﻿Taxonomic 
  Anomalies 
  685 
  

  

  Cleft 
  leaves, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  general 
  anomalies, 
  

   are 
  typical 
  in 
  Boehmeria 
  biloba. 
  The 
  adnation 
  

   of 
  the 
  peduncles 
  of 
  the 
  inflorescences 
  to 
  the 
  

   stem 
  is 
  typical 
  in 
  Solanum 
  and 
  accidental 
  in 
  

   many 
  other 
  cases. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  quite 
  superfluous 
  to 
  add 
  further 
  

   proof. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  general 
  phenomenon 
  that 
  

   specific 
  characters 
  occur 
  in 
  other 
  genera 
  as 
  

   anomalies, 
  and 
  under 
  such 
  circumstances 
  that 
  

   the 
  idea 
  of 
  a 
  slow 
  evolution 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  of 
  

   utility 
  is 
  absolutely 
  excluded. 
  No 
  other 
  ex- 
  

   planation 
  remains 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  sudden 
  muta- 
  

   tion, 
  and 
  once 
  granted 
  for 
  the 
  abnormal 
  cases, 
  

   this 
  explanation 
  must 
  obviously 
  likewise 
  be 
  

   granted 
  for 
  the 
  analogous 
  specific 
  characters. 
  

  

  Our 
  whole 
  discussion 
  shows 
  that 
  mutations, 
  

   once 
  observed 
  in 
  definite 
  instances, 
  afford 
  the 
  

   most 
  probable 
  basis 
  for 
  the 
  explanation 
  of 
  spe- 
  

   cific 
  characters 
  at 
  large. 
  

  

  