i 
1884.] Botany. . 931 
the naked eye, to make out its overlapping margins. Its lower — 
portion is densely covered with stiff hairs (Fig. 2), as is also the 
short pedicel upon which the whole flower rests. .This pedicel is 
tapering, curved and greatly indurated, and at the maturity of the 
fruit it separates at its lower end from the rest of the axis. At 
its point of. separation, which now becomes the lower end of the 
“fruit,” it is very sharp, readily piercing clothing or even the 
skin of the back of one’s hand. The hairs prevent the with- 
drawal of the point, and tend to cause it to enter more deeply. 
The awn, which is at first straight, is channeled on two nearly 
opposite sides. Both the channels, as well as the general surface 
e awn, are provided with short stiff hairs which act as barbs. 
At maturity the awns begin twisting throughout a little more than 
their lower half as shown in Fig. 1, but the upper portion remains 
straight or nearly so, and soon becomes bent at nearly a right 
angle to the twisted part. This twisting facilitates the entrance 
of the barbed pedicel and palets into the soil, and, as lately pointed 
out, into the skins of sheep, dogs and other domestic animals. 
The greater weight of the lower end of the whole “ fruit ” makes 
it, before the twisting of the awn, an excellent dart, and on fall- 
ing out of the glumes it invariably strikes point downwards.—C. 
E. Bessey. 
AN ABNORMAL Fucusta BLOSSOM.-—I have lately had an oppor- 
Sepal, the leaf half only being separated and modified so as to 
represent below a leaf-petiole. This separation extends down to 
the base of the calyx-tube, and even to the base of the green 
receptacle below this. 
Abnormalities similar to this seem to be of not uncommon 
nce. 
