21 



very rare plant in many sections of the country where formerly 

 it was common. 



The list of wild flowers which have suffered most severely 

 from the overzealous admirers is a long one, but space need be 

 taken to mention only a few of the most important. They are 

 the showy lady's-slipper, the moccasin flower, the rose pogonia, 

 the arethusa, mertensia or blue bells, white water lily, American 

 lotus, and the anemone or wind flower. To this list I am sure 

 almost any lover of wild flowers could make many additions. 



Education looking toward the right estimation and preserva- 

 tion of our diminishing forms of wild life ought to be more gen- 

 erally and widely extended, but even at its best probably would 

 not reach many classes of people who are the worst ofifenders. 

 Meanwhile it seems most desirable that we should use all our 

 efforts in the estaiblishment of national, state and private wild- 

 life reserves, of both large and small size, in all sections of the 

 land, where not alone shall the animal and bird life find safety 

 and refuge but where also the native plant life shall be equally 

 protected. 



THE RECEPTACLE OF ACHILLEA ^HLLEFOLIUM L. 



By Mabel L. Merriman 



The receptacle of the genus Achillea is given as flat or convex 

 in Britton's manual of North American flora. Similarly in Gray's 

 new manual the character of the receptacle is expressed by the 

 word "flattish." 



Clusters of Achillea millefolium L. brought in for class study 

 in Oct., 1919, exhibited heads either markedl}' conical or oblong 

 in shape in contrast to the usual flat-topped or slightly convex 

 forms. It was thought at first that the difference in appearance 

 might be due to a lengthening of the tubular flowers in the center 

 of the head. A lengthwise section of the head showed that the 

 receptacle Jiad become much elongated, being narrowed to nearly 

 the width of the stem axis, the section suggesting in its contour 



