296 DICECIOUS AND Chap. VII. 



being of smaller size; it is therefore the more highly 

 feminine of the two. The long-styled form produces 

 a greater number of flowers, which are clustered to- 

 gether instead of being sub-solitary; they yield some 

 fruit, but as just stated are less fruitful than the other 

 form, so that this form appears to be the more mas- 

 culine of the two. On the supposition that we have 

 here an hermaphrodite plant becoming dioecious, there 

 are two points deserving notice; firstly, the greater 

 length of the pistil in the incipient male form; and we 

 have met with a nearly similar case in the male and 

 hermaphrodite forms of Euonymus compared with the 

 females. Secondly, the larger size of the pollen-grains 

 in the more masculine flowers, which perhaps may be 

 attributed to their having retained their normal size; 

 whilst those of the incipient female flowers have been 

 reduced. The long-styled form of R. lanceolatus seems 

 to correspond with the males of B. catliarticus which 

 have a longer pistil and larger pollen-grains. Light will 

 perhaps be thrown on the nature of the forms in this 

 genus, as soon as the power of both kinds of pollen on 

 both stigmas is ascertained. Several other species of 

 Ehamnus are said to be dioecious * or sub dioecious. On 

 the other hand, R. frangula is an ordinary hermaphro- 

 dite, for my son found a large number of bushes all bear- 

 ing an equal profusion of fruit. 



Epigcea repens (Ericaceae). — This plant appears to 

 be in nearly the same state as Rhamnus catliarticus. 

 It is described by Asa Gray f as existing under four 

 forms. (1) With long style, perfect stigma, and short 

 abortive stamens. (2) Shorter style, but with stigma 

 equally perfect, short abortive stamens. These two 



*Lecoq. ' Geogr. Bot.' torn. v. July, 1870. Also, ' Th e American 

 1856. pp. 420-26. Naturalist,' 1876, p. 490. 



t 'American Journal of Science,' 









