ON SOME FAMILIAR COMPOSITES 



type are of relatively immense size and of the most 

 wonderful color. But they do not produce so abun- 

 dantly as the common morning-glory, they do not 

 climb as well, and they seem to lack the vigor of 

 the ordinary form. 



My experiments with the tribe have had to do 

 with the crossing of several related forms. 



The plants can generally quite readily be 

 crossed, and the seed germinates readily. These 

 experiments have not been carried far enough to 

 produce any very striking results. It is obvious, 

 however, that the morning-glory offers good op- 

 portunities for improvement, and the ease with 

 which it can be cultivated makes it a plant that 

 should appeal particularly to the amateur. The 

 wide range of color variation, together with the 

 fact that the colors are fairly fixed in certain varie- 

 ties, make possible crossbreeding experiments that 

 can readily be checked. 



Possibly also it may be feasible to cross the 

 morning-glory with the moon-flower or with vari- 

 ous other members of the genus. The moon-flower 

 itself, which produces large white flowers in great 

 abundance, has been greatly improved by selec- 

 tion. 



There is also an interesting Brazilian morning- 

 glory (Ipnoea setosa) with a vine that grows with 

 great rapidity and bears a rosy purplish flower, 



[183] 



