462 DR. M. T. MASTERS ON THE SUPERPOSED 



The arrangements from 4 to 9 inclusive may be complicated 

 with pleiotaxy of one or all the whorls, which probably takes place 

 in some double flowers. Berberidacese afford illustrations of this, 

 as in Epimedium, the formula fop which is 



P 

 P 



St. 



The arrangement in this case, however, is due to an alternation 

 of decussating whorls. 



Usually in such cases the stamens and carpels, either or both, 



are more or less petaloid, or actually replaced by petals, so that 



their true nature is not at once obvious. In some Menisper- 



maceae, e. g. Ossampelos, Cyclea, etc., we have an arrangement 

 as follows — 



S 

 P 



O, 



the stamen, or stamens, being abortive or replaced by carpels in 

 like numbers and position- Similarly in the male flower we have 



S 



P 



the carpel being deficient*. 



St, 



tf 



(1847) 



of Whorls. — Payer, in his ' Elements de Bota- 



the leaves of a verticil are never superposed to those of the 

 whorl immediately beneath, and that opposite leaves are in the 

 same case. This remark can hardly be applied in the case of the 

 flower, in which (in exceptional instances) the members of one 

 verticil may be, to all appearance, placed immediately above those 

 of the whorl beneath. It is possible that an examination in the 

 earlier stages of the development of the plant might show that in 

 their origin the primordial tubercles are not placed exactly over one 

 another; but in the adult condition, and for all practical purposes, 



* For details relating to the position of parts in the flowers of Menisperma- 

 cose, see Miers, ' Oontrib.' vol. iii. ; Eichler, in Martius * Flora Brasiliensis ' (Me- 

 nispermacea?), Abu fa, Syehnosepa lum, Cocculus, Cissampdos, &c. See also for 

 general details A. P. De Cnndolle, 'Theoric Elementaire/ p. 153 



