THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



59 



less favored. As evidence we give a view from a vernal wood 

 in the vicinity of Joliet where the ground is so nearly covered 

 with flowers that it is literally true that one must tread on 

 flowers at every step in passing through it. The flowers that 

 make up this drift of blossoms are spring beauties, Dutchman's 

 breeches, trilliums, violets and anemones. Later the same wood 

 will be as thickly spread with phlox, coUinsia, polemoniums, 

 and the like, and these will in turn give way to several other 

 groups before asters, goldenrods, and eupatoriums close the 

 season. 



ABNORMAL FRUITS OF JUGLANS REGIA 



By J. A. NiEUWLANDS. 



T N the December (1912 ) number of Torreya, there is a notice 

 with drawing of a tricarpellary English Walnut, together 

 with the theory that this is a reversion to a primitive type. 

 Concerning the nature of the reversion in this particular case 

 of teratology, we do not presume to express an opinion beyond 

 this, that we do not see that it is necessary to explain such 

 causes by the supposition that they are reversions to primitive 

 conditions. 



Though we have not made it a special point to search for 

 abnormal "fruits" of Juglans regia, we may say that we have 

 found such specimens as the one described and drawn, to be 

 quite common. The fruit in question consists of three equally 

 large carpel leaves and the same number of false partitions. 

 We have, moreover, found twO' other abnormal fruits quite as 

 interesting as the one referred to, both within a week of each 

 other. These I have sent to the editor of this magazine and we 

 have dissected only the more complex of the two. The first of 

 these fruits is composed oi three carpels. One of these is the 

 size of the normal one in all walnuts, that is, a perfect half 



