77 



ed late in the season, and perhaps has no petals in the 

 few. late flowers. No. 6 seems doubtful; it is a large 

 plant, with hasal and lower-stem leaves much divided and 

 resemhling typical leaves of L. ruderale . Petals appear to 

 he absent* The cotyledons, altho the seeds are rather 

 young, have been thoroly demonstrated to be acoumbent ; 

 they have not, however, the broad lima-bean shape usual 

 with L« virginioum , but are narrow, like the incumbent 

 cotyledons of L» ruderale ; whether this shape is due 

 simply to the youth of the embryos is uncertain* The 

 plant seems like L. ruderale , except for the position of 

 the cotyledons; may it be a hybrid with that species, or 

 a mutative variant of it? The association of petals 

 with accumbent cotyledons seems to be very constant, in 

 general, indicating definite genetic separation of these 

 similar and closely intermingling species; tho the evi- 

 dence obtained by the writer on this point is meager, 

 that given above is strengthened by the examination of 

 5 specimens with petals taken at Owego, N. Y*, and 

 Dairyland, N* Y*, all of which had accumbent cotyledons. 



