[Enclosure]

Iowa Agricultural College. | Ames,

May 19^th 1877

My dear Doctor Gray.

As to the dimorphism of Lithospermum longiflorum, Spreng. or L. angustifolium Michx. I send you measurements made upon freshly gathered specimens this morning.

I examined ten flowers from five different plants; enough to show that if there is any dimorphism it is a wonderfully irregular one.² I copy my notes entire.

In order to show at a glance the relative lengths of corolla tube, style and stamens, I have constructed these diagrams. They are magnified ten times. Every inch in diagram represents .10 inch actual. To save space the lower six inches of the diagrams are cut off.

I will make further measurements as I have the time, but these show that there is great irregularity in these flowers. I notice that in the forms where the styles are generally shorter than the stamens—the styles are much longer than the stamens in the bud.

I think the small flowers (late ones) are cleistogamous.⁴ Will watch them when they appear.

This long flowered form seems to be thrown into a state of confusion by the vice of self-fertilization which is almost certainly indulged in by the small flowered forms. The long ones appear to be trying to be heterostylous, but are probably balked by the habits of the short ones.

Very truly | C. E. Bessey.

Thanks for pamphlets. I’ll inquire about artichokes.