Biological Laboratory 

 "/oods Hole Mass. 



My dear Prof. Fernald;- 



During the past winter I was teaching botany 

 in Cleveland, Ohio; and about the middle of May I 

 came across some specimens of Trillium grandiflorum 

 which showed a very interesting reduplication of parts. 

 Instead of the normal whorl of three sepals there were 

 three superposed whorls of sepal like structures above 

 which was a fourth whorl the members of which were 

 particolored green and white, partaking of the nature 

 of both sepals and petals. The essential parts of the 

 flower were also abnormal f only one stamen being present, 

 and the pistil showing foxir stigmas with a four lobed, 

 four chambered, ovary. Since in Gray you speak of mon- 

 strosities in the flower parts being not rare, I should 

 be very glad if you could give me references to any 

 published^ description of such abnormalities. The flower 

 was such a peculiar one that I made "% careful study of 

 it; and was thinking of writing a brief note about it 

 for the Ohio Naturalist as being of interest to local 

 botanists. Naturally^ howe ver , I do not care to describe 

 as interesting and peculiar something that is of too 

 common occurrence for note. I should much appreciate 



