PAPERS ON BOTANY 149 
Inasmuch as the black nightshade was not found dwarfed 
in the region about to be more fully discussed, it may be worth 
while to mention it more fully in detail. Everyone is familiar 
with this plant, which is usually a rather large diffusely 
branching herb. The dwarf plants found at the lake were 
minute objects consisting of only two or three leaves, a simple 
stem, a flower or two and a full-sized berry. The small size of 
the plants was no more striking than their completeness, and 
the single berry would doubtless outweigh several times the 
entire remainder of the plant. 
About October 21, 1914, while walking along the shore of 
of the Mississippi bordering the grounds of the Fisheries 
Biological Station at Fairport, Lowa, in search of the little 
mud liverwort, /iccia lutescens Schwein, a species usually rare 
along rivers, and generally absent at lakes or other permanent 
bodies of water and which, perhaps on account of its unusual 
habitat, was passing through a remarkable stage of its develop- 
ment, it was noted that a number of the common flowering 
plants of the region, representing a dozen or more not closely 
related species were remarkably diminutive in size, although 
fully developed and in flower and fruit. If it had not been 
for the search of the Riccia, the whole flora would probabry 
have been overlooked. Owing to the pressure of other duties, 
a few of the pygmy plants which were collected, were not 
taken care of at once, and allowed to spoil. On October 25th 
there was a rather severe frost which killed much of the tender 
vegetation of the general region. On October 30th and again 
on November 12th, this stretch of shore was re-visited and a 
number of the dwarf plants which were still verdant and flour- 
ishing were collected. Each subsequent visit to the place, until 
freezing weather had entirely wiped out the tender flora, 
tended to increase the number of species found, and—as the eye 
became accustomed to pick them out—to furnish specimens 
of still more minute size. In all the final collection contained 
representatives of 18 species, as follows, the nomenclature 
and sequence of species being that of the latest edition of 
Britton and Brown’s Illustrated Flora: 
1. Barnyard Grass, Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv. 
2. Panic Grass, Panicum, sp. 
