﻿Taxonomic 
  Anomalies 
  681 
  

  

  vein. 
  The 
  development 
  begins 
  with 
  the 
  protru- 
  

   sion 
  of 
  a 
  little 
  scale, 
  and 
  the 
  flower 
  itself 
  is 
  

   situated 
  beneath 
  this 
  scale, 
  and 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  pro- 
  

   tected 
  by 
  it 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  primary 
  scale, 
  but 
  is 
  

   turned 
  upside 
  down 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  Op- 
  

   posite 
  to 
  this 
  organ, 
  which 
  represents 
  the 
  outer 
  

   palet 
  of 
  the 
  adventitious 
  flower, 
  two 
  little 
  swol- 
  

   len 
  bodies 
  are 
  evolved. 
  In 
  the 
  normal 
  flowers 
  

   of 
  barley 
  and 
  other 
  grains 
  and 
  grasses 
  their 
  

   function 
  is 
  to 
  open 
  the 
  flowers 
  by 
  swelling, 
  and 
  

   afterwards 
  collapse 
  and 
  allow 
  them 
  to 
  close. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  adventitious 
  flowers 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Nepaul- 
  

   barley,' 
  however, 
  this 
  function 
  is 
  quite 
  super- 
  

   fluous. 
  The 
  stamens 
  occur 
  in 
  varying 
  numbers 
  ; 
  

   typically 
  there 
  are 
  three, 
  but 
  not 
  rarely 
  

   less, 
  or 
  more, 
  are 
  seen. 
  In 
  some 
  instances 
  the 
  

   complete 
  double 
  whorl 
  of 
  six, 
  corresponding 
  to 
  

   the 
  ancestral 
  monocotyledonous 
  type, 
  has 
  been 
  

   found. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  curious 
  case 
  of 
  sys- 
  

   tematic 
  atavism, 
  quite 
  analogous 
  to 
  the 
  Iris 
  

   pallida 
  dbavia, 
  previously 
  alluded 
  to, 
  which 
  

   likewise 
  has 
  six 
  stamens, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  cases 
  given 
  

   in 
  a 
  previous 
  lecture. 
  But 
  for 
  our 
  present 
  dis- 
  

   cussion 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  no 
  further 
  interest. 
  The 
  ovary 
  

   is 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  flower, 
  and 
  in 
  

   some 
  instances 
  two 
  have 
  been 
  observed. 
  This 
  

   is 
  also 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  a 
  case 
  of 
  atavism. 
  

  

  All 
  these 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  adventitious 
  flower 
  are 
  

   more 
  or 
  less 
  subject 
  to 
  arrest 
  of 
  development 
  

  

  