Though the evidence already given might be esteemed to be sufficient for
our purpose, I should like to introduce a few more examples; two of them
pertain to American plants.
The Ipecac spurge or _Euphorbia Ipecacuanha_ occurs from Connecticut to
Florida, mainly near the coast, preferring dry and sandy soil. It is
often found by the roadsides. According to Britton and Brown's
"Illustrated Flora" it is glabrous or pubescent, with several or many
stems, ascending or nearly erect; with green or red leaves, which are
wonderfully variable in outline, from linear to orbicular, mostly
opposite, the upper sometimes whorled, the lower often alternate. The
glands of the involucres are elliptic or oblong, and even the seeds vary
in shape.
Such a wide range of variability evidently points to the existence of
some minor types. Dr. John Harshberger has made a study of those which
occur in the vicinity of Whitings in New Jersey. His types agree with
the description given above. Others were gathered by him at Brown's
Mills in the pinelands, New Jersey, where they grew in almost pure sand
in the bright sunlight. He observed still other differentiating
characters. The amount of seed [56] produced and the time of flowering
were variable to a remarkable degree.
Dr. Harshberger had the kindness to send me some dried specimens of the
most interesting of these types.
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