ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



319 



priate common name of Golden Club. It is found in 

 the natural order Aracect. The leaves are large, ten or 

 twelve inches in length and about half as wide; the 

 upper surface of the leaf is a light velvety green, the 

 under surlace much paler, ami very smooth and shining, 

 on long radical petioles; from the midst of these leaves 

 arise several scapes, or flower-stalks, which, from the 

 base up to within a few inches of the top, are of a dusky 

 purplish color, which gradually fades into the purest 

 white, terminating in a rich golden-yellow spadix, 

 covered with small, perfect yellow flowers. 



Leiifphyllum limfulium, Kll., is another charming pine- 

 barren plant, and lias received the characteristic com- 

 mon name of Suml :^Iyiili-, It belongs to the order 

 ^WcflMrt!, with our -pkiHlhl A/:il. as and Rhododendrons, 

 which the Euruin an lioi i>t- lia\e coaxed into number- 

 less varieties. J'ossibly this beautilul little shrub will 

 be neglected by us until the European florists sell it back 

 to us at high figures, as they already have many plants 

 of thislamily. 



The Leiophyllum is an evergreen sliruh, with leaves 

 siiKill, dark green, very smooth and shining, and strung 

 tbii-kly along the stems, which in May are terminated 

 with thick, umbel-like ilu>tei- i>r small white or pinkish 

 flowers. Gray and otiicr bniaiii^ts uhe the height ol 

 this shrub at Irom eiglil l.> Im iiK-ln-, and this is its 

 usual height on the dry saudy lianeus; but in Atlantic 

 county, near the coast, in damp soil, I lound an acre or 

 more of this shrub with an average heightof about three 

 feet. I found it while in full bloom, and it stood so 

 thick as to exclude almost everything else. It was sur- 

 roiuuled by a thick, almost impenetrable, tangled mass 

 of shrub-growth, bound together by the climbing prickly 

 Smilax, through which I forced my way, and was more 

 than repaid for my toil by the beautiful sight, which can 

 never be effaced from my memory. 



One of the most stately and beautiful pine-barren 

 l)lants is Xerophyllum asplwdeloides , Nutt, It is an En- 

 dogenous plant, iind found in the order Mdanthaeea. 

 The foliage consists of a tliick tult of grass-like leaves, 

 IVom the midst of which arises a single flower-stalk , 

 Ironi three to four feet in height, bearing a dense raceme 

 of showy white flowers. It is found in moist places, 

 and cumraence.s blooiiiini: in Mav, .^Ii-. Fuller, of //«//?/, 



Ilu, 



lliat 



and, llorist us lie is, thi.■^ leuiarU i.-, a.-ullieieut guaraiilee 

 of its rare loveliness. 



IJut I would not have the reader think that the pine 

 barrens exclude the charming flowers of his acquaint- 

 ance: From the latter part of March all through the 

 month of April, the air is redolent with the sweet fra- 

 grance of the Trailing Arbutus ( Epiyea repem, L.), grow- 

 ing with a rich luxuriance in the white sand, with a 

 simple mulching of oak and pine leaves. Also the deli- 

 cate, early little Wind-flower (Arumone nemoiOfa, L.) is 

 lound in abundance, with the ever-present, aromatic 

 Wintergreen (Gaulthera procumbens, L.). with its shin- 

 ing green leaves and bright scarlet berries. The little 

 trailing Parlridge vine (ilUchtlla repem, L.), with its 

 scarlet twin berries— like the Wintergreen remaining on 

 the plant all winter — greets us often in our early spring 

 rambles. As the season advances so does the number 

 of Ijeautiful plants increase among the seemingly dreary 

 pine baiTens, of which I will try to make further report 

 from time to time. Mary Treat. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Plants to Name— .ff. W. Patterson, Oijuatvlca, Ills. 

 — No. 1, ThaspiumharliiioJe. SuU.; No. 2, Glycerianer- 

 vata, Triu.; No. 3, Eriytroii strigosum, Muhl.; No. 4, 

 Care.c MeadiifDevi.; No. 5, (JSnothera fruUcosa, L.; No. 

