DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



95 



Plant medium tall, 12-15 inches with a spread of 15-18 inches; 

 bushy, entirely free from runners. Moderately vigorous, highly 

 productive over a period of about two weeks. Stem moderately 

 stout, internodes medium short. Branches fairly numerous, mostly 

 basal in position. Foliage medium in amount, dark green, glossy, 

 smooth, moderately thick and leathery. Leaflets medium size 



4 '• , x J t 3 inches), moderately long petioles. Flowers very 

 numerous, white, later cream colored. 



Pods borne well above the foliage except the earlier ones that 

 are fairly close to the ground; dark green in color. Size medium 

 long, broad and moderately slender '3 1 _>^ :i 4 x 1 ' ^ x :i s inches), 

 containing 3— 1 seeds per pod. Shape flat, long oval thru cross- 

 section, straight, occasionally slightly curved or twisted from side 

 to side, straight backed, regular, not crowded, smooth filled to the 

 tip but not as well filled to the edge as Henderson and rounded at 

 the end. Spur very short, straight and stout. Suture, placental 

 is flattened and carpellary, acute. 



Seeds small, 1.5 x 1.0 x .5 cm. (55-60 per oz.V, moderately 

 broad oblong, nearly semicircular, flattened, long oval to elliptical 

 thru cross-section; ends uniformly rounded. Hilum medium, flat 

 to slightly protuberant altho the hilar surface is somewhat indented. 

 Color clear white, indistinctly marked with converging lines from 

 the hilum to the dorsal margin. Surface moderately smooth. 

 Quality excellent. 



Superba. This variety was introduced about 20 

 years ago as a selection from Burpee's Improved by 

 Robert Buist. As grown at Geneva it was very similar 

 to the above-mentioned variety, differing chiefly in 

 having larger pods, although this was not a consistent 

 difference as some years they were not uniform in either 

 shape or size. The plants showed a tendency towards 

 a more sprawling, spreading growth than did plants of 

 Burpee's Improved. In season, pods were produced at 

 Geneva in 88 days, 1 day later than Burpee's Improved 

 and 4 days later than Henderson. 



Plant medium tall, 15-18 inches with a spread somewhat 

 greater, 18-24 inches. Inclined to produce a few runners on some 

 plants, rather sprawling and spreading. Vigorous, moderately long 

 producing season. Foliage abundant, medium green, with a slight 

 grayish tinge, smooth, light colored veins, small amount of pubes- 

 cence, moderately thick but not very leathery. Leaflets quite large 

 (5x3 ?, 4 inches 1 , broad. Flowers white. 



Pods borne both above and below the foliage; light green in 

 color, long, broad and thick (5xlJ4xJ-2 inches), containing 3-4 

 moderately plump seeds. Shape oval thru cross-section, flat 

 podded, slightly curved, straight backed, regular, not crowded, 

 velvety smoothness, filled to the tip but not to the edge, rounded 

 at the end, with a distinct tip that is short, straight and thick. 

 Both placental and carpellary sutures are rounded. 



Seeds uniformly very large (2.4 x 1.8 x. 9 cm.), (21 per oz.) 

 broad oblong, somewhat reniform, long oval thru cross-section, 

 fairly plump, surface moderately smooth, occasionally marked with 

 converging corrugations; ends rounded, altho one is slightly broader 

 than the other. Hilum small, flattened but slightly incurved. 

 Color pale creamy white, some inclined towards a slightly greenish 

 tinge, indistinctly marked with dark shaded converging lines from 

 the hilum to the dorsal margin. Quality very good. 



Willow-leaved Bush. Refs. 40, 41, 48, 91. This 

 variety originated as a sport from Willow Leaf Pole and 

 was introduced by W. Atlee Burpee in 1900. So far as 

 we have been able to determine, the variety has never 

 been grown at this Station, consequently such informa- 

 tion that is presented is the result of compilation from 

 data gathered from other sources. The variety is espe- 

 cially adapted for the southern states, although favorable 

 reports have also been received from some of the northern 

 ones and from Canada. It has maintained the charac- 



teristic of all small limas, namely, that of early bearing. 

