1899] Rich,—Amphicarpaea Pitcheri in New England 27 
AMPHICARPAEA PITCHERI IN NEW ENGLAND. 
: W. P. RICH 
Prants of Amphicarpaea Pitcheri, T. & G., have been collected in 
recent years in two localities in eastern Massachusetts. It was first 
observed by the writer at Winchester, August 21, 1887, growing in a 
thicket on the border of Mystic Lake, and again on August 25, 1893, 
it was found in the damp woods of Oak Island, Revere. A comparison 
of these specimens with typical ones from the western states shows 
them to be identical with that species. Abundance of Amphicarpaea 
monoica was growing near at hand in both locations, but 4. Pitcheri 
was found on slightly higher and drier ground and in more open 
spaces of the woods. 
The most eastern point in the United States from which this plant 
has heretofore been recorded is western New York, hence to eastern 
Massachusetts is a stride that may well attract attention. Itis, of course 
possible that the western species had been accidentally introduced 
into this section of the country, although the localities where the 
specimens were found would not favor such an explanation of their 
occurrence here. I am rather of the opinion that, owing to certain 
conditions of soil and exposure, our Amphicarpaea monoica sometimes 
attains to the necessary robustness and passes into 4. Pitcheri. 
During the past season I have revisited the localities where the 
specimens of A. Pitcheri were previously collected, and while unable 
to find any more plants that would pass for this species, there have 
been found some forms that appear intermediate between it and 
monoica, which intergradation has already been suggested in the 
Illustrated Flora, Vol. II, p. 334. 
While typical Pitcher? and typical monoica contrast strongly in gen- 
eral appearance, by reason of the stouter habit and denser pubescence 
of the former, and may therefore well remain as separate species, yet 
in a series of specimens which I have collected, all the characters 
which are usually noted in the separation of Pitcheri are to be found 
in our eastern plants. In slender plants of monoica, the bracts of the 
racemes are two millimeters long, making the peduncles of the flowers 
longer than the bracts. In stouter specimens, these bracts enlarge to 
four millimeters, equaling in size the bracts of Pitcherí, and thus 
causing the peduncles to be shorter than the bracts, which is one of 
the characters of Pitcheri. The pods of the petaliferous flowers in 
