1892. ] Briefer Articles. 257 
Interesting variations of the strawberry leaf—The strawberry, both 
wild and cultivated, is perhaps considered less inclined to variation of 
foliage than many of our common plants. I have often sought in vain 
among them for an abnormal leaf. There are so many strawberry 
leaves in which the lower portion of the two lateral leaflets is con- 
spicuously enlarged, that one is led to expect the advent of additional 
leaflets. In other words it sometimes appears as if nature were plan- 
ning to inaugurate a five-leaved form. There is often apparently 
overgrowth sufficient to form. anextra leaflet. Indeed the lateral leaf- 
lets become so lopsided, on account of this excessive growth, that 
symmetry demands that the lower portion be cut off and made into a 
separate leaflet. Plants all about us are moulding their leaves in ac- 
cordance with changing conditions. They have found by long experi- 
ence ih the struggle for life, that, oftentimes, many small leaves serve 
their purpose better than a less number of larger ones. And so we 
find many entire leaves indenting their margins; lobed ones becoming 
more deeply lobed; still others, by what we may term an evolutionary 
process of division, give rise to new or additional leaflets. From the 
lateral leaflets of the strawberry, for instance, other leaflets might be 
expected to be evolved or developed. ae 
traversed by the blackberry, the Virginia creeper, etc. : 
The finding of these “abnormal” leaves, brought to mind some 1n- 
otategd leaves of Fragaria Virgimiana, var. Illinoensis, which were col- 
Scted near Lexin ton, Ky., some ten years ago. Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 
(half Natural size) represent gradations of these suggestive leaves. 
e considered them 
