350 Sc /lively — Contributions to the Life History of 



not by any means to be despised. From study of the 

 structure, and the experiments tried in the greenhouse, I 

 think it is improbable that the germination of these aerial 

 seeds occurs in their native haunts. Should they germinate 

 the feeble specimens resulting, would soon be crowded out 

 of existence, not only by their more vigorous relatives, but 

 also by the surrounding vegetation. 



Comparison of Amphicarp^ea Flowers with those 



of other Plants. 



An examination of the Leguminosae shows that there are 

 other members of the Order which share with Amphi- 

 carpcea the peculiarity of producing subterranean fruit. In 

 Huth's paper 17 , quite a number are enumerated ; but with 

 many of those mentioned, beyond the simple statement 

 that the special plant produces two or more types of fruit, 

 little definite information concerning the life history of the 

 individual has been recorded. Among the most familiar, 

 are Trifolium subterraneum, Vicia amphicarpa, and Arachis 

 hyp ogee a. 



Trifolium subterraneuvn produces practically but one kind 

 of flower which may mature fruit above ground, 28 if the 

 head is prevented from forcing its way under the surface. 

 Usually after the flowering period is over, the peduncle 

 bends, gradually lengthening, until the earth is reached. 11 

 Under the soil, the fruit ripens. According to Warming, 22 

 the inflorescence commonly contains but four or five normal 

 flowers; the remaining ones he terms "metamorphosed." 

 The calyx of this type is peculiarly developed, the function 

 evidently being to assist in penetrating the soil. All other 

 floral portions are absent in this type of flower. What 

 structural differences, if any, exist between the aerial and 

 subterranean legumes, I have not been able to ascertain ; 

 the subject probably awaits investigation. It is stated, how- 

 ever, by Belli 23 that the seeds contained in the former, 

 germinate with difficulty unless the integument is broken. 



Vicia amphicarpa bears two kinds of flower, each of which 



