1889.] BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 1 7 



ly pilose. Some of the varieties occasionally bear stolons 

 above ground, but this is never the case with the New York 

 form, although, as already remarked, subterranean suckers 

 are common. With the exception of the white-tomentose 

 under surface, my specimens would perhaps fall more nearly 

 under the section fallax^ but in the absence of this character 

 I am disposed to refer them to some of the original varieties 

 of De Candolle, although this is somewhat difficult. The 

 variety hisfidulum of Froelich is much the nearest, this hav- 

 ing the base of the scape and also the leaves pilose-hispid. 

 In our plant there are frequently, but not always, strong and 

 very long white hairs on both surfaces of the leaves as well 

 as along their margins, but those on the scape are very few 

 and mostly near the base ; they are also quite short. The 

 whole plant, except the dark glandular hairy involucre and 

 pedicels, is light green or glaucescent. There are usually 

 two small leaves on the stem, the upper of which, however, 

 subtends the lowest branch, and the other branches are pro- 

 vided with smaller bracts. A minute black ring or speck 

 encircles the base of each hair, and many such occur where 

 the hairs are no longer present. 



In the investigation of this plant and the numerous inter- 

 esting questions arising from its singular advent and diffusion 

 in that section of northern New York, I have been greatly 

 aided by Mr. William Comstock, without whose cooperation 

 I could have accomplished little or nothing, and also by 

 Messrs. Henry L. Lawton and J. P. Steinhilber, 2 who gave 

 me much practical information, and I desire, in closing, to 

 acknowledge the services of these gentlemen. 



Yation 



^D 



BRIEFER ARTICLES. 



Another death from eatinsr Cicuta maculata.— Hon. Eugene Secor, of 

 Forest City, this state, a member of the board of trustee of the Iowa Ag- 

 ricultural College, brought me to-day a fleshy root of a plant of the Water 

 Hemlock {Cicuta maculata L.). The circumstances which brought it to 

 his notice were as follows: A neighbor of his, by the name of Mr. Oleson, 



2 Mr. Steinhilber brought me two other plants which he said were becoming quite trou- 

 blesome. The one was Potentilla argentea L., which I had seen abundant in the fields. 

 The other was Poterium Banguisorba L., whit h I had not seen, hut which must have been 

 introduced quite extensively into this country, m I found it in 1 at Odenton, Md., and 

 it has been found at Baltimore and at several points in New York state. I also have if 

 from Mr. Martindale as a Philadelphia ballast plant. 



