﻿Taxonomic 
  Anomalies 
  665 
  

  

  gree 
  of 
  variability 
  of 
  its 
  leaves. 
  In 
  some 
  in- 
  

   stances 
  these 
  are 
  one-bladed, 
  the 
  blade 
  reaching 
  

   a 
  length 
  of 
  15 
  cm., 
  and 
  hardly 
  resembling 
  those 
  

   of 
  the 
  common 
  bastard-acacia. 
  Other 
  leaves 
  

   produce 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  small 
  leaflets 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  

   the 
  large 
  terminal 
  one, 
  and 
  by 
  this 
  contrivance 
  

   are 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Des- 
  

   modium, 
  repeating 
  its 
  chief 
  characters 
  nearly 
  

   exactly, 
  and 
  only 
  differing 
  somewhat 
  in 
  the 
  rela- 
  

   tive 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  parts. 
  Lastly 
  real 
  in- 
  

   termediates 
  are 
  seen 
  between 
  the 
  rnonophyllous 
  

   and 
  the 
  pinnate 
  types. 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  

   able 
  to 
  ascertain, 
  these 
  are 
  produced 
  on 
  weak 
  

   twigs 
  under 
  unfavorable 
  conditions; 
  the 
  

   size 
  of 
  the 
  terminal 
  leaflet 
  decreases 
  and 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  the 
  lateral 
  blades 
  increases, 
  showing 
  

   thereby 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  pinnate 
  

   type 
  in 
  a 
  latent 
  condition. 
  

  

  The 
  sudden 
  origin 
  of 
  this 
  " 
  one-leaved 
  " 
  

   acacia 
  in 
  a 
  nursery 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  a 
  prototype 
  

   of 
  the 
  ancient 
  origin 
  of 
  Desmodium. 
  Of 
  

   course 
  the 
  comparison 
  only 
  relates 
  to 
  a 
  single 
  

   character, 
  and 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  leaflets 
  are 
  

   not 
  affected 
  by 
  it. 
  But 
  the 
  monophylly, 
  or 
  rath- 
  

   er 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  terminal 
  blade 
  and 
  the 
  reduc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  lateral 
  ones, 
  may 
  be 
  held 
  to 
  be 
  suf- 
  

   ficiently 
  illustrated 
  by 
  the 
  bastard-acacia, 
  It 
  

   is 
  worth 
  while 
  to 
  state, 
  that 
  analogous 
  varieties 
  

   have 
  also 
  arisen 
  in 
  other 
  genera. 
  The 
  " 
  one- 
  

  

  