528 Mutations 



character may make their appearance. They 

 warn us that the capacity for such sinuosities 

 is not wholly lost, but only lies dormant in the 

 new variety. It is reduced to a latent state, ex- 

 actly as are the apparently lost characters of 

 so many ordinary horticultural varieties. 



Lacking the undulations, the laevifolia-leswes 

 are smooth and bright. They are a little nar- 

 rower and more slender than those of the La- 

 marckiana. The convexities and concavities of 

 leaves are said to be useful in dry seasons, 

 but during wet summers, such as those of the 

 last few years, they must be considered as very 

 harmful, as they retain some of the water which 

 falls on the plants, prolonging the action of the 

 water on the leaves. This is considered by some 

 writers to be of some utility after slight show- 

 ers, but was observed to be a source of weak- 

 ness during wet weather in my garden, pre- 

 venting the leaves from drying. Whether the 

 laevifolia would do better under such circum- 

 stances, remains to be tested. 



The flowers of the laevifolia are also in a 

 slight degree different from those of LamarcJc- 

 iana. The yellow color is paler and the petals 

 are smoother. Later, in the fall, on the weaker 

 side branches these differences increase. The 

 laevifolia petals become smaller and are often 

 not emarginated at the apex, becoming ovate 