 The foliage is of such a type as to make it desirable, at 

 least to some, as an ornamental. As such it is used in 

 southern gardens as a border plant. The bush form of 

 Willow Leaf Lima is most like Henderson. It differs 

 chiefly in the type of foliage in that the leaflets are 

 decidedly lanceolate, being three to four times as long 

 as they are wide. The color is slightly lighter, pods some- 

 what more curved, longer, and more narrow. The dry 

 seeds are slightly thicker and less angular. It is slightly 

 less productive, since the bush itself is somewhat smaller. 

 In season the two are practically the same. 



Plant small, quite uniform, 10-12 inches tall; about the same 

 spread; somewhat open and spreading but not productive of runners. 

 Moderately vigorous for its size, heavy bearer, with a comparatively 

 long bearing season. Stems rather slender, branches fairly numer- 

 ous, mostly basal in position. Foliage moderately abundant, dark 

 glossy green, smooth, moderately thick and leathery; leaflets small, 

 decidedly lanceolate, occasionally some are produced that are 

 typically Henderson in type. Petioles medium short. Flower 

 stalks very long. Flowers numerous, white. 



Pods borne prominently above the foliage; dark green in color. 

 Size short, moderately broad and rather slender (2"s-3 x 3 4 - M 

 x ] 4-i^ inches), containing 3-4 seeds per pod. Shape flat, elliptical 

 in cross-section, straight backed, regular, fairly crowded, smooth, 

 filled to the tip but not to the edge and rounded at the end. Spur 

 very short, moderately stout, straight and sharp. Suture, placental 

 is flattened to slightly rounded and carpellary, acute. 



Seeds small, 1.35 x. 9 x. 4 cm. (90-95 per oz.); nearly tri- 

 angular, decidedly flattened, elliptical thru cross-section; one end 

 wider and more uniformly rounded than the other, thereby suggest- 

 ing the triangular appearance. Hilum medium, flattened. Color 

 dull solid white over the entire surface and indistinctly marked with 

 converging dark shaded lines radiating from the hilum to the dorsal 

 margin. Surface moderately smooth. Quality fair to good. 



Wonder. Refs. 24, 41, 48, 72, 91. Syns. Dreer's 

 Large Bush, Dreer's Wonder, New Wonder. This large 

 bush variety originated as a selection of Burpee's Bush 

 Lima and was introduced to the trade in 1898 by Henry 

 A. Dreer. In 1901, Burpee offered another selection of 

 Burpee's Bush which he called Quarter Century. Al- 

 though these two seed stocks are undoubtedly very 

 similar, they are not of the same source, inasmuch as 

 the first was found by a Long Island grower and intro- 

 duced by Dreer in 1898 and the second by a California 

 grower and introduced by Burpee in 1901. Wonder 

 undoubtedly was intended to satisfy the demand for an 

 earlier strain of the Large Burpee. The introducer 

 suggested that it was as much as 10 to 15 days earlier 

 than Burpee's Bush. At Geneva, this has not been 

 found to be true. It has also been reported that, although 

 it was somewhat earlier, the quality when young was 

 inferior, thereby suggesting that its reported earliness 

 was illusory. At this Station it required 86 days to 

 mature, just 1 day earlier than Burpee's Bush and 2 

 days later than Henderson. No doubt under more 

 favorable growing conditions than are obtained in the 

 northern states, the variety would be a great improve- 

 ment over its parent. Although predicted 25 years ago 

 to replace largely the Burpee and Improved Burpee, 

 today it is only listed by a very few seedsmen. The 

 Wonder differs chiefly from Burpee's Bush in being more 

 bushy, more compact in habit, and almost entirely free 



