Recent Observations on Amphicarpsea 



Monoica. 



By Adeline Frances Schively, Ph. D. 



Honorary"Fellow in Botany. 



THE results of certain experiments had not been deter- 

 mined, when my paper published in the last number 

 of the " Botanical Contributions of the University of 

 Pennsylvania" went to press. In order that the observa- 

 tions now to be discussed may be clearly presented, certain 

 allusions to statements in the paper mentioned above will be 

 found necessary. 



A. monoica bears above ground, duriug August, racemes of 

 puiple flowers, whose productiveness is quite variable ; but in 

 most seasons a fair number of legumes may be gathered. 

 These legumes are lanceolate or falcate in shape, and contain 

 rarely two, usually three, seeds, which when ripe are grayish- 

 green, flecked with purple. When immature, the legumes 

 are green ; later they become brown, and dehisce in the usual 

 manner. The dorsal and ventral sutures are quite prominent, 

 and are markedly hairy. The walls of the legume are not in 

 close contact with the seeds ; upon the outer surface of the 

 walls a few scattered hairs occur. 



In September, aerial greenish cleistogamic flowers appear, 

 and by October have produced legumes differing in shape 

 from those already described ; the number of seeds varies 

 from one to three ; but the color of the seeds and the general 

 features of the legume are similar to those resulting from 

 purple flowers. 



During the entire season, subterranean flowers are con- 

 stantly developing. The legumes here produced are pyri- 

 form, and typically contain but one seed, which occupies the 

 entire space. When immature, the legume walls are white, 



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