Olatfelter — Relations of Sctlix Missouriensis to S. Cordata. 139 



It has been stated S. Missouriensis flowers in February, 

 S. Cordata in April (B. F. Bush as quoted by Bebb in the 

 article above referred to). I have to report the collection of 

 all my aments both sterile and fertile from April 14th to 28th, 

 finding no material difference, in time, as to high or low. 

 The opening of the earliest starainate flowers is, of course, 

 much earlier. In this, as in every other particular, we must 

 allow for great variation, especially as modified by season. 



Of the whole number of specimens collected, 13 were re- 

 jected as hybrid sericea and cordata, either fully identified or 

 probable. There remained 171, of which 93 attained a height 

 of over 10 ft.; 78 10 ft. and under. Everyone of the 171 

 was examined separately, its characters noted and tabulated. 

 In order to secure a more telling parallel or contrast, all those 

 of the former class reaching a height of 20 ft. and over, 38 

 in number, were selected. The remainder of this class num- 

 bering 55 reaching 10 to 20 ft. in height, were placed in a 

 separate column in the summary. The 78 classed as shrubs, 

 it should be remembered, are subject to the restrictions and 

 uncertainties already referred to above. I feel quite confident 

 many of them ought to be included with the tree form, but 

 being anxious to preserve the purity of the latter, I unhesi- 

 tatingly consigned all under 10 ft. into the shrub class. 



The results of my investigations are, in part, summarized 

 in tabulated form placed at the end of this paper. From it 

 the reader can readily draw conclusions. One of these will 

 certainly be the astonishing variation running all through the 

 three classes, with equal pace, as to leaves, stipules, petioles, 

 etc. Not having collected a sufficiently large number of 

 flowers and fruit to draw reliable inferences, I do not, in this 

 summary, present this side of the subject. I can say, how- 

 ever, I found in this, also, equally great variation. Pedicels, 

 capsules, and styles are either long or short; capsules are 

 beaked, or simply ovate-conical ; scales and rachls are intensely 

 hairy, or nearly bare. All this irrespective of the size of the 

 plant. 



Petioles vary from a line to more than one inch in length; 

 stipules from ovate to reniform, to semicordate acutely to long 

 acuminately pointed, in some examples distinctly stalked. 



