THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 
77 
Tyrol and in lower Austria and Hungary they are purpl- 
ish. The alpine poppy {Pnpaver alpinum) on the slopes 
of the Austrian and Styrian Alps is white, on the south- 
eastern Alps it is blue. In the eentral Tyrokse Alps the 
flmvers, in the eastern Alps the'v are white. It does not 
seem known, as yet, what causes these changes. The 
gation. Kerner seems to be of the opinion that the colors 
are adapted by the blossoms because they contrast most 
strikingly with other species in their vicinity but this 
seems a rather fanciful theory. 
Plant Distribution.— This week I noticed an interest- 
ing example of plant distribution in that of several 
mullein plants growdng in an old unused stable lot. I 
was surprised as I have never seen mullein as far west as 
Colorado, in fact, these are the first I have seen since 
leaving Ohio. The sight of them so aroused my curiosity, 
who has resided in Colora-lo for more than thirty years, 
and found that they had been there a number of years, 
some having matured seed. He hail carefully taken care 
of the first plant he noticed }).-cause they made hlra think 
of his boyhood days. The following (lues lions arose in 
my mimh How came these here 'f Why aren't there more 
plants since the lime of the first plant's appe-iraiice ' And 
f)r. ashe said, we alwavs^issooiaterl TuuUein wsnh sheip 
in the i>asturelands of < )\va>.^ Is this a Ukely explanadcm ? 
planted some without being al^le to make them grow. I 
should like to hear from western botanists, esi)ecialiy from 
un-isu d ocJurrenc.^ -E'lr/ Lvn IJ >hn<ion. Eivujs. Colo. 
