14 EEYTHEA. 



publisher of a yariety should inform us, I think, what species 

 he considers the type of his variety. In the present case per- 

 haps there is no room for doubt, but many cases might be 

 mentioned where the doubt might be serious. And I question 

 whether the above method of publication is sufficient where 

 there has been a homonym of the type. 



For citation, '^Poa flexuosa robiista Vasey^^ is sufficient; 

 for that is a definite thing, and the addition — the insertion 

 of another name between "flexuosa" and '^robusta" adds 

 nothing to its definiteness. For description, ''Poa fiexitosa 

 robiista var. nov.'^ is not sufficient, as it does not necessarily 

 contain any hint of the specific characters of the plant. — C. 

 MiCHENER, San Francisco, Dec. 18, 1893, 



TERATOLOGICAL NOTES. 



Dendromecon rigidum, Benth. On May 4 of last year I 

 found on Mt. St. Helena a shrub of the above species in 

 flower, many branchlets and leaves of which were noticeably 

 fasciculate. An inspection showed immediately that the 

 capsules had in many cases been supplanted by a fascicle of 

 leaves which differed in no particular from the normal leaves 

 of the inflorescence. An intermediate stage in which the cap- 

 sule was evidently formed of two leaves joined together by 

 their edges, but free at their apices, was also noticed. This 

 abortive capsule, it is worth noting, contained ovules and was 

 distinctly stipitate. It was evident that there was a more or 

 less complete reversion of stamens to leaves, and the petals 

 were in all the flowers reduced in size and foliaceous. 



EscHSCHOLTziA CBOCEA, Benth. A remarkable example of 

 fasciation in this plant has been sent to the University Her- 

 barium by E. H. Piatt of Vacaville. There was but one stem 

 and this ribbon-like, 1^ inches broad and eight inches long, 

 bearing leaves, and a monstrous flower at its summit. The 

 many styles were crossed over the open mouth of the ovary, 

 which revealed on its sides the numerous ovule-bearing 



