141 



pale green, the laminae delicate purplish one plant only. This 

 has an atavistic appearance, and is quite without the beauty of 

 normal caendea. 



These obser\-ations indicate that AqtiiJegia is an unusually 

 favorable genus for the investigation of genetic problems. Some 

 of its advantages are the following: (i) The ready hybridization 

 and fertility of the Fi; (2) the tendency to mutate, apart from 

 crossing; (3) the existence of spurred and spurless forms, and of 

 forms with and without colored plastids and anthocyanin colors; 

 (4) the heterozygotes can be easily preserved and propagated by 

 dividing the crowns; (5) incidentally, beautiful and interesting 

 garden plants are produced. 



SHORTER NOTES 



Rhamniis dahurica ix Michigan. — South of Ann Arbor, 

 Michigan, is an extensive area of level ground formerly occupied 

 chiefly by tamarack, black ash, and other hydrophytic trees. 

 The ground water lies always near the surface and parts of the 

 area were originally very swampy. Recent construction of 

 drainage systems has destroyed much of the swamp, which has 

 been put under cultivation, but the rest of the tract is still in 

 forest. 



Five years ago a forestry class of the University of Michigan 

 discovered in the heart of the swamp a tree unknown to them. 

 It was submitted to the writer for identification and proved to 

 be Rhamniis dahurica. It was then supposed that the tree had 

 been planted by Mr. J. B. Steere, who owns part of the land and 

 had travelled extensively in the Orient. In 1916 Mr. Steere 

 pointed out a second tree to the writer, some two miles from the 

 first one, with a request for its identification. He was surprised 

 to learn its name and disclaimed any knowledge of its origin. 

 Only one tree of the species is known in cultivation in the vicinity, 

 which, since it is a smaller tree, can scarcely be considered as the 

 parent of these two individuals. 



The two apparently wild trees are 500 yards or more from any 

 residence, either past or present. One is in the middle of a forest 



