Early Journal Content on JSTOR, Free to Anyone in the World This article is one of nearly 500,000 scholarly works digitized and made freely available to everyone in the world by JSTOR. Known as the Early Journal Content, this set of works include research articles, news, letters, and other writings published in more than 200 of the oldest leading academic journals. The works date from the mid-seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries. We encourage people to read and share the Early Journal Content openly and to tell others that this resource exists. People may post this content online or redistribute in any way for non-commercial purposes. Read more about Early Journal Content at http://about.jstor.org/participate-jstor/individuals/early- journal-content. JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary source objects. JSTOR helps people discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content through a powerful research and teaching platform, and preserves this content for future generations. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization that also includes Ithaka S+R and Portico. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Vol. 41 No. 10 BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICALCLUB OCTOBER, 1914 Noteson Rosaceae-Vill PER AXEL RYDBERG DRYAS Little has been added to the knowledgeof this genus in the last eightyyears. Only one species has been added, Dryas tomentosa Farr. Dryas integrifoliaWahl. Many authors regard this as merely a variety of D. octopetala,as intermediateforms are met with, but these have only been found where the two species grow to- gether and are probably all of hybrid origin. Nathorst* was inclined to regard these forms as hybrids, but he did not call them by a hybrid name, denoting them as D. octopetalaf. inter- media. Hartzt held the same opinion, but apparently by a slip of the pen called them D. integrifoliaintermedia Nathorst. This hybridhas also been collected in Alaska at Orca, Prince William's Sound, I899, Coville& KearneyI191. Dryas octopetalaL. Hartz, loc. cit., admittedseveral varieties of Dryas octopetala,viz. var. minorHook., var. hirsutaHartz, and var argenteaBlytt. The last one of theseseems to be furthestfrom the type, but by no means deserving specific rank. Simmons described a similar form of D. integrifolia,viz. D. integrifolia canescens. Dryas tomentosaFarr. This species is closely related to D. Drummondiiand perhaps not distinct. It may be only a variety * Ofvers. Kong. Sv. Vet. Akad. Hand. 411: 24. I884. t Medd. Groenl. I8: 32I. I895. ]The BULLETIN for September (41: 435-482) was issued 8 0 I9I4.] 483 484 RYDBERG: NOTES ON ROSACEAE standing in the same relationshipto D. Drummondiias D. octo- petala argenteaBlytt stands to D. octopetala. This species has also been collected in the Canadian Rockies, Macoun 65I25. GEUM Geum vernum (Raf.) T. & G. was originally described as Stylopusvernus Raf., and the writeris somewhat in doubt if this species should not be regarded as the type of a distinct genus. The habit is that of a typical Geum, but the receptacle in fruit becomes stalked above the hypanthium,and the bractlets are usually lacking. Occasionally, however,there are found minute bractletsin this species, and the receptacleis more or less stalked in Geum rivale. The generic characters of Stylopusdo therefore break down,and it is perhaps betterto regardit a Geum,especially as the generalhabit is not essentiallydifferent. Geum virginianumL. This species has in general been very well understood. Murray, however, applied that name to G. canadenseand redescribedthe true G. virginianumas G. laciniatum Murr. Many have referredthe latter synonymto G. canadense and Scheutz suggeststhat it may be the same as G. agrimonioides C. A. Mey., i. e. G. MeyerianumRydb., but in my opinionit belongs to G. virginianumL. Geum camporumRydb. Some twenty years ago, the writer, when working over the Rosaceae of Nebraska, had trouble in determiningsome specimensof Geum,and did not know whether to referthem to G. canadenseor to G. virginianum. These speci- mens had the thick leaves, the stout stem and branches,and the largefruiting head of the latter,but the receptaclewas not glabrous and the achenes had the pubescence of G. canadense. When workingup thematerial for the North American Flora, he foundthat the plant was morecommon in the prairieregion of the Mississippi valley than was expected and that its rangeextended from Minne- sota and South Dakota to Arkansasand Texas. As both G. virgini- anum and G. canadenseare found in the region,G. camporummight be regardedas a hybridof the two. These two have about the same distribution(except that G. virginianumis not found in Mexico), but G. camporumis not foundexcept in the westernpart of theircommon range. It is, therefore,not probable