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*ew Cu scuT -^ynew at least to North America, comes now from California. A 
great wanHererls this G. corymbosa, which nearly 40 years ago stirred up the botanists 
of Europe, and the agriculturists not less. This interesting plant has quite a little his¬ 
tory of its own. At the period indicated, between 1889 and 1848, an unknown Cicscuta 
made its appearance almost simultaneously in different parts of western Europe, and, 
singularly enough, always on Lucerne - fields. In Germany it was described as G. 
suaveolens, G. Hassiaca, G. diaphana , ahd Engelmannia migrans, until Choisy, in DC. 
Prod., recognizing its American origin, took it for G. corymbosa, R. & P. In my mono- 
graph of Cuscuta, 1859, I established the identity of the immigrant with the South 
American G. racemosa, Mart., which had been introduced into Europe with the much 
vaunted Chilian Alfalfa, in reality the old established European fodder plant, the 
Lucerne, and which proved very destructive to its nurse-plant. After 10 or 15 years the 
energetic measures of the farmers, 'together with wet and cool summers, in.which the 
seeds did not mature, seem to have eradicated the plant entirely, and as far as I am in¬ 
formed, it has not been heard of again in Europe. But now, lo and behold,,: our 
wanderer makes its appearance in northern California, and, precisely as before in 
Europe, in Alfalfa fields, “proving very injurious.” It has been, without doubt, here 
also imported from Chili. 
) Rev. E. L. Greene, who has found so many new native plants in the Shasta Valley, 
sends also this troublesome newcomer. How long it has been there or whether it has 
appeared in other parts of California, where under the Well-sounding name of Alfalfa 
the Lucerne is frequently cultivated, is as yet unknown, nor whether it will establish 
itself permanently. It may be well to direct the attention of the farmers, who cultivate , 
Alfalfa, to this dangerous enemy and to urge them to destroy any dodder which may 
show itself in their fields, before it can spread or mature seeds-. G. racemosa, Mart., 
belongs like our common G. G-ronovii to the section Glisto grammica, characterized by 
two styles of unequal length tipped with capitate stigmas and a not-opening (baccate) 
capsule., Ovary and capsule are thickened towards the apex and somewhat pointed; 
inflorescence loosely paniculated with, longish pedicels; flowers 1 %—2 lines long, of 
thin texture, tube of corolla deeply campanulate, widening upwards, spreading lobes 
indexed at the acute tip; scales nearly the length of the tube; capsule commonly en¬ 
veloped by the corolla. , 
The variety, GMliana, Eng. Cusc. p., 505, to which this form belongs, has larger and 
more, delicate flowers than the original Brazilian type.-—G. Es aBMCCKiN. 
The Oldest Livino Botanist. —The oldest living botanist is probably the 
$v£ede Elias Ffte&^born in 1794, and this eminent man is still active. 
He is a profound^pMlospphieal Botanist, the basis of whose systematic ar¬ 
rangement of the Fungi is sL+Lfollowed; and file Lichenological system presented in 
his Lichenographia Europcea BeforJncita, publ^hed in 1831, is still, with such modifica¬ 
tions as the advance Of knowledge reqhi^es^he best that'has been prepared, and is not 
likely to be superseded. The introductoiWSqmarks should be studied by all who take 
Up this branch of botany, and the descriptions maAe not been surpassed.' Fries’s bo¬ 
tanical publications are numerous, tlie/most irapomtnl of them being devoted to the 
Fungi and Lichens. In 1872 he commenced the publicatibuof an illustrated work on 
Fungi, several fascicles of which have been published.—W. \ 
