Rennert: Teratology of Arisaema 249 



Another specimen bears a branched spadix resembling the 

 double spadices described by Bailey. In this case however, it 

 appears that the two sterile columns borne at the top of the fertile 

 portion of the spadix are not the tips of two separate spadices 

 which are confluent below, but rather two sterile branches of a sin- 

 gle spadix ; for the fertile portion shows no trace either external 

 or internal, of a division into two columns which we might expect 

 were two spadices united here. The branching takes place just 

 below the tip of the pistil-bearing part of the spadix and both 

 branches are entirely sterile. The actual tip of the fertile portion 

 between the branches is covered with ovaries. The spadix might be 

 described as very much shortened and fertile throughout its entire 

 length, bearing two sterile branches very near its tip. The two 

 branches are not of equal size. The shorter one is a trifle thinner 

 and slightly deformed. Another instance of fused stigmas occurs 

 here. The stigmas are displaced and united as before and the 

 stigmatic surface so formed is twice the size of that of a single 

 normal stigma. No fusion has occurred between the ovaries. 

 The spathe in this case is shortened and does not extend to the tip 

 of the longer branch of the spadix (Fig. 2, M), 



In a third specimen, the stalk of the inflorescence is greatly 

 flattened at the point of insertion of the spathe and spadix. The 

 spadix is also flattened and very fleshy, bearing ovaries at the base 

 closely crowded together. Its fertile portion is however, less 

 than half the depth of the flower-producing part of a normal 

 spadix. Above the fertile region, the spadix is greatly expanded. 

 It has a broad insertion across the top of the flat fertile portion 

 and becomes wider rapidly, being somewhat unsymmetrically ob- 

 ovate in general outline. It is very unevenly cleft into three lobes, 

 the upper edge of the formation is somewhat dilated, resem- 

 bling the normal dilatation at the tip of the spadix of A. triphyllum. 

 The lower portion of one of the lobes is fertile, bearing a single 

 ovary a short distance above its base (Fig. 1, C). It is worthy of 

 note that the majority of individuals of A. triphyllum which show 

 variations are pistillate. 



A specimen with a similar malformation developed in the exper- 

 imental greenhouse of the N. Y. Botanical Garden. In this case, 

 however, the flower-bearing axis is normal, except that the ter- 



