100 NATURAL HISTORY BULLETIN. 



ing in May. Our specimens are from Winneshiek, Mus- 

 catine, Johnson, and Decatur counties. We have observed 

 it in Scott county. In the State University herbarium are 

 specimens from Henry, Calhoun, and Emmet counties. 

 Prof. Bessey and Prof. Hitchcock report the species from 

 Story county; and Prof. Fink reports it from Fayette 

 county. No doubt the species is more general in its dis- 

 tribution than our present knowledge indicates. Britton 

 and Brown gives its range as: "Ontario to Minnesota 

 south to Florida and Texas." 



Bessey, Contr. to the Flora of Iowa in Fourth Rep. Iowa Agr. Col., 

 p. 90, ed. 1872; Arthur, Contr. to the Flora of Iowa, p. 5, 1876; Fink, 

 Proc. Iowa Acad, of Sciences, vol. 4, p. 83; Fitzpatrick, Proc. Iowa 

 Acad, of Sciences, vol. 5, p. 108 and p. 135; Manual of the Flower- 

 ing- Plants of Iowa, p. 5; Rigg, Notes on the Flora of Calhoun 

 county, p. 10; Hitchcock, Trans. St. Louis Acad, of Science, vol. 5, p. 

 483; Halsted, Bui. Iowa Agr. Col., Nov. 1886, p. 48; Barnes, Reppert and 

 Miller, Proc. Davenport Acad, of Nat. Sciences, vol. 8, p. 201; MacMil- 

 lan, Met. Minn. Valley, p. 231. 



Coptis trifolia (L .) Salisb. Gold-thread. 



A low perennial scapose herb, 3-6 inches high, with ever- 

 green, trifoliolate, long-petioled leaves, and small, white, soli- 

 tary flowers. Rootstocks slender; leaves reniform, 3-divided, 

 petioles long, slender; divisions obovate, cuneate, mucron- 

 ate-crenate; sepals 5-7, oblong, obtuse, petaloid, decidu- 

 ous; petals 5-7, small, club-shaped; stamens 15-25; pis- 

 tils 3-7 , slender pedicelled; follicles 3-7, stipitate, mem- 

 branous, 4-8-seeded. Hcllebovus trifolius L-. Sp. PL, p. 

 784, 1762; Coptis trifolia Salisb. Trans. Linn. Soc, vol. 

 8, p. 305, 1803; Isopyrum trifolium Britton, Bui. Torr. 

 Club, vol. 18, p. 265, 1891. 



We have not seen an Iowa specimen of this species. We 

 include it on the authority of Gray's Manual which directly 

 refers the species to Iowa. 



Gray's Manual, 6th ed., p. 45; MacMillan, Met. Minn. Valley, p. 231. 



Actaea rubra (Ait.) Willd. Red Baneberry. 

 Stem 1-2 feet high, bushy, leaves 2-3-ternately compound ; 



