A Double-Flowered Sarracenia. 



253 



A DOUBLE-FLOWERED SARRACENIA. 

 By W. C. Coker. 



While collecting in Hartsville, Darlington County, South 

 Carolina, in August, 1908, I was fortunate enough to find a clump 

 of Sarracenia rubra Walt, that bore only double flowers. The 

 flowers were completely double, all signs of gynoecium and 

 andraecium having disappeared in a profusion of persistent petal- 

 like segments. In figure 1, A, B, two of these flowers are shown slight- 

 ly enlarged with a normal one of the same species, D, 

 for comparison. Two of the plants of the clump were collected 

 and are now in the herbarium of the University of North Caro- 

 lina, one was left growing in position, one was sent alive to the 

 New York Botanical Garden where it was placed under favoiable 

 conditions in the propagating house. This cultivated plant has 

 flowered again this spring, and the flower, which is still fiesh 

 (June 19th), is shown in fig. 1, C (enlarged about 1-3). It will be 

 noticed that the doubling, while decided, is not quite so great 

 as in the flowers of the preceding year. In reference to this mat- 

 ter Professor Jno. M. Macfarlane, of the University of Pennsyl- 

 vania, who is our chief authority on the Sarracenias, writes me 

 as follows : "I am very pleased to get notice of S. rubra showing 

 double flowers in nature as in all my wanderings throughout the 

 southern states I have never seen a case of this. I had excellent 

 opportunities last year for watching thousands of flowers for a 

 couple of weeks in April, from South Carolina along the Gulf 

 states, and although I saw all in flower, none showed a tendency 

 to double." So far as I have been able to ascertain doubling 

 of this complete sort has not before been reported in the genus 

 Sarracenia. In the hybrid 5. Atkinsoniana a second row of 

 petals between the normal ones and the stamens is recorded 

 (Gardener's Chronicle, vol. 58, page 210, 1885). A similar record 

 of two rows of petals has also been made for S. flava, with the 

 stamens partly petaloid and connate in several groups, and the 

 stigmas also petaloid and separate; the ovary and ovules scarcely 

 changed (Gardener's Chronicle, vol. 38, p. 914, 1873). For 

 minor abnormalities in S. purpurea see Bulletin Torrey Bot. 

 Club, vol. 1, page 83, 1880; and American Journal of Science, 

 vol. 16, page 488, 1878. See also Journal of Botany, vol. 13, 

 page 56, 1875. * 



University of North Carolina. 



*1 am under obliffations to Prof. William Trelease for references to the literature. 



