On the Modification of the Stamens of a Species of Begonia. -JCQ 



Once I saw (fig. 3, s) in the midst of the white ovules, a dark yellow body 

 of a club-shaped form, having nearly the size of an ovule, covered by club-shaped 

 papillae exactly resembling in shape and colour those of the stigma; so that in 

 this case an ovule appeared to have been transformed into a stigma! 



Since I found this plant, I have been looking out for others; and yesterday 

 I at length met with a second specimen (growing within 2 yards distance from 

 the first), which promises to offer still more curious modifications. Some of the 

 male flowers of this second plant have been transformed completely into female 

 ones with superior perianth, but distinguished from the normal $ flowers by the 

 perianth having (as in the male flowers) two large broad outer and two small 

 narrow inner segments (whilst the female flowers have five segments, one being 

 smaller), and by their having from four to five stigmas and as many alae on the 

 ovarium (the female flowers have three). In one of these abnormal female flowers 

 there were some naked ovules between the stigmas beside those included in the 

 ovarium. In the first plant all the ovules of the male flowers are naked. There 

 are some unripe pods on the second plant, all of which are produced by normal 

 $ flowers ; as soon as they are ripe I shall send you seeds of this second plant also. 



