Bee botany and entomology
I SEND herewith, leaves, bloom, and pod or sced
of a very singular and beautiful plant, or shrub.
It is a stranger to me and to everyone who has
seen it, and it seems to have got among us mysteriously. Miss Mollie Heath, the daughter of quite an
extensive apiarian of this county, Mr. Henry Heath,
procured the seed among other flower seeds, and
planted them, late last spring, in the front yard at
their residence.
This plant came up with the rest, but did not attract much attention until the last of August, when
it commenced to bloom, and all other flowers were
gone. Then every passer by stopped to admire it.
There have been some 25 or 30 branches of bloom,
with from 50 to 100 blooms each. It is about 3 feet
high, with quite a large top. It is yet in full bloom,
and looks, from the number of buds yet unopened,
as if it will bloom until New Year's. Cold weather
and frost don't seem to have any effeet on it.
Not one of its many visitors has been able to name
this stranger: so we have concluded to get you to
do so for us, if you can, and tell ns whether it is an
annual or semi-annual plant, and where we can obtain seed of the same. I don't think any seed will
ripen on this one, this season. The bees have
worked on it all the time, and are working on it today.
Denison, Texas, Nov. 23, 1878. G. W. SNIDER.

We sent the plant to Prof. Beal, who replied as follows :
This is some species of Poinciana, a woody plant
closely related to the acacias. These belong to the
order Leguminosæ, an immense order of 6,F00 spe-
cies. With more time and better specimens, I might make out the plant more certainly.
Agr. College, Lansing, Mich. W. J. BEAL.