` = 
THE NUMBER OF STAMENS AND CARPELS. 227 
flowers first produced, six had 3 stamens, and seven 4 stamens, 
the majority of the four-stamened flowers being on the plants in 
poor soil. 
Staminodes.—The first question in connexion with these organs 
which one naturally asks is, Do the same conditions bring about 
contabescence (reduction of stamens to staminodes) which bring 
about the complete abortion of the stamens? In Table IV. is 
given the change from time to time observed in the percentage 
of stamens developed. Table VI., using the same facts, is an 
Taste VI. 
Relation of Percentage of Staminodes developed in Stellaria media 
to Percentage of Stamens aborted. 
A. B. C. D. Total. 
—- k — a 
2 SIE. Sb. Tuas, S.P, S 
Percentage (23 eS ES ce ES etu estes of 
of stamens 3 E 32 oe 83 ££ 39 HE LE HE 2s 
completel B Eca £558 EEK FTE Z. 
aborted. (SG 2358 2358 E38 EFS fF 
A^ ete &**A aA A a A” 
52:5-55°/o............ |a... Hm] 120 -33.... ...... 120 33 
550-575 ............. MI HH 538  -8lL..... .... 598  '8l 
57:5-60 ............... ee 165 103,798  :69|.... ...... 963 75 
60:0-62:5 ...... 200 1501... ...... 554 :561...... ...... 754 8l 
625-65 ......... 137 1:31] 82 110, 97 103,373 38 689 ‘74 
65°0-67°5 ... (oq 285 106 102 1:96 533 214| 999 162 
G5 20 7 } 13 029 verde etes 316 930| 360 892 
70:0-72:5 ...... en 78 96... .. 52 .-19|130 23 
attempt to express the relationship of the percentages of sta- 
minodes observed with regard to the percentages of completely 
aborted stamens found at the same times. Certainly, with 
reservation, we can say that a period of greater abortion of stamens 
appears to be connected with a greater production of staminodes, 
suggesting that the same conditions produce both the total and 
partial abortion of the stamens. But at both extremes the stami- 
nodes, as we might expect, regarding them as an intermediate 
