DR. M. T. MASTERS ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF THE MALYALES. 19 



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no intrinsic distinction from those of Sferct(liace(F, the anthers of 

 the Mallows being, in the first instaneej truly bilocular. 



I propose, in this communication, to allude to some of the more 

 salient features in the structure of the 31alvacecv and StercuJiacece, 

 omitting for the present the Tiliacece^ and proceeding from the most 

 simple cases up to the most complex. I hope to be able to sliow 

 how all these forms may be linked together, and in Avhat manner 

 their peculiarities may be referred to the ordinary type. 



Of the calyx and epicalyx it is not necessary to say much, as 

 their modifications are few, and, for purposes of mere classification, 

 comparatively unimportant. In order to arrive at a correct under- 

 standing of the corolla, it is necessary to consider it in connexion 

 with the andi'occium. Taking, then, the petals with the stamens, 

 we find in the Malvales that these organs are of the greatest im- 

 portance for classificatory purposes. Not only does the connexion 

 of the stamens furnish one of the best characters of the entire 

 group, but even in the discrimination of smaller subdivisions (such 

 as the genera) the appearances presented by the " column " are of 

 the greatest value, as the characters thence derived exceed in 

 number, in constancy, and in relative importance those obtained 



from the other parts of the flower. 



A glance at the characters of the genera will suffice to show 

 the truth of this assertion. The main points to which I in- 

 tend to refer in this communication are the following : — the oc- 

 casional total absence of the corolla, as in Sterculia, in which 

 genus it often happens, as if by compensatioUj that the calyx is 

 brightly coloured ; the imbricated and twisted aestivation of the 

 petals, except in ^uettneriece ^ where tliey are valvate or induplicate, 

 their very general adhesion to the stamens, the generally large 

 number of the latter organs, their cohesion in various degrees, 

 and their supei'position to the petals. 



The presence or absence of staminodes is also a feature of con- 

 siderable importance, 



By attention to these points (which by no means constitute the 

 whole of the peculiarities of this remarkable group) it is possible, I 

 think, to arrive at a satisfactory explanation of the morphological 

 construction of the corolla and androecium. And first as to the ab- 

 sence of the corolla, as in Sterculia, Cheirostemon, Fremonfia^ &c. 



In Sterculia the number of stamens and their arrangement is 

 such that, in the fully developed flower at least, it is not possible 

 to make out accurately their exact position with reference to the 

 lobes of the calyx ; but in Fremontia the stamens alternate with 



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