180 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



PAPIL.IONACEAE — Vicieae. 



ViciA, Tourn. 



Various species of the genus have been studied byGodfrin, 

 Schleiden and Vogel, Becli, Harz, Mattirolo and Buscalioni, 

 Nadelraann, Chalon, Macchiatti, Tscbirch, Oesterle, Russow, 

 Pringsheim, Mounier, Sempolowslii, Dahmen, Holfert, Bis- 

 choff, Harberlandt, Sachs, and Huss. 



Schleiden and Vogel, as well as Chalon, considered the seeds 

 of the o-enus exalbuminous. Biscboff recorded endosperm 

 for the genus as early as 1833, and Beck much later indicated 

 its presence in some species, but Nadelmann was unable to 

 find endosperm in the genus. In the species which I have 

 studied endosperm was present, though often reduced to the 

 aleuroue cells accompanied by thick-walled, elongated cells — 

 the internal layer. Beck figures and describes endosperm 

 for Vicia Faba, and Macchiatti, for V. narhonensis . The 

 testa of the genus is variously pigmented — brown, yellow, 

 or sometimes almost black. Malpighian cells elongated and 

 laro"e. Beck records silica in the Malpighian cells of V. 

 Faba. I have not been able to confirm this. Chromatophores 

 present. Osteosclerids elongated, thick-walled, and I-shaped. 



The following brief characters of species not studied by me 

 are taken from Harz. The Malpighian cells of Vicia nar- 

 honensis, L. are 180-183 /* long, colored dark brown. Osteo- 

 sclerids short. The nutrient laj^er is divided into three parts. 

 Endosperm absent according to Harz. Palisade cells of the 

 embryo absent. Large intercellular spaces in the cotyledons, 

 and an abundance of starch. Vicia lathy roides, L. has shorter 

 Malpio"hian cells which are somewhat variable in size owing to 

 the presence of small depressions between the ridges. The de- 

 pressions are 45 /x. long and the projections are 75-80 ix long. 

 Cotyledons with large starch grains. V. Jiybrida, L. has long, 

 dark brown Malpighian cells. Endosperm absent. Starch in 

 the cotyledons not as abundant as in the last species. The Mal- 

 pighian cells of V. luiea, L. are 110-115 /li long. The upper 

 part of the cell is colorless, the lower brown. Endosperm 

 reduced or absent. Cotyledons with an abundance of starch 

 grains. The Malpighian cells of Vicia sepiiwi, L., in the 



