﻿LECTURE 
  XIII 
  

  

  PISTILLODY 
  IN 
  POPPIES 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  curious 
  anomalies 
  that 
  may 
  

   be 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  ornamental 
  garden-plants 
  is 
  the 
  

   conversion 
  of 
  stamens 
  into 
  pistils. 
  It 
  is 
  neither 
  

   common 
  nor 
  rare, 
  but 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  the 
  change 
  

   is 
  so 
  slight 
  comparatively 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  ordinarily 
  

   overlooked. 
  In 
  the 
  opium-poppy, 
  on 
  the 
  con- 
  

   trary, 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  showy, 
  and 
  heightens 
  the 
  orna- 
  

   mental 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  fruits 
  after 
  the 
  fad- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  flowers. 
  Here 
  the 
  central 
  capsule 
  is 
  

   surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  large 
  crown 
  of 
  metamorphosed 
  

   stamens. 
  

  

  This 
  peculiarity 
  has 
  attracted 
  the 
  attention 
  

   both 
  of 
  horticulturists 
  and 
  of 
  botanists. 
  As 
  a 
  

   rule 
  not 
  all 
  the 
  stamens 
  are 
  changed 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  

   but 
  only 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  innermost 
  rows. 
  The 
  

   outer 
  stamens 
  remain 
  normal 
  and 
  fertile, 
  and 
  

   the 
  flowers, 
  when 
  pollinated 
  with 
  their 
  own 
  pol- 
  

   len, 
  bear 
  as 
  rich 
  a 
  harvest 
  of 
  seeds 
  as 
  other 
  

   opium-poppies. 
  The 
  change 
  affects 
  both 
  the 
  

   filament 
  and 
  the 
  anther, 
  the 
  former 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  

   dilated 
  into 
  a 
  sheath. 
  Within 
  this 
  sheath 
  per- 
  

  

  369 
  

  

  