182 DB. BICKli OK VEGETABLE MONSTBOSITIE9. 



its promiiierit persistent stipules, nearly bypogynous stamens, and 

 jfree monocafpic ovaiy, all unknown in Myrtaceae. The Sieberian 

 Bpecimens in the Hookerian herbarium are in th6 same state as 

 those examined by Ad. Brongniart, and by J. C. Schauer ; and on 

 A careful analysis I find the description and figure of the latter 

 author (Myrt. Xerocarp. p. 22. t. 1. a.) perfectly correct, except 

 as to the position of the ovules, about which he admits having 

 some doubts ; but I also find that the plant is no other than .Pul- 

 tencea ohovata described in my 'Flora Australiensis,' ii. p. 123, 



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the buds in Sieber's specimens being in that very young stage 

 when the sepals and petals have not yet grown out into those 

 irregularities characteristic of Papilionacece. On re-examining 

 the specimens on which I had founded the P. ohovata^ I found a 

 few buds scarcely further advanced than those of Sieber's with 

 the petals still small, scale-like, and nearly equal; I also found 

 that the bicarpellary flowers noticed in my I'lora are, as I sup- 

 posed, not universal in the species, although prevalent in the 

 particular specimens first examined. 



/ 



■^1 

 Notice of some Vegetable Monstrosities. By Geohge Dickie, 



A.M., M.D., F.L.S., Prof Bot. University of Aberdeen. 



[Head Feb. 16, 1865.] 



Depaetuees from the ordinary structure of the organs in plants 

 have been frequently recorded j it is unnecessary, however, to 

 apologize for adding to the number of such records, when it is 

 considered that from an accumulation of these, valuable aid is de- 

 rived in relation to morphology. 



Cheiranthus cheiei. 



Transformation of stamens into pistils has been described m 

 plants belonging to different natural orders ; in these the devia- 

 tions have been either partial or complete ; in the former case the 

 filament retained its usual appearance, the anthers alone re- 

 sembling a pistil and bearing ovules, in other instances the fila- 

 ments had the structure of ovaries and the anthers changed so aa 

 to resemble stigmas*. 



* For a summary of such^ see Moquin-Tandon, Teratologie Y^cwh 

 pp, 222 & 223. 



t 



