54 White. 



to their maximum development. Among mesophytes, the anomaly is 

 common and in this type of plant attains its greatest degree of expression. 

 Geographically, fasciation may be said to be known from almost 

 every botanically explored region of the torrid and temperate zones. 

 The largest number of records, as one would expect, refer to examples 

 in old settled countries, but these are by no means the most inter- 

 esting. Phijllocladiis glauca often produces fasciated male cones. New 

 Zealand's especially beautiful tree-fern, Hejnitelis smithii has been 

 recorded as fasciated. A marvellous specimen of Araucaria cunning- 

 hamii Ait., 79 '3 dem. high, about 18 years old and possessing huge 

 combed -branches is pictured in "Pines of Australia" ([R. T. Baker & 

 H. G. Smith 1909] See Fig. 1). 



Frequency of fasciation in wild aud cultivated plants compared. 



The data on the occurrence of fasciation do not appear to support 

 the commonly accepted notion that teratological variation originate more 

 frequently under artificial conditions than in nature. This anomaly has 

 been recorded many times in wild plaots. 



According to de Vries (1894, 1906) wild fasciated plants of 

 Crepis biennis, Aster tripoUum, Geranium molle, Taraxacum offichialc, 

 Oenothera LamarcTciana, Raphanus raphanistrtini and Pedicularis palustris 

 are common in Holland. Hus (1908) mentions the frequency of fas- 

 ciation in Erigeron canadensis. Often it takes on the character of a 

 disease, and sweeps over a locality, affecting only plants of certain 

 species. Instances of this kind have been recorded in connection with 

 Rudheckia hirta, Ranunculus Imlbosus, Taraxacum officinale and Lepachys 

 columnaris. Conrad (1901) in the first case reports the occurrence 

 of fasciated Rudheckia plants by the hundreds in a field near Haines- 

 port, N. J. in 1899. A similar outbreak occurred in Ranuncidus in a 

 meadow near Haddonfield, N. J. in 1893. Mr. C. T. Brues informs me 

 that several years ago he noticed large numbers of plants of Lepachys 

 in the fields around Austin, Texas, were affected. Dandelions (T. 

 officinale) are often fasciated, both in wild and man-made environments. 

 Sometimes they are numerous, 20 or more plants being noted by 

 M. Breviere (1881), near the village of Saint-Saulge, France; in other 

 cases, only two or three individuals have been found. 



There are onl}^ a few" of the large number of observations on fas- 

 ciation in wild plants that might be cited, but they are believed sufficient 

 to indicate the especial frequency of its appearance in nature. A com- 



