1881. } Botany. ° 227 
GENERAL NOTES. 
BOTANY.! 
VARIATIONS IN THE GROWTH OF VIRGINIA CREEPER AND HICK- 
ory.—It is well known that no two plants ever grow exactly 
alike, though these variations are often very slight. Two in- 
stances have come under my observation which have interested 
me very much, though they may be familiar enough to botanists, 
The first relates to our beautiful indigenous climbing shrub, the 
Virginia Creeper (Ampelopsis quinquefolia), several of which I 
have transplanted from the neighboring forest to the grounds 
about my residence. Some of these specimens are very free 
growers, climbing a dozen feet during a season, having joints 
three to four or five inches long, and large widely expanded 
leaves; the tendrils in these are very long and similar to those of 
the wild grape. Others have very different habits of growth; the 
joints are quite short, not more than one to two inches long, 
and the growth of the whole plant is very slow as compared with 
the first-mentioned variety. The tendrils, too, are very short. 
In some instances the stems send out aerial roots which burrow 
into the bark of the supporting tree, after the manner of the Poi- _ 
son Ivy (Rhus toxicodendron). The long-jointed free-grower never 
sends out these aerial roots, but depends for its support upon its 
tendrils which soon become dry and hard, and as tough as little 
wires, : 
The other instance refers to our common shellbark hickory 
(Carya alba), In the spring some of the trees may be seen with 
bursting buds and even expanding leaves while the buds of other 
trees standing close at hand are dormant and remain so for many 
days. In autumn these differences are also quite as marked; the 
leaves on some of the trees ripen and shrivel up even some days 
before any frosts, turning to a dark gray or slate color. Upon 
other trees the leaves continue green until the first frosts; they 
then turn yellow, with something of the same beautiful tints of 
the hard maple, and remain so until the heavier frosts completely 
dissipate their golden glories —Chas. Aldrich, Webster City, Iowa. 
THE Composirm—Dr. Gray, in his last ‘Contributions to 
1 Edited by Pror. C. E. Bessey, Ames, Iowa. 
