444 Ever-sporting Varieties 



changed at once, the stems grow longer and 

 of a deeper green. Intermediates occur, but 

 notwithstanding this the two extremes consti- 

 tute clearly antagonistic types. 



The flora of the deserts is known to exhibit 

 a similar divergent type. Or rather two types, 

 one adapted to paucity of water, and the other 

 to a storage of fluid at one season in order to 

 make use of it at other times, as is the case with 

 the cactuses. Limiting ourselves to the alter- 

 nate group, we observe a rich and dense branch- 

 ing, small and compact leaves and extraordi- 

 narily long roots. Here the analogy with the 

 alpine varieties is manifest, and the dryness 

 of the soil evidently affects the plants in a sim- 

 ilar way, as do the conditions of life in alpine 

 regions. The question at once comes up as to 

 whether here too we have only instances of 

 partial variability, and whether many of the 

 typical desert-species would lose their pecu- 

 liar character by cultivation under ordinary 

 conditions. The varieties of Monardella ma- 

 crantha, described by Hall, from the San Ja- 

 cinto Mountain, Cal., are suggestive of such 

 an intimate analogy with the cases studied by 

 Bonnier, that it seems probable that they might 

 yield similar results, if tested by the same 

 method. 



Leaving now the description of these special 



