34 



the term " prolification of the fruit" one of the most interesting 

 is the production of a more or less completely formed second fruit 

 inside the first. Generally, the included fruit is distinctly ab- 

 normal in character, often reduced to a whorl, or a series of 

 whorls, of irregularly formed and usually sterile carpels. Some- 

 times, however, the carpels bear rudimentary ovules. The 

 stigmas, which are developed early in the embryology of the 

 fruit, are generally well formed. 



A brief review of the literature of this type of phenomenon 

 has been given elsewhere.* The purpose of the present note is 

 merely to call attention to the occurrence of this type of abnor- 

 mality in another fairly commonly cultivated plant, the garden 

 okra or gumbo, much prized by the southern cook. 



In the fall of 1908, one fruit of a large thick-padded variety 

 of okraf was found to contain a fairly well formed fruit. 



In 1909, the seed saved from various 1908 plants was put out 

 so late that the individuals did not reach maturity, although 

 they produced a number of practically matured fruits. 



These were dissected with the result that there were found 



Normal 575 



Proliferous _37 



Total 612 



The included bodies were in all cases slight or considerably 

 smaller than the one noticed in 1908. They were green in color, 

 with sometimes only imperfectly formed carpels. The stigmas 

 were, however, clearly differentiated in many, if not in most 

 of the cases. The walls had the hairy covering characteristic 

 of the outside carpels. 



In all cases, the included "fruit" was produced near the tip of 

 the fruit — at least in the upper half. It was in all cases central 

 in position and cannot in any case observed be considered to 

 occur within a locule. Its origin from a primordium which should 



* Harris, J. Arthur, Prclification cf the Fruit on Capsicum and Passiflora, Ann. 

 Rept. Mo. Bot. Garden 17: 135-145. 1906. 



t The commercial seed with which I began an experiment appeared to be de- 

 cidedly mixed, and I did not retain the varietal name, proposing to separate the 

 various strains by breeding. My material was lost bj^ unfavorable conditions in 

 the next year. 



