01 



largest amount in April just before the plant blooms, and rapidly 

 decreases until it reaches a minimum in October ; thus pointing 

 to the possibility of its being a storage material to assist the plant 

 in blooming and perfecting its seed. 



The astringencv of other plants of this natural order has 

 been observed in other parts of the globe. For instance, the root 

 of the wild Pelargonium (Monsonia ovata) of South Africa has 

 attracted attention for many years, and was probably brought to 

 the notice of the early settlers by the natives. This plant is 

 called Nccta or Geita by the Kaffirs, and beiii£>- very astringent, it 

 has been used with great success in dysentery. 



The Kaffirs simply chew the root, which somewhat resembles 

 that of the gentian, but a more palatable mixture is made by boil- 

 ing four ounces of the root for twenty minutes in a pint of milk, 

 and one or two tablespoonfuls are given every two hours. The 

 plant is collected in January and February from the Waal River 

 district. Mr. J. Medley Wood, Curator of the Botanic Gardens, 

 Durban, states that the root of Monsonia biflora is also used for 

 the same purpose in Xatal. — Indian Gardening and Planting. 



NOTE AX I) COMMENT. 



Wanted. — Short notes of interest to the general botanist 

 are always in demand for this department. Our readers are in- 

 vited to make this the place of publication for their botanical 

 items. 



Indian Pipe. — The Indian pipe ( Monotropa) is hot a 

 specific American plant, as Mr. Ernest Waters Vickers in the 

 November edition of the Botanist seems to think. I, myself, 

 have collected Monotropa hirsuta (."!/. Hypopitys /,.) in Danish 

 forests, where also a smooth variety or species M. glabra exists. 

 None of them are rare, and of both, but especially of M. glabra, 

 one-flower forms (Af. unidora L,.f) can be found. Both species 

 are quite at home in Sweden and Norway, in the coniferous 

 forests, of which M. glabra is the most common species. Xichol- 