that it is a RYDBERG: NOTES ON ROSACEAE 485 hybrid,and it is more likely a distinct species. The following specimensbelong to it: KANSAS: Manhattan, I892, Norton; Riley County, I895, NortonI37; Olathe, I892, Hitchcock;Fort Riley, I892, Gayle522; Emporia, I89I, E. Smith; Cowley County, I899, Mark White54; Lawrence, W. C. Stevens. NEBRASKA: Lincoln, I887, Webber;Nehawka, Sweezey; Sar- gent Bluffs,I853 or I854, Hayden; Franklin, I893, Laybourne; Middle Loupe, I893, Rydberg i6o8; Glenwood, i888, T. A. Williams. SOUTH DAKOTA: Black Hills, Fort Meade, I887, Forwood15. OKLAHOMA:Waugh I75. TEXAS: San Marcos, I898, Stanfield;Crab Apple, Jermey47I; Industry,I893, WUrzlow. MINNESOTA: Fort Snelling, I890, Mearns 346, 347. ARKANSAS: Whippe Expedition,Bigelow. Geumcanadense Jacq. This has usually been knownunder the name Geumalbum J. F. Gmel. The latter was arbitrarilysubsti- tiutedby Gmelin,probably because he thought that it was more appropriate. I say arbitrarilyand without good cause, for he simplybased his species on Jacquin'splate and originaldescription of G. canadense. Geum album (i. e. G. canadense) has been reported fromthe valley of Mexico. As that station was so far remote from the otherwise known range of Geum canadense, the nearest station being in Texas, the writerthought that the specimensfrom Mexico belonged to some other species and that it was merely a case of misidentification. He found, however, in the National Her- barium three sheets collected by Schiede, no. 58o, at San Angel, not far from Mexico City, and these specimens can not be dis- tinguishedfrom specimens fromthe United States. It was also collected at Chinantla, I84I, LiebmannI743. Geum MeyerianumRydb. C. A. Meyer* gave a very good description of this species, but mistook it for G. agrimonioides Pursh, which is not a Geum at all, but Drymocallisagrimonioides (Pursh) Rydb., untillately usually knownas Potentillaarguta. It was, therefore,necessary to give anothername to Geumagrimoni- * Ind. Sem. Petrop. II: SupI. 29, I846. 486 RYDBERG: NOTES ON ROSACEAE oides of -Meyerand the writerwith pleasure dedicated it to the botanist who firstdistinguished it. It is strange that this species (or variety) of the Geumcanadense group has not been recognized by any American authors. It was admitted and described also by Scheutz in his monograph.* It is related to G. canadense, but the basal leaves and lower stem-leavesare pinnatifidand the stem is more hirsute. These characters are sometimesfound in G. hirsutumMuhl. [G. florum(Porter) Bicknell],but the petals in G. Meyerianumare white and longer than the sepals, while in G. hirsutumthey are pale yellow and much shorter. The followingspecimens belong to G. Meyerianum: NEW YORK: Fleishmann,Delaware County,I892, Hermannvon Schrenk; Tuxedo, I896, W. H. Lewis; Oneida, 1903, H. D. House. ONTARIO: Battersea, I 898, Fowler. QUEBEC: Danville, I894, A. K. Berg. PENNSYLVANIA: New Danville, Pike Crossing, I90I, Heller; Bangor, I899, Porter; Easton, I899, Porter. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: banks of canal, I895, Pollard. Geumhirsutum Muhl. This species has been well characterized by Porter and Bicknell under the names G. albumflavum and G. flavum. It was also described by Fischer and Trautvetter,who mistookit forG. canadense,which they held distinctfrom G. album. The oldest name, however, is G. hirsutumMuhl. Muhlenberg listed it in his catalogue in I8I3. In this publication it is to be regarded as a nomen semi-nudum,but nine years later Link gave it a short description,pointing out the essential characters. Geum decurrensRydb. Some specimens from New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado and named G. strictumseemed so different fromall other specimens of that widespread and rathervariable species, that the writer thought it advisable to propose in the North American Flora a new species based on these specimens The essential characters are pointed out in that work. It is, however,advisable to cite some more specimens. ARIZONA: Bakers Butte, Mogollon Mountains, I887, Mearns 59. NEW MEXICO: Mogollon Mountains, I903, Metcalfe536. COLORADO: Rico, I898, Crandall4109. * Nov. Act. Soc. Sci. Upsala III. 7: 32. I870. RYDBERG: NOTES ON ROSACEAE 487 Geum oregonense(Scheutz) Rydb. This was originally de- scribedas a varietyof G. urbanumto whichit is not closelyrelated. Its relationshipis with G. macrophyllum. Usually it is well dis- tinguished from that species by its open inflorescence,smaller stem-leavesand smallerand usually paler petals, but intermediate formsare not lacking. Some of these at least may be regarded as hybrids. Geum oregonenseis common throughoutthe Rocky Mountains, as well as the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades. In the southernRockies, G. macrophyllumis not found,but it extends east to northernNew England,