THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 23 



connected with the first by a narrow neck formed by the 

 cauHcle. The third year is a repetition of the second with the 

 formation of a third tuber which causes the underground por- 

 tion to assume something of the appearance of the mature 

 rhizome. Not until the fourth year is an aerial stem sent up 

 and then it only sports one or two leaves. When the stem dies 

 in autumn it leaves a scar on the new tuber formed and tiierc- 

 after the underground parts are marked each successive season 

 by the familiar circular scars which give the plant its common 

 name. By the time the first of these scars appear, the initial 

 tuber begins to decay and it is no longer possible to determine 

 from an examination of the rootstalk, the exact age of the 

 plant. It is known, however, that it is not until the tenth year, 

 or even later, that the first flowers and fruits appear and this 

 may give some idea of the age of well developed clumps. Con- 

 sidering the extreme slowness with which new plants of this 

 species develop from seed, it is nO' wonder that the plant has 

 come to depend in great measure upon its branching rhizomes 

 for multiplication. 



Abnormal Hepatica Flowers. — Dr. J. A. Nieuwland 

 reports in the Midland Naturalist that he has found several 

 hepatica plants in which, instead of single flowers on three- 

 bracted scapes, there were in addition tO' the usual flower, three 

 others from the axils of the bracts. Several variations of this 

 condition were noted, but the important feature in all is that 

 more than one flower was produced on a single stalk. Another 

 curious variation reported is that in which the outer row of 

 colored organs was green, indicating that possibly the flower 

 which is usually regarded as having only sepals may in reality 

 have both calyx and corolla, colored alike. The scientists have 

 lately seemed bent on fitting this well known flower with two 

 sets of floral organs. A short time ago, it was noted in this 

 magazine that evidence had been found to support the view that 

 the green bracts were in the nature of sepals. As a matter of 



