1879. ] Botany. : 255 
attention was first called to this in 1872, when critically examin- 
ing some specimens of the plant gathered at Bear lake, Van 
Buren county, Mich. The stamens were generally 24 or 25 in 
number. In 1875, specimens were collected at La Porte, Ind. 
My notes read, “ Stamens indefinite, sometimes 27.” They were 
usually not far from 24. 
The past season it was found at Pine Lake county, Ind. The 
highest number of stamens noticed was 37, nearly always above 
30, and commonly about 36. I also gathered specimens last 
summer at Old Mission, on Grand Traverse bay, Mich. The 
plants were advanced in flower and the stamens somewhat de- 
cayed, but were apparently 18 or less. In all these cases the sta- 
mens were picked out one by one, laid on a sheet of paper and 
counted, several flowers being taken in each locality. The con- 
clusion from these facts is, that the stamens vary from about 18 
to 37. It would be safe to say of the plant: stamens varying 
from 12 to some indefinite number. 
Taking the most accessible authorities, especially in American 
botany, I find as follows: Gray’s Manual, and Chapman’s Flora 
of the Southern States, “Sta. 12-18.” Gray's Structure and 
Systematic Botany, “Stamens definite, or nearly so.” They may 
therefore slightly exceed 20. In Torrey and Gray’s Flora of 
North America, Nuttall’s Genera, Wood’s Class Book (earlier 
edition), “Sta. 18-36. In Pursh’s Plants of North America, 
Eaton and Wright’s Botany (1840, genus Hydropeltis), Linnzus’ 
Systema Vegetabilium (Sprengel’s edition), “Class Polyandria,” 
stamens 20 or more. In Rafinesque’s Medical Botany of the 
United States ( 1828), “ Sta. 20-30.” In Michaux’s Flora, under 
Hydropeltis purpurea, “ Stamens numerous (about 36).” In Wood's 
Class Book, last edition, “ Sta. 18-24.” In Baillou’s Dictionnaire 
de Botanique, Art. Brasenia, “Its stamens and carpels are indefi- 
nite.” In Le Maout et Decaisne (Traité de Botanique) under 
Cabombeæ, including Brasenia, “ Stamens 6, 12 or 18”—doubt- 
less 12 or 18 for Brasenia, those of Cabomba being 3 or 6. In 
Eichler’s Blithen diagramme (1878), “ Sta. 12-8.” 
rom these references it is evident that there has been but lit- 
tle agreement as regards the number of stamens. While the 
older writers in general gave higher numbers, and in this more 
nearly accord with what I have found in the vicinity of Lake 
Michigan, yet it is probable that they are in error by not going 
below eighteen. Most of them also assigned the plant a southern 
Or southerly habitat, on the Atlantic coast from New Jersey south- — 
ward, west of the Alleghenies from Kentucky south. It may 
that in these localities as in the north-west, the number had 
a higher range. But the plants found in Northern Michigan 
would seem to indicate the lower number, and hence the entire 
range be covered by plants in this vicinity. This variation in 
number of stamens may be due to locality, or the season, or to 
