28 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JULY 
to which I gave the name, as above, of the American R. 
acicularis. 
It now remains to examine whether this ought to be merged 
specifically as a variety of R. acicularis of the Old World. As 
early as 1876 I expressed doubts as to the complete specific 
identity of these two roses. Today I am not disinclined to 
separate them from each other, and to consider them as two dis- 
tinct species, although very closely related. The characters : 
which separate them seem important and constant enough to jus- 
tify their separation. Thus, the American R. acicularis has the 
average leaves of the floriferous branchlets normally of seven leaf- 
lets rather than five; its leaflets almost always, if not always, glandu- 
lar beneath, with teeth glandular, apparently simple or glandular- 
compound ; while in R. acicularis of the Old World the leaves 
have five leaflets, which are always eglandular beneath and with 
simple teeth. Besides, in the American rose the auricles of the 
upper stipules are not so long and of a little different form, the 
inflorescences are less rarely pluriflorous, and the receptacles are 
habitually less elongated. It is probable that a more searching 
study will reveal other distinctive characters. 
Whether this is the case, is a problem which ought to exer- 
cise the sagacity of rhodologists. If the distinction proposed 
is confirmed, the name R. acicularis Lindl. should be retained — 
for'the Old World plant, and the American R. acicularis should 
take the name R. Sayi, provided the description of Schweinitz 
applies, as Watson thought, to the rose in question. . 
_ Another question to consider is the distinction between the 
American 2. acicularis and R. blanda and R. Arkansana. There 
are certainly some essential differences between the first and the 
other two, but these differences sometimes are not such as to 
make confusion impossible, especially when R&. d/anda and RX. 
Arkansana become very setigerous. In the American R. acicu- 
aris all the axes, from the stem to the floriferous branchlets, 
are covered with abundant setaceous prickles or bristles. In R. 
blanda it is habitually only the lower part of the stem which is 
setigerous, the branches and the floriferous branchlets being 
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