STIZOLOBIUM VELUTINUM. 21 



over with black, perhaps the same as 24424, but with discolored seeds. 

 There was also found in some asparagus bean seed from Buitenzorg 

 a variety with greenish-yellow seeds, No. 0840. 

 Doctor Treub writes, under date of April 26, 1909: 



The three varieties described by Hasskarl, (1) ' ' Kwas boeriek, " (2) " Kwas hiedung, " 

 (3) "Kwas boddas," are now grown in our botanical garden under the following 

 names: (1) Mucuna velutina Hassk. var., (2) Mucuna capitata var. nigra, (3) 

 Mucuna capitata var. alba. The subvariety described by Hasskarl with rough seeds 

 ("Kwas boddas mengroet") seems to be no more present. 



It will be noticed, however, that there were received from Buiten- 

 zorg more kinds than Doctor Treub mentions. Of these S. P. I. Nos. 

 21955 and 0840 failed to germinate; Nos. 21951 and 21953, with black, 

 shiny seeds, proved to be identical with the Mauritius bean; No. 

 21952, with ash-colored seeds, is a very late sort with purple flowers, 

 but the pods did not mature; Nos. 24424 and 24657, both with 

 marbled seeds, also did not mature at Biloxi, Miss., or Gainesville, 

 Fla., but have been grown to maturity in the greenhouse. 



Since Hasskarl in his first description referred only to "Kwas 

 boddas," that is clearly the type of the species. It will be noted that 

 in the first description Hasskarl states that this has white flowers. 

 According to his second description, Kwas boddas has white seeds, 

 rough in one form and smooth in the other, but the color of the 

 flowers is not mentioned. 



In a comparatively recent publication from the Buitenzorg Garden, 

 Burck (Annales du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg, 1893, vol. 11, 

 p. 187) considers velutina identical with utilis and reduces both it 

 and capitata to varieties of Mucuna pruriens. According to him, 

 var. utilis {velutina) has the seeds white, fuscous, or fuscous-maculate. 

 He does not specify the color of the seed of var. capitata. 



None of the kinds that we have secured from Buitenzorg and grown 

 fulfills these conditions of white flowers and white seeds, as all that 

 grew had purple flowers and only one had seeds that can be called 

 white. There remains S. P. I. No. 0840, with greenish-yellow seeds. 

 This seems to be identical with S. P. I. No. 25756, received from 

 Mauritius, and that does have white flowers. This, however, would 

 seem to fit best with Hasskarl's "Kwas heedjoh," the seeds of which are 

 described as greenish, "viridiusculis." 



We are therefore at a loss to determine the identity of the real 

 Mucuna velutina, which seemingly is not contained among those 

 grown by us, unless it may indeed be identical with Stizolobium 

 niveum, the only species we as yet know with white flowers and white 

 seeds. 



As before stated, the species with black, shiny seeds proves to be 

 the same as the Mauritius bean. The two kinds with mottled seeds 

 are probably distinct species. 



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