﻿Taxonomic 
  Anomalies 
  661 
  

  

  be 
  observed 
  either 
  as 
  specific 
  marks, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  

   way 
  of 
  anomalies. 
  Ledum, 
  Monotropa 
  and 
  Py- 
  

   rola, 
  or 
  the 
  Labrador 
  tea, 
  the 
  Indian 
  pipe 
  and 
  

   wintergreen 
  are 
  instances 
  of 
  reversionary 
  

   gamopetalism 
  with 
  free 
  petals. 
  In 
  heaths 
  

   (Erica 
  Tetralix) 
  and 
  in 
  rhododendrons 
  the 
  

   same 
  deviation 
  is 
  observed 
  to 
  occur 
  from 
  time 
  

   to 
  time 
  as 
  an 
  anomaly, 
  and 
  even 
  the 
  common 
  

   Rhododendron 
  ponticum 
  of 
  our 
  gardens 
  has 
  a 
  

   variety 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  corolla 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   split. 
  Sometimes 
  it 
  exhibits 
  five 
  free 
  petals, 
  

   while 
  at 
  other 
  times 
  only 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  are 
  entirely 
  

   free, 
  the 
  remaining 
  four 
  being 
  incompletely 
  

   loosened. 
  

  

  Such 
  cases 
  of 
  atavism 
  make 
  it 
  probable 
  that 
  

   the 
  coherence 
  of 
  the 
  petals 
  has 
  originally 
  arisen 
  

   by 
  the 
  same 
  method, 
  but 
  by 
  action 
  in 
  the 
  op- 
  

   posite 
  direction. 
  The 
  direct 
  proof 
  of 
  this 
  con- 
  

   clusion 
  is 
  afforded 
  by 
  a 
  curious 
  observation, 
  

   made 
  by 
  Vilmorin 
  upon 
  the 
  bright 
  and 
  large- 
  

   flowered 
  garden-poppy, 
  Papaver 
  bracteatum. 
  

   Like 
  all 
  poppies 
  it 
  has 
  four 
  petals, 
  which 
  are 
  

   free 
  from 
  one 
  another. 
  In 
  the 
  fields 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  

   Vilmorin, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  largely 
  cultivated 
  for 
  its 
  

   seeds, 
  individuals 
  occur 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  which 
  

   are 
  anomalous 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  They 
  exhibit 
  a 
  

   tendency 
  to 
  produce 
  connate 
  petals. 
  Their 
  

   flowers 
  become 
  monopetalous, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  

   strain 
  is 
  designated 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Papaver 
  

  

  