640 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXIX. No. 746 



forms. Experiments were carried on to determine 

 this point by crossing single-flowered plants with 

 the pollen of the full doubles. Out of three hun- 

 dred seedlings in 1906 from crosses of this kind 

 only two singles were found, the remainder being 

 standard, or hybrid doubles. These two singles 

 could have been from accidental pollination with 

 pollen from other singles, since the flowers were 

 not covered. Singles crossed with singles gave 

 nothing but single-flowered seedlings. The full 

 doubles failed to set seed on account of their 

 defective ovaries, which were often changed into 

 collections of petal-like organs. This work has 

 since been repeated by other breeders with perfect 

 results under control conditions. The double 

 flowers are interesting in that doubling is accom- 

 plished in the same flower by increase in the 

 number of whorls of petals, by change of stamens 

 into petals, and by basal branching of large petals 

 into a number of smaller ones. These three meth- 

 ods seem to be associated as one character. In 

 the intermediate hybrid the three methods of 

 doubling all appear, but in reduced form. 



For many generations the parents of the Amer- 

 ican carnation varieties have been uniformly of 

 the hybrid type, but as yet we have no instance 

 of it reproducing true to type by seed, the two 

 parent types constantly reappearing in about their 

 normal proportions. Other characters, such as 

 dwarf habit, short calyx, clove scent, color, varie- 

 gated petals, etc., seem to follow the same law 

 of heredity. Since Dianthus caryophyllus is 

 normally strongly proterandrous and carnation 

 breeders in the past have uniformly practised 

 wide cross breeding, so that, if anything, the vigor 

 of the type is constantly increasing, it is inter- 

 esting to note the occurrence of Mendelism in 

 this group, as recent unsupported theories have 

 claimed that such should not be the case. 



M. C. Mabsh, 

 Recording Secretary 



THE TOKKET BOTANICAL CLUB 



The meeting of February 24 was held at the 

 Museum of the New York Botanical Garden at 

 3:30 P.M. In the absence of the president and 

 both vice-presidents, Mr. Fred J. Seaver was 

 called to the chair. 



The following scientific program was presented: 

 Collecting Fungi in Jamaica: Dr. W. A. Mukeill. 



This paper has been published in the February 

 Journal of the New York Botanical Garden. 

 Cypripedium in the Light of its Segregates: Mr. 



G. V. Nash. 



Mr. Nash exhibited living plants and herbarium 

 specimens illustrating the four segregates now 

 recognized by orchidologists, and formally con- 

 sidered as parts of the genus Cypripedium. These 

 segregates are Oypripedvum, Selenipedium, Paphio- 

 pedilum and Phragmipedium. These divide them- 

 selves into two groups. In the first group are 

 Cypripedium and Selenipedimn, characterized by 

 the usually long, leafy stem and broad, flat, thin, 

 many-nerved leaves which are convolute in vena- 

 tion, and the withering perianth persistent on the 

 ovary. In Cypripedium the ovary is one-celled, 

 and the seeds elongate with a thin testa. This 

 genus is of north temperate distribution, its rep- 

 resentatives, about thirty in niimber, being found 

 in North America, Europe and Asia. 



The other genus of this group, Selenipedium, 

 has a three-celled ovary, and the seeds nearly 

 globose with a crustaceous testa. This is found 

 from Panama to northern South America and is 

 rare. It contains only three species, which are 

 seldom seen in cultivation. 



The second group is at once recognized by the 

 conduplicate venation of its long, narrow, fleshy, 

 strap-shaped leaves and the deciduous perianth. 

 The flowers are borne on scapes, which are rarely 

 somewhat leafy below. To this group belong the 

 remaining two genera, Paphiopedilum and Phrag- 

 mipedium. In the former the ovary is one-celled 

 and the sepals imbricate in the bud. The most 

 evident character, however, diflferentiating this at 

 once from Phragmipedium, is in the lip which has 

 the margin of the opening straight, not infolded. 

 The scape is also commonly one-flowered, the ex- 

 ception being with more than one. There are 

 some fifty species known in this genus, which is 

 entirely old world, being generally distributed in 

 tropical Asia and the Malay region. 



The genus Phragmipedium is entirely new 

 world, occurring in northern South America and 

 Panama. It contains in the neighborhood of a 

 dozen species, and is at once separated from 

 Paphiopedilum by the character of the lip in 

 which the margin of the opening is marked by a 

 broad infolded portion. In addition to this the 

 ovary is three-celled and the sepals valvate in the 

 bud; the scape, moreover, bears several, some- 

 times many, flowers. 



We have then in the new world three of the 

 genera, two — Phragmipedium and Selenipedium — 

 not known elsewhere, and Cypripedium, which it 

 shares in distribution with the old world. The 

 only strictly old world genus is Paphiopedilum-. 

 Percy Wilson, 

 Secretary 