 8, Ktderia aittata, Pevs. ; No. !l, Panicum pauciflorum. 

 Ell.; No. 11, Carex hyatricina, Willd. ; No. 12, Erigeron 

 Philadelphieum, L. ; No. 13, Cryptotania Canadensis,!). 

 C ; No. 14, Melica mutica, Walt.; No. 21, Hordtum pu- 

 sillum, Nutt.; No. 22, Ptelea trifoliata, L.; No. 27, 

 Jlydrophyllum Virginiciim, L.; No. 28, OsmorrMza lovgi- 

 stylis, D.C; No. 29. Pohjtimia KvttalHi, D. C; No. 30, 

 S„„h;,h, Cami.hnsis, L. 



//«,,'« H'nt. Callaway, J/o.— No. 1, Annual Spear- 

 grass (7'..,i aniiiia, L.) This is probably an introduced 

 grass— it seems to follow in fhe line of advancing civili- 

 zation. It is too small to be productive as a meadow 

 grass. Mr. C. L. Flint, author of a "Practical Treatise 

 on Grasses," says: "This modest and beautilul grass 

 flowers throughout the whole summer, and forms a very 

 large part of the sward of New England pastures, pro- 

 ducing an early and sweet feed exceedingly relished 

 by cattle. It does not resist the drought very well, 

 but becomes psirched up in our pastures." It is 

 called an annual, but comes upas you say in the fidi 

 from seed, ripens its seeds the ensuing summer and dies. 

 No. 2, the common Rush-grass (Juncus tenuis, L.), very 

 well characterized as "Wire-grass," and of little prac- 

 tical value. No. 3 is called Cleavers, or Goose-grass, 

 {Galium aparine, L.) though not properly a grass, but a 

 plant of the Madder fVvmily (RuUacem). No. 4 is the 

 omnipresent Knot-grass, or (Joose-grass {Polygonum 

 ariculare. L.), which evei-y where takes possession of 

 door-yards and paths, and thrives under the roughest 

 treatment. 



Geo. L. Bodley, Battle Creeh, i/tcA.— The leaves you 

 send are those of the Red Mulberry (Jforus rubra, L.) 

 On mature trees the leaves are seldom lobed, being 

 ovate heart-shaped . 



Okas. E. Billen, Philadelplda.—Vio. 12, the cultivated 

 Poet's Narcissus {Narcissus poeticas). No. 11. Sedum 

 ternatuiii, or Tlirce-leaved Stone-crop, growing wild in 

 i-dcUy woods, also oia-asioiially lound in gardens, and 

 often en-oiieoiisly called a JIoss. No. 13, Vihuriium 

 jiruin/oliuni, or Ulaek Haw, a large anil handsome slindj 

 Ol- small tree. No. 14, Winter Cress {Barharea vuhjaiis, 

 L.) No. 15, Daisy Fleabane {Erigeron hellidi/olium, 

 Midil.) No. l(i. Wild Geranium {Geranium maculatum, 

 Linn.) 



/. L. Townsend, Marshall, Mo., asks for information 

 on the following subjects : 1st, Time to commence study- 

 ing botany, whether summer or winter. 2nd, Books 

 needed, their price, and where they can be purchased. 

 3rd, Magnifying glass, the size, number of lenses, 

 where to be obtained, and price. 4th, Microscope for 

 that class of students who wish to pay attention to the 

 Cryptogamia, kind, price, and where obtained, otii. 

 Collecting bo.\, size, material and cost. Gth, White 

 printing paper, cost, whether best purchased of printers 

 or deilers. 7th , Hints on preserving ripened capsules 

 and seeds, so that the pressure will not scatter them. 

 Sth, How to get the flowers and fruit from high trees, 

 yth, Books for the special students, and works descrih- 

 i7ig the medicinal plants for those who would be inter- 



