



390 



G. 0. Rosendahl. 



It will be seen at a glance that what we might designate as the ground- 

 plan of structure of each of the principal organs, namely, sepals, petals, 

 stamens, pistil and axis, runs through all the species of each series in a 

 remarkably consistent manner. In the odd numbered series the sepals are 

 oblong in form, they are nearly erect in position, spreading only at the 

 tips, freely veined, and white or violet-tinged in color (fig. 1). The petals 

 show a progressive reduction from pinnately-cleft with numerous ascendin 



rr 



divisions in M. dipkylla through two diverging lines ending up in each 

 case with reduced entire forms (fig. 3). They are white or violet-tinged 

 in color. The stamens are short, sometimes nearly sessile; the anthers ob- 

 long, with slightly introrse dehiscence (fig. 5). The floral axis is distinctly 

 cupshaped to begin with, and passes into campanulale or turbinate in the 

 terminal representatives of the series. The pistil has an ovoid form. 



Fig. 2. Set)als in the Sect. Miiellastra, showing venation, position of petals, stamens 

 and disk, a M. nuda, h M. caulescens, c M. peniandra, d M. Bretoeri, e M. ovalis, 



f M. pmici flora, g M. japonica. X < • 



rather narrow to comply with the shape of the axis. The styles are very 

 short, and are crowned by capitate or sometimes capitate-crescent-shaped 

 stigmas (fig. 7). 



In the even numbered series, the sepals are triangular or deltoid in 

 form, they are widely spreading and often strongly reflexed at the tips, the 

 veins are few, except in one large-sepaled species, and the color varies 

 from greenish yellow to brownish (fig. 2). The plan of the petals is 

 distinctly difl'erent from that in the other series. They are pectinate-pinnatifid, 

 with narrow divisions that spread at right angles to the rachis. They 

 range in color from greenish yellow to brownish purple and they vary 

 from forms with many divisions to those with only the middle lobe remai- 

 ning (fig. 4). The stamens run from distinctly filamented forms to almost 

 sessile ones. The anthers vary from cordate to reniform, and the de- 

 hiscence from lateral to introrse (fig. 6). The floral axis is wide open 

 saucer-shaped, and always much wider than deep. The pistil is shortened 





- 1 ^r> 



. 1 vr.- . 



