354 .\mp:ricak midland naturalist 



1. H. Jiilva- .... Found New Brunswick to Virginia to 

 Tennessee. In meadows and by streams. Kurope and Asia. 

 Escaped from cultivation. 



2. H.fiava — yellow day lily, with yellow flowers, occasionally 

 found near old gardens, and on roadsides. 



It will be noted from the above, that in Gray but one species 

 of Hemerocallis is given — the more common one. Britton and Brown, 

 however, add to this flava as well, as other plants closely allied. 

 Since it seems that neither fidva nor flava were the original type 

 species of this genus, the writer has noted that at least within the 

 geographical range to be mentioned, capsules, which one might infer 

 to present, are wanting in H. fulva. Referring to Knuth,' this is 

 found to be the normal condition in Europe. A paragraph from 

 this work may be of interest. 



"According to Sprengel's assertion, which Kerner confirms, 

 the plant, [Hemerocallis fulva), never sets fruit here, so it is highly 

 probable that in its original home in east Asia, it is pollinated 

 by such insects as arc not to be found in Europe. Maximowicz 

 states that artificial pollination is also ineffective, the flowers 

 do not produce mature seeds in P^urope. Sprengel, who pollinated 

 the flowers artificially with their own pollen, also obtained no 

 fruits, etc." There then follows a description of the mechanisrri 

 producing this condition. Mr. W. G. Gibson of Avalon, Pa., who 

 is an experienced horticulturist, and who has observed this species 

 well within the limits as described by Britton and Brown, reports 

 that he has never seen the plant in fruiting condition. It is not 

 improbable therefore that such a condition as above described 

 prevails in the American form also. Granted that this is the 

 case, descriptions of H . fulva as ordinarily given tend to be some- 

 what misleading in the respect discussed— an error which will be 

 found to be present in many of the popular "Wild Flowers" books. 

 H. Jlova, less known in this country and also self-sterile, is thus 

 more typical of the genus. It is noted that in some 63 specimens of 

 //. jUiva examined, the greatest numloer of seeds in any valve was 7, 

 some of the valves being devoid of these, or containing a mini- 

 mum number. 



The writer is able to add H. /lava to the flora of Pennsylvania 

 Porter^ not recording it. //. fulva, as an escape is distributed over 



' ' Knuth's Handliook of riowcr Pollinntimi." Trans. J. R. A. Davis, 

 VoL III., p. 462. 



-' "Flora of Pennsylvania." —Porter, C. H. 



