90 BRAINERD: HyBRIDS OF THE PALMATA GROUP 
the palmatifid form, which Dr. Greene says ‘‘is exceedingly similar 
to Mr. Pollard’s recently proposed V. Angellae, indeed so much 
like it that I have little if any doubt they are one, specifically.’”* 
In this I agree with Dr. Greene; and in both cases plants of pure 
V. palmata were collected with the hybrid V. palmata X triloba, 
three of the former and four of the latter appearing among the 
17 mounted specimens labeled by Dr. Greene V. variabilis. . One 
of each kind is to be seen on U. S. National Herbarium sheet 
no. 328,245, collected by Mr. Pollard and labeled by him in 
pencil ‘‘ V. palmata.”’ 
A plant distributed by Mr. Witmer Stone, as V. palmata 
variabilis (Greene),t seems to be, at least in part, the hybrid under 
discussion. I have observed also several other specimens that 
appear to be this; but one may not with confidence identify a 
hybrid between two species so closely allied without abundant 
material or the data obtained by experimental cultures. 
Viola papilionacea X triloba hyb. nov. 
Leaves of late spring and summer shallowly, often obscurely, 
3-5-lobed, uncut leaves subcordate, often broadly reniform; 
capsules even from cleistogamous flowers infertile; offspring 
inheriting diversely the opposed characters of the parent species. 
My first acquaintance with this hybrid was through some 
anomalous living plants sent from Washington, D. C., in May 
1906, by Mr. E. S. Steele, along with samples of pure V. triloba. 
The six plants of the latter were quite alike—pubescent, cut-leaved, 
buff-seeded, fertile, and easily separated by the purple tinge of the 
early spring foliage from the anomalous plants. These were of 
three forms: (1) One plant fairly fertile, with pubescent uncut 
leaves as in V. sororia but bearing buff seeds. (2) Two plants 
fairly fertile, with uncut leaves and dark brown seeds as in V. 
papilionacea but pubescent. (3) One plant nearly sterile, averag- 
ing 63 brown seeds to a capsule, the leaves glabrous and some- 
what 3-lobed. Offspring were raised from all of these: those from - 
(1) and (2), 6 plants from each, seemed to be stable, that is, in 
each instance all had characters like those of the mother; the 
offspring from (3) were only two, one with uncut leaves, one with 
3-lobed leaves. 
* Pittonia 5:91. 1902 
} No. 5111, colony 5, Argus, Fa, June 8, 1903, Dr. C. D. Fretz. 
