36 MINNESOTA BOTANICAL STUDIES. 



portion of the organ. The other form is a septate glandular - 

 tipped hair. The glandular cell is filled with a light brown 

 substance, of which the chemical nature remains unknown. 

 The contents of both hairs show a decided acid reaction, but 

 were not observed to exert any harmful influence on infusoria 

 placed under the cover glass with them. Both are invested by 

 a filamentous fungus, apparently one of the Dematieae, which 

 sends its hyphae into all the cells, but ramifies most abundant- 

 ly in the glandular tip. 



The hairs of G. spectabile are .5 — 2mm, and those of G. pubes- 

 cens are from .5 — 1.5mm in length. 



The poisonous effects may be due to the piercing of the skin 

 by the pointed hair and the consequent action of the acid con- 

 tents, or to the surface irritation by the contents of the glandu- 

 lar hairs, or it is remotely possible that they are due in some 

 way to the presence of the fungus. 



The demonstration of the poisonous effect of G. spectabile is 

 conclusive, and since G. jjubescens is furnished with similar ap- 

 paratus, together with the large amount of evidence brought 

 together, there is every reason to believe that it is equally 

 injurious. 



Whether the plants of these species are poisonous to many 

 persons or not — and the author suspects that they may be 

 handled by the majority without danger — yet it is easily ap- 

 parent that these species, as well as others of the genus, are 

 protected in a manner that renders them unpleasant to grazing 

 animals. It has been repeatedly noticed that large numbers of 

 these plants growing in woodland pastures have been found 

 intact, while the surrounding herbage would be very closely 

 cropped. 



The poisonous action of G. pubescens should not in any way 

 affect the value of the extract as a medicine, since this sub- 

 stance if derived from the roots, which have no conaection 

 with the effects described. 



Neither should anything presented in this paper detract in 

 the least from the use of these plants for ornamental or dec- 

 orative purposes, although it might be well for susceptible 

 persons to handle mature plants with some care. 



The subject derives additional interest at this place — the 

 Uuiversity of Minnesota — since the two species are widely dis- 

 tributed in the state, and the Gypripedium pubescens (the Mocca- 

 sin Flower) has been formally adopted as the "state flower " of 

 Minnesota. 



