495 



closely resembles that of V. pubescens but differs in size, shape, 

 proportionate width and length and the toothing. It may be of 

 interest to note that I have seen the type of V. tripartita on 

 several occasions and have collected specimens almost iden- 

 tical with it on Stone Mountain, which is no great distance 

 from the original locality, Athens, Georgia. I have also received 

 excellent and typical specimens from Mr. A. M. Huger, collected 

 in Polk County, North Carolina, and a series of specimens show- 

 ing all degrees of gradation from the simple-leaved state to the 

 trifoliolate leaf, from Mr. E. R. Memminger, who independently 

 came to the conclusion that the affinities of V. tripartita are with 

 V. pubescens and not with V. Jiastata. 



I append a description taken from living plants. 



Viola tripartita Ell. Bot. S. C. & Ga. i: 320. 1817. 



Viola hastata var. tripartita A. Gray, Bot. Gaz. 11: 291. 1886. 



Perennial by a short rootstock and numerous coarse roots, 

 usually stoutish, puberulent or minutely pilose and glandular 

 above, bright but often deep green. Stems mostly clustered, 

 erect, 1.5-5 dm. tall, usually branched above, often purplish and 

 glabrate below, greenish, glandular, and somewhat glandular near 

 the top; leaves 3-parted or sometimes entire, 4-10 cm. long, their 

 petioles 2-3 cm. long; stipules ovate, ciliate, 6-8 mm. long; leaf- 

 lets usually short-petioled, puberulent, undulate or crenate-serrate, 

 the terminal one lanceolate or oblanceolate, the lateral ones 

 inequilateral lanceolate to ovate; flowers golden yellow, 1.2-1.5 

 cm. broad; pedicels slender, nearly erect, 3-10 cm. long; sepals 

 lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, nearly 6 mm. long, 3-ribbed, acute 

 or obtuse, with hyaline ciliolate margins; petals spatulate, about i 

 cm. long, the upper ones recurved, purplish on the back, with one 

 conspicuous black vein, the lateral ones with two black veins and a 

 patch of glands, the lower one with numerous conspicuous black 

 veins; stigma bearded; capsule oblong, 1-1.2 cm. long, acutish ; 

 seeds pale, obovoid, 3 mm. long. 



IV. Melothria grandifolia T. & G., and its true Position. 

 Melothria grandifolia, published by Torrey and Gray in 1S40, 

 soon disappeared from the pages of succeeding botanical works 

 and in Prof. Cogniaux's Monograph of the Cucurbitaceae* we 

 find the name in an appended list of doubtful species. The 

 apparent rarity of the species, or at least the scarcity of speci- 



* DC. Monog. Phanerog. 3 : 948. 



