72 SUMMEE IN A BOG. 



But as she turns over her herbarium, the 

 mutilated specimen of Phryma leptostachya re- 

 calls one of her most sensational experiences. 



This plant, the only ehUd in the family of 

 Phrymaceae, has a peculiarity which bestows 

 upon it the name of Lop-seed. The calyx, after 

 flowering, is abruptly reflexed against the 

 stem. When the seeds have ripened they are 

 thrown out by a sudden upward motion of the 

 receptacle, which now becomes horizontal in 

 position. 



It was in this locality that a cucumber tree 

 was observed. It had been spared by the owner 

 when the woods were cleared away, and now 

 stood alone in the middle of a large field slop- 

 ing toward the southwest. Its bright, rosy 

 cones of seeds among its dark green leaves 

 were shaped like small cucumbers, giving this 

 member of the magnolia family its common 

 name. 



In the front yard of the residence of this 

 farmer were a number of persimmon trees to 

 which the owner had on a former occasion called 

 attention. There was one variety which ripened 

 without the aid of frost and was, in September, 

 ready for eating and quite free from astrin- 

 gence. 



