NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



555 



Picris formosa. By S. A. Skan (Bot. Mag. tab. 8283).— Nat. -ord. 

 Ericaceae ; tribe Andromedeae. India and China. Shrub or small tree, 

 20 feet high ; leaves clustered at the end of twigs, 2-5 inches long ; 

 flowers pendulous in drooping, many-flowered panicles ; corolla urceolate, 

 3 J— 4 lines, long, white or tinged with rose. — 67. H. 



Pinus edulis (Bot. Gaz. vol. xlviii., No. 3, pp. 216-223, September 

 1909). — Mr. E. J. Phillips finds that this species, the Pifion, thrives on 

 coarse gravel or sand slopes from about 5,400 to 7,700 feet. It is able to 

 fix itself in rock crevices and is one of the first trees to establish itself on 

 lava-flows. Its associates are usually Pinus ponderosa, Juniperus mono- 

 sperma, J. pachyphloea, and scrub oaks. It grows well in a dry country 

 with only 13 inches of rainfall. The best trees are 40 to 45 feet in height 

 and 2 to 2*5 feet in diameter. It requires plenty of sunlight. The wood 

 forms good fuel, but is not durable when used as poles or fencing. The 

 seeds are sold as a delicacy throughout the U.S. at from 40 to 60 cents a 

 pound ; about 300 lb. have been obtained per acre. Seed years occur once 

 in every five years. The seeds are often infertile. 



Natural regeneration is exceedingly difficult. — G. F. S.-E. 



Pinus Jeffreyi. By W. B. Hemsley (Bot. Mag. tab. 8257).— Nat. 

 ord. Conifer ae ; tribe, Abietineae. Western N. America. Tree, 40 feet 

 high ; leaves 6-10 inches long. Male cones, many at the bases of young 

 shoots, 1J-2 inches iong ; female cones solitary, when ripe pendulous, 

 oblong, 6-7 inches long, purplish-brown. — G. H. 



Pinus, Parthenogenesis in (Bot. Gaz. vol. xlvii., No. 5, May 1909, 

 pp. 406-409 ; with 1 fig.). — Mr. W. T. Saxton describes cases of 

 parthenogenesis in P. Pinaster and figures the difference between these 

 and normal development after fertilization. — G. F. S.-E. 



Platanthera chlorantha with Three Spurs, Another speci- 

 men of. By W. Botting Hemsley, F.R.S. (Jour. Linn. Soc. vol. xxxviii. 

 No. 267, pp. 391-394 ; 1908, with 2 text figures). — In a previous com- 

 munication a three- spurred form of this orchid was described in which 

 the additional spurs were derived from the modification of the lateral 

 sepals, and the case was, therefore, one of false peloria. In the present 

 paper an example of Platanthera is described showing true peloria — all 

 the spurred organs being of the inner or petal series. All the flowers on 

 the spike are transformed. The spurs in some of the flowers are of 

 unequal length, and the limbs or blades are a little unequal in size and 

 shape. In other flowers the three spurs and three blades are almost uniform 

 in size and shape. This appears to be the first record of lip-peloria 

 with spurs. The specimen was found in the neighbourhood of Bath. 

 The paper concludes with a reference to some similar observations on 

 P. bifolia by Mr. S. Sommier of Florence.— B. B. 



Platanthera chlorantha Custor var. tricalcarata Hemsl. By 



W. Botting Hemsley, F.R.S. (Jour. Linn. Soc. vol. xxxviii. No, 263, 

 pp. 3-5 ; 1907 ; 1 plate). — One spike of this three-spurred Platanthera 



