85 



is in the Herbarium of the Academy of Natural Sciences of 

 Philadelphia. 

 Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. 



SHORTER NOTES 



A Woodland Plant That Is Becoming A Grainfield 



Weed 



Albert A. Hansen 



It is rather an uncommon occurrence for woodland species to 

 acquire the habit of invading field crops but this strange situ- 

 ation is presented by Phacelia purshii in Indiana. 



The species is found in abundance in open woods in many 

 parts of the state and botanists usually record the occurrence 

 of the plant in "moist woods and thickets." During April, 

 1922, County Agent D. D. Ball of Rush County, Indiana, sent a 

 specimen of Phacelia purshii for identification with the state- 

 ment that, in one part of his county, "there are about 500 acres 

 of clover and wheat infested by this plant, which is a serious 

 pest. The wheat especially will not grow in patches infested 

 by the weed." 



A few days later another specimen of the same species was 

 received from W. A. Crutz, manager of the Imperial Mills of 

 Cambridge City, Indiana, with the statement that "this plant 

 was brought into my place of business and is a new one in this 

 locality. It is noted among farmers for its damage to wheat 

 and oats. It grows best on sandy loam and on river bottom 

 land. One farmer is now planning on mowing a field of oats 

 that is so badly infested that the oats are being choked out by 

 the weed." 



The next report of the occurrence of this new weed came from 

 County Agent A. J. Hesler of Fountain County, Indiana. He 

 stated that the weed "has lavender flowers that bloom about 

 May 30. It is a very bad weed, especially on the Hayes farm 

 in this county where it is dominating a field of oats." 



The identification was verified by the Ofifice of Economic and 

 Systematic Botany of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture. Since the various reports suggest that the species is a 

 potentially dangerous weed, a picture of the plant together with 



