injury, 

 that do not come within the description of any variety enumerated 

 by Mr. Eaton; but they are as much deserving of recognition as 

 any such that he has named. 



With special reference to the bast and green parenchyma, 

 there are two very distinct types of anatomy in the genus Hip- 

 pochaete: one with abundant vallecular bast completely cutting 

 the green parenchyma while the carinal bast is slight and 

 does not completely cut the parenchyma, thus dividing it 

 into Y-shaped blocks; the other is just the reverse of this, the 

 vallecular bast, being of small amount, does not divide the paren- 

 chyma, while the carinal is plentiful and does divide it, or nearly 

 so, thus splitting the green parenchyma into blocks shaped some- 

 what like a carpenter's drawing knife H. laevigata best ex- 

 emplifies the former, while //. prealta is typical of the latter. 

 Similar to //. laevigata are H. variegata and //. hyemalis var. 

 alaskana. Like H. prealta are H. prealta var. affinis, H. hyemalis 

 var. californica, H. scirpoides, and the European H. hyemalis. 

 The other species and \ arieties are either intermediate in char- 

 acter or they combine Ixjth types in greater or less degree. In 

 the intermediate forms the parenchyma is continuous under both 

 the vallecular and carinal basts, the outer surface being even, or 

 more or less indented but not divided by the basts. When the 

 two types are combined the V-shaped parenchyma may alternate 

 with the other type, or the parenchyma may be divided by 

 both the \ allccular and carinal basts splitting it up into irregularly 

 triangular blocks. The central cavity is also variable, ranging 



