BRAINERD: FOUR HYBRIDS OF VIOLA PEDATIFIDA 253 
distinct from V. pedatifida X sororia, discussed below, and as a 
cross between the two species with which it grew. Mr. Chase, 
to whom I appealed for living plants, found that the station had 
been recently burned over; but the following May he discovered 
another colony along the railway a half mile farther south ( V. H. 
Chase 1619). The stocky specimen sent was easily divided, and 
six or eight vigorous plants were obtained during the season of 
1908. Mr. Chase reported that the pubescent V. sagittata ‘ was 
very abundant, thousands of plants cover the ground with a blue 
carpet, mostly where the land was a little low and damp. _ V. 
pedatifida seemed to prefer rather drier ground. The hybrid was 
invariably with V. pedatifida, on fairly dry soil; and V. sagittata 
was never more than a few rods away.” 
During the season of 1909 I grew nineteen offspring of Chase 
1619, and they gave abundant evidence as to the taxonomic status 
of the mother plant. Leaves of nine of these offspring are figured 
in PLATE 16 and indicate something of the marked diversity of 
form resulting from the combination, in the leaf of the original 
hybrid, of at least four pairs of opposed characters,* that blend 
or segregate, independently and variously, in the several offspring. 
3. Viola pedatifida < sororia hyb. nov. 
Becoming cespitose with multicipital caudex; leaves that 
expand at petaliferous flowering 9-13-cleft, the lateral lobes 
broadly linear, usually with one or two coarse teeth on the outer 
edge toward the apex, the middle lobe much broader and incised 
on either side, the upper face somewhat hirtellous, the lower 
surface and the petioles villous; the leaves of summer larger and 
less deeply cleft; apetalous flowers on rather short, erect or ascend- 
bearing 5-20 brown seeds 2 mm. long; offspring markedly dis- 
similar. Not rare on prairies of the Middle West. (PLATE 17.) 
I am greatly indebted to the kindness and skill of Mr. Chase 
for the abundant and excellent material used in the study of this 
hybrid. Collectors in this region-know that the native flora of 
the open prairies is now largely restricted to untilled strips of land 
* These are: V. pedatifida V. sagittata 
T. Outline - broadly flabelliform lanceolate 
2. Form of base truncate or cuneate cordate or subcordate 
coarsely toothed at base 
3. Incision 2-3-ternatel 
finely pubescent 
y dissected 
4. Pubescence margins and veins hirtellous 
