152 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 



the plant was discovered, but that he refers only to the approximate 

 level of that table land which is about 800 feet above sea level. 



A second remark of Mohr has an indirect bearing on the question, 

 and seems to support the suspicion that the plant reported from 

 this part of the State is perhaps identical with the Talinum of 

 my own discovery, and that it was confounded with Pursh's 

 Talinum teretifolium. He credits the discovery of the plant in 

 this locality to the Misses Emily and Mary Mohr. Now these 

 ladies lived in the central part of the county, a mile or so distant 

 from Cullman, and close to the Little River (Eight Mile Creek) 

 where it flows through the premises of St. Bernard College. Not 

 very far east of the College grounds, the banks of the stream, — 

 'river' is a misnomer, — become cli;Ty, the place being commonly 

 known as "The Cli^s." It is from this station that I secured my 

 plants, and, in my mind, there is little doubt that it is likewise the 

 place where the Misses "Mohr made their discovery. 



That the plant from this locality might have passed without 

 critical examination as Talinum teretifolium is not very surprising; 

 first, because this was considered the only species in the North, 

 as well as in the South Eastern States; secondly, because of the 

 short diagnosis which was considered sufficient by the earlier 

 authors. Pursh's' classical diagnosis, " T.foliis cylindricis carnosis, 

 corymhis terminalibus pedunculatis,'' is such that it applies equally 

 well to any species with terete leaves and a terminal peduncled 

 inflorescence, here termed a corymb, but in reality a cyme. 



In Chapman's Flora, formerly the leading manual for the South, 

 no character is mentioned which would be of any use in the present 

 case. In Gray's well known Manual of Botany' of the Northern 

 United States, mention is made of one character which proves of 

 value in point of comparison, viz., the varying number of stamens 

 in the species Talinum teretifolium, limiting them from 15-20. 

 This limiting of the number of stamens is in strong contrast with 

 that found in the plant which I have discovered in Cullman County, 

 in which the minimum is above forty. This di:Terence, it seems 

 should have aroused suspicion regarding the identity of the plant 

 with T. teretifolium Pursh. Too much emphasis, however, must not 

 be laid upon this pointy for every practical taxonomist knows that 

 the first statement about a limit, in case of variable characters. 



' Pursh Fl. Am. Sept. 2; 365. 1814. 

 ' A. Gray Man., 5th ed. p. 98. 



