DR. M. T. MASTERS ON MALFORMATIONS IN LOLIUM. 121 
the commercial article, as it is not so apt to corrode the steel pen. 
The present note is written with it, and has no admixture what- 
ever, being only yesterday expressed from the fruit. When newly 
written, its colour is reddish, becoming black after a few hours." 
A Description of some remarkable Malformations affecting the 
Genus Lolium. By MaxwErL T. Masrkks, M.D., F.L.S., Lec- 
turer on Botany, St. George's Hospital. 
[Read March 19, 1863.] 
Ix the volume of the Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. for the year 1858, p. 85, 
M. Fournier has described four varieties of Lolium perenne as of 
common occurrence, and in a paper in Seemann's Journal of 
Botany, vol. i. p. 6, I have mentioned certain others. The spe- 
cimens I have now the honour of laying before the Society must be 
classed under the head of Deformities rather than that of Varieties. 
The simplest of the changes now to be mentioned consists 
merely in the lengthening of the axis of the spikelet, in con- 
sequence of which, the constituent florets are separated by much 
longer intervals than usual. In some examples of this, the axis 
is not merely lengthened, but becomes very flexuose, while the 
outermost glume only just exceeds the lowermost floret in length, 
and is very short in proportion to the length of the spikelet; 
hence the aspect of the plant is very different from that of the 
natural form. This change may occur independently of any other; 
but I have most frequently met with it in the branched variety, 
common under the several names of L. perenne compositum, pani- 
eulatum, or ramosum. Usually only a few of the spikelets are so 
affected ; but in the plant now shown all the spikelets are thus 
changed. 
In another series of specimens I have met with the following 
changes :— The spikelets have assumed more of a rounded outline 
than usual, and are shorter than the outer glume. The number 
of florets is in general reduced to three, in each of which, or 
sometimes in the lower one only, considerable changes have taken 
place. The palez are for the most part unchanged; but in some 
ofthe spikelets the inner palea is placed opposite to the outer 
one, and on the same level with it, while in others the inner 
palea is split into two, thus rendering the symmetry of the whorl 
complete (fig. 1, a). Within the pales, in place of the stamens 
and pistils is a confused mass, consisting of numerous scales, 
the outermost of which resemble pales, and are frequently more 
