73 



character, but it is hardly satisfactory even when most distinctive, 

 and is often obscure and hard to ascertain, and, in a considera- 

 tion of the species of a relatively Hmited area, its use may well 

 be avoided. In his treatment of the American species, Prantl's 

 work is in some respects deficient, owing to the fact that his mate- 

 rial of these plants was for the most part scanty. For example, 

 his description of 0. crotaloplioroides, a species originally from 

 South Carolina, was with two exceptions based on South Ameri- 

 can collections. Of 0. californiaim he saw only part of one col- 

 lection, of 0. tenerum, one specimen, and similarly of others from 

 South America. The result has been that some of his descrip- 

 tions are rather incomplete, but in view of his insufficient material 

 it is to be wondered that he was able to define the species as 

 accurately as he did, and it is a tribute to his ability that his con- 

 ception of specific limits has, after study of ample material, been 

 generally affirmed. 



New York Botanical Garden. 



THE STORY OF THE MANGROVE 



By George V. Nash 



Those who have been to the southern parts of our own state 

 of Florida, or have visited the shores of tropical America, have 

 perhaps noticed, fringing the shores in many places, a shrub or 

 small tree, from the horizontal branches of which descend long 

 gaunt roots, and bearing, usually in great profusion, long club- 

 shaped pendulous bodies which sway and dangle in every breeze. 

 But have you realized the vast importance of this plant and the 

 tremendous work it is accomplishing, and have you really under- 

 stood what those peculiar long bodies are and what an impor- 

 tant part they play in the dispersal of this plant, and hence in the 

 increase of tillable land in the trqpics, for this unassuming plant 

 is a great land builder — how I will attempt to show later. 



To fully understand what the plant is doing, we must first un- 

 derstand the plant itself. A native of the lowlands of its home, 

 where it is always warm, this plant seems to have no seasonal 



