250 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Vol. XXV, 191S 



11. S. Coe" described the jilaiit in the American Journal of 

 Agronomy as follows: '^3Ieliloti(s alba Desr. var. annua n var. 

 (Annual white sweet clover) erect or ascending, branching, 

 glabrous or young branches and leaves slightly pubescent ; leaves 

 petioled, leaflets mostly oblanceolate, some narrowly ovate to 

 oblong, serrated, obtuse to truncate, corolla white, 4 to 5 mm. 

 long, the standard longer than the other petals, racemes nu- 

 merous, slender 4 to 15 cm. long; pods rectangular 3 to 4 mm. 

 long; root 'becoming 15 to 30 inches in length end enlarged very 

 slightly if at all at the crown. Crown buds are not formed." 

 Coe states in this article that he observed this annual sweet 

 clover in 1916 grown from seed received from Alabama the 

 previous winter. 



In Farmers' Bulletin 797 Mr. Coe^° states "Fields of an ex- 

 ceptionally early blooming strain were found in Illinois, Iowa 

 and North Dakota, in the summer of 1916. An annual white 

 flowered sweet clover was found in several localities in the fall 

 of 1916. The seeds which produced these plants were grown in 

 Alabama. ' ' 



The interesting point arises as to whether this clover is a 

 recent mutant or whether it has been in existence for a long time. 

 It is of interest to note that Professor Hopkins observed this 

 clover about 1913. 



L. II. Bailey" makes an interesting statement with regard 

 to the Dwarf Lima Bean. He says "now a most curious thing 

 about these dwarf lima beans which have appeared so suddenly 

 in the past few years, is that they have come from each of these 

 three types — Henderson from the Sieva type, Thorburn and 

 Dreer from the Potato Lima type and Burpee from the Large 

 Lima type — thus showing that each of these types or races is 

 developing along independent or parallel lines." 



Nothing is known about where the seed of this annual white 

 sweet clover observed by Professor Hughes, came from. He 

 states that he scarified a lot of s\^'<?et clover seed from various 

 ]ilaces. Samples from many sources were planted; but where the 

 seed came from was not taken account of because he was study- 

 ing the germination of the scarified seeds. 



In the biennial sweet clover the upper portion of the under- 

 ground organ is a stem and produces numerous buds wliich 



'"Coe. H. S., Farmers' Bunetin 797, p. 78. 

 "Bailey, L. H., Survival of the Unlike. 131-132. 



*Coe, H. S., An Annual Variety of Mclilotus alba. Journal of the American 

 Society of Agronomy, 9, 380-382. 



