IPOMCEA LACUNOSA. — WHITE STAR IPOMCEA. 99 



drawing was made from a mid-day specimen gathered on this 

 occasion. The curious behavior of our plant in this respect, in 

 which it differs so decidedly from its near relatives, is v;ell worthy 

 the attention of the student. 



Another singular fact connected with the fertilization of the 

 Ipotticea lacunosa is the disarticulation of its pistils. In most 

 flowers these organs show a considerable degree of persistence 

 after fertilization, or at least dry up only gradually. But in this 

 species they separate by a joint near the base on the slightest 

 touch, soon after the stigma has received its pollen. The flower, 

 as a whole, is also of peculiar interest to those who are engaged 

 in investigations concerning the causes which regulate the struc- 

 ture and the behavior of plants. In many of the species of 

 Ipomcea the flowers are at least as large as the leaves. In /. /ac7i- 

 nosa the leaves are as large as the average in its allies, but 

 yet the flowers are proportionately very small. The seed-vessels, 

 on the contrary, are as large as in almost any of the species, and 

 indeed we may say that they are rather above the average as 

 compared with the leaves. The reader will remember that 

 flowers are really metamorphosed leaves. In the case of the 

 corolla of the Ipotnoea lactinosa we may therefore say that the 

 five primordial leaves which were used in its production have 

 been almost wholly arrested in their development, and yet, so far 

 as we can see, the whole economy of the plant is just as good as 

 if it had a corolla as brilliant and as gay as that of any " Morning 

 Glory." 



« 



Although the innocent little white flowers of our species are 

 not without their own attraction, the " vine " itself, to our mind, 

 presents the chief beauty. The Ipomcea lacnnosa is in this 

 respect one of the most beautiful of all the American members 

 of the genus. The angular and yet curving outlines of the 

 leaves accord well with the twining habit of the plant, and give 

 a rich elegance to its slender growth. Those who are inclined 

 to give a poetical interpretation to the actions of nature, might 

 see in the rich foliage a good reason why the flower is not as 



