98 



THE AMERICAN BOTANIST, 



hygrometrica) is another moss that is often prominent in 

 the landscape from the yellow-green hue its stems impart 

 to ground recently burned over. In the same places 

 Bryum argenteum often gives a silvery tinge to the earth. 



Butterfly-weed Difficult to Eradicate. — A cor- 

 respondent notes that it is exceedingly difficult to root out 

 the butterfly- weed {Asclepias tu^erosa), any little root left 

 in the soil soon forming a new plant. The same thing is 

 true of the common milkweed (Asclepias cornuti) and the 

 characteristic will probably be found to extend to other 

 members of the genus. 



Rare Plants. — I suppose every plant collector is 

 pleased when he finds a rare plant. I have just learned 

 that a plant in my collection is so rare that only two per- 

 sons have reported finding it. The plant is Silene Spald- 

 ingii, and is not common even here. The flowers are not 

 showy and could be easily passed by. Polygonum poly- 

 galoideSy said to be rather rare, is very common here, and 

 Ribes setosum, a brierless gooseberry, is not uncommon. — 

 Susan Tucker y Cheney, Washington. 



Taste of Indian Turnip.— The books all affirm that 

 the corm of Indian turnip or Jack-in-the-pulpit {Arissema 

 triphyllum) is intensely acrid and most botanizers are 

 content to take their word for it. The fact is, however, 

 that the corm is not acrid at all, as any one who has the 

 courage to experiment may find out for himself by chew- 

 ing a small portion. The experimenter may be warned 

 that while the word acrid does not properly characterize 

 it, there may be others equally strong that do, and he 

 should try only a very small portion. When a piece of 

 the fresh corm is chewed the mouth feels as if being pricked 

 with countless needles, especially at the base of the tongue. 

 In a very short time this sensation ceases so long as the 

 tongue is held perfectly still, but the least movement re- 

 news the prickly sensations that tingle like shocks of 

 electricity. In the course of twenty minutes most of the 

 tingling passes off, but one may feel faint twinges for an 

 hour or more longer. 



