65<; 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST 



[Vol. XLV 



gated under the term Mercurialis foliis in varias et 

 incequales lacinias quasi dilaceratis. They were remark- 

 able chiefly because of their laciniate leaves. Both forms 

 appeared to differ from Mercurialis annua in having a 

 longer lease of life, since they remained green until the 

 latter part of December. Plants of both continued to 

 appear in 1717 and 1718, propagating themselves. 



Masters and others have given lists containing several 

 instances of the appearance of laciniate forms, to whose 

 number one readily may add by glancing over the cata- 

 logues annually published by the principal seed houses. 

 It is especially of trees and shrubs (Acer platanoides 

 laciniatum, Betula pendula var. dalecarlia, 38 Rubus 

 fruticosus laciniatus) that cut-leaved varieties are in de- 

 mand. This popularity is equaled only by that which 

 Chelidonium ma jus laciniatum appears to enjoy in the 

 world scientific, dating from the time when Roze 39 called 

 attention to its history. Laciniation seems to have 

 taken place at least twice in the genus Chelidonium. Of 

 C. japonicum Thumb, occurs a var. dissecta. 40 



There exist several varieties of Chelidonium ma jus. 

 Thus we have the broad-petaled form (C. ma jus lati- 

 petalum) of the Groningen Botanic Garden, the double- 

 flowered variety and the cut-leaved one, the latter par- 

 ticularly interesting because the laciniation extends to 

 the petals. During the last four years I have cultivated 



38 A cut-leaved variety of B. pendula is also known, vide Sanford, S., 

 '•A (Jut-leaved Cherry Birch," Ehodora, 4: 83, 1902. 



38 Roze, E., ^Le Chelidonium laciniatum Miller," J own. de Bot., 9: 



"Pram, D., "A Revision of the Genus Chelidonium," Bull. Herb. 

 Boiss., 3: 570, 1895. 



The Papaveracese yield other instances of the reappearance of an 

 abnormality in members of the same genus, for instance pistillody of the 

 stamens. The most quoted instance is that of Papaver somniferum poly- 



grounds of the Yilmorins. Similar varieties were described by von Mohl 

 for P. orientale and by Elkan for P. dubium (Henri van Heurck, "Notice 

 sur une prolification axillaire floripare du Fapaver setigerum," Bull. Soc. 

 Boy. Bot. Belg., 2: 329, 1863) and is said to occur also in Macleya cordata 

 (Le Sourd-Dussiples et Georges Bergeron, "Note sur un cas de meta- 

 morphose ascendante," Bull, de la Soc. bot. de France, 8: 348, 1861). 



