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SCIENCE 



[N. s. Vol. XXVII. No. 691 



ing clustered in little dark green globes along 

 a slender, almost invisible stem. 



Among the mosses the sphagnums would be 

 very desirable for the veater's edge. Some 

 forms are quite attractive, but their chief 

 value lies in the fact that they furnish the 

 natural substratum for many interesting 

 plants such as piteherplants, Droseras and the 

 like. 



Riccia lutescens is a very attractive little 

 plant, the fronds floating on the surface like 

 little green butterflies. Their ordinary method 

 of reproduction by dividing into halves makes 

 them especially interesting. 



The swamp horsetail, Equisetum fluviatile, 

 frequently grows over considerable areas in 

 shallow places and a patch of these plants 

 adds to the landscape a peculiar and ancient 

 charm. This horsetail grows quite tall, and 

 is symmetrically and abundantly branched. 



The selaginellas are graceful creeping plants 

 counted worthy of greenhouse room, and are 

 frequently regarded as greenhouse plants. 

 About some of the lakes of northern Indiana 

 the attractive little Selaginella wpus is quite 

 common in black ground near shore, and re- 

 mains green the winter through. 



Among the pondweeds, three of the most 

 desirable species, Potamogeton amplifoUus, 

 attractive for its large leaves and graceful 

 form; P. perfoliatus, an erect symmetrical 

 plant; and P. robhinsii, a prostrate plumose 

 form, are especially worthy of consideration. 



Of the grasses, the holy grass, Savastana 

 odorata, a species growing in moist ground 

 and quite conspicuous by reason of its yellow 

 stamens, would be a valuable species. In ad- 

 dition , to its showiness, it is delightfully 

 fragrant. 



It is a matter of siirprise that in connection 

 with aquatic gardens no one has mentioned 

 the reed Phragmites pliragmites. In addi- 

 tion to being one of the stateliest and most 

 handsome of grasses, its place along water- 

 sides is established by tradition reaching back 

 to the time of the Greeks. 



The sedges furnish a large number of in- 

 teresting and valuable species. The low 

 cyperus, Gyperus diamdrus, is common along 



lake beaches and is an attractive little plant, 

 Cyperus strigosus, which grows in wet grassy 

 places is a striking and handsome plant; if 

 cut green the beautiful heads may be kept 

 indefinitely. Kyllingia pumila is fragrant as 

 well as attractive and grows in quite wet 

 places. Scirpus cyperineus is an exceedingly 

 stately and handsome sedge. Chief in at- 

 tractiveness of the sedges, and indeed among 

 all plants, are the species of cotton grass. 

 The slender cotton grass, E. gracile is very 

 effective, especially when in patches. The 

 fruit, which is conspicuous in early summer, 

 consists of little silken white tassels, three or 

 more to the stem, and give the appearance in 

 the distance of lodged snow-flakes. E. virgin- 

 icum, which comes into fruit later in the 

 season — from August to September — is also 

 very striking and effective. 



In the genus Carex, two of the most at- 

 tractive forms are found in wet places; these 

 are Carex asa-grayi with a globular head, and 

 Carex comosa with an elongate, bristling head. 

 Carex leptalea has a small head, but is at- 

 tractive on account of the contrastive white 

 and green colors to be found in the scales and 

 perigynea. 



One of the most desirable aquatics for. 

 planting about the margins of ponds is 

 Spathymma foetida. This plant is " in bad 

 odor " chiefly because of a bad name. The 

 name " skunk-cabbage " does much more to 

 keep it unpopular than anything else. In 

 some parts of the country it is known as 

 " quick will " ; another name in some parts of 

 the country is " Midas' ears." They have 

 been seen on sale at the Washington (D. C.) 

 market as " swamp lilies " and are said to have 

 been sold on the streets of New York as 

 " rare orchids from the Philippines." 



By Thanksgiving the spathe of the " quick 

 will " is already formed and colored, ready to 

 be pushed up above the ground at the first 

 sign of spring. The spathe of this fiower is 

 exceedingly variable in color, ranging from 

 pure yellow to deep reddish purple. They are 

 also exceedingly variable in form, some of the 

 spathes being long-pointed, others short and 

 round. They frequently come double. This 



