420 i>R. M. T. MASTEES ON THE ELORAL 



a reversion to the (assumed) primitive type, as manifested by the 

 dialysis of the sepals (which, it may be incidentally mentioned, 

 occurs normally in the Canadian O. arietimim), partial regularity 

 of the lip, and the presence of the third or median stamen (a:3) 

 of the inner row. The usual absence of this stamen seems to be 

 correlated with the great development of the labcllum. The 

 stigma Gi (marked S^* in the drawing) was superposed to a3, 

 either owing to the non-development of Gi and G3, or, judging 

 from other cases previously mentioned, it might have been really 

 compounded of Gi-2 and Gr3. Unfortunately the arrangement of 

 the vessels in the stigma of this flower was not examined. 



In the flower in question the labellum was less highly organized 

 than usual, and the stamen as consequently had more sj^ace 

 wherein to develop, and thus the defect of the one was, to use 

 Sir Thomas Browne's expression, ''pierced out by the excess of 

 the other," The close resemblance to Uropedium^ in Mr. Bull s 

 flower was manifest in the dialysis of the sepals, the tendency m 

 the lip to become regular, and in the presence of all the stamens 

 of the inner cycle. In tlie Bulletin of the Amsterdam Botanical 

 Congress, 1865, p. 62, Prof. Eeichenbach describes a flower of 

 Selenipedium caudatum in which the lip Avas undulated and 

 twisted, bearing at its point a little thickening, as at the orifice 

 of the bag-shaped lip. ^^f," says M. Eeichenbach, '' this flower 

 had shown an anther in front of the labellum, it would have 

 proved the identity of the two types {Selenipedium and Urope- 

 dium)\ but the flower, in spite of the pctaloid nature of the 

 labellum, had the column of Selenipedium, and on tliat account 

 offers additional argument in favour of the distinctness of the 

 two genera." In the specimen above described the third stamen 

 was present in front of the lip, and so far it satisfied Pi'of 

 Eeichenbach's postulate. For a figure of a very similar mal- 

 formation in S. caudatum see also Eeichenbach fil. in Nov. Acad. 

 Nat. Cur. xxxv. (1870), n. 2, c. tab. In Eeichenbach's plant the 

 three sepals were not separate. 



Irregular Peloria, — Cases of partial irregular peloria in Cypri- 

 pedium are not very uncommon, as, for instance, flowers in which 

 the lateral petals (or one of them) assume the saccate form of 

 the lip. This may occur without any increase in the number of 

 parts, or, on the contrary, some of the usually undeveloped 



Reiclie 



bach 





