1893.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 297 



axillary, aud are bent round the clasping base beneatli them." 

 From what I have already recorded there will be no difficulty in 

 perceiving that the " peduncle" is but a depauperate and displaced 

 central axis, but the great disparity in the strength of the displaced 

 and succeeding axes is very remarkable. The peduncle itself goes 

 through the same metamorphosis. It is an arrested branch, and at 

 the point where it is " abruptly bent or contorted near the middle," 

 there would, under more vigorous vegetative conditions, be a node. 



With a good lens we can see a minute bract, with an axillary 

 bud, which latte" seems now to terminate the straight or lower por- 

 tion of the peduncle, and which bud in its development seems to 

 have pressed or bent over the original axis, which has become a 

 pedicel bearing jthe flower. 



The peduncle, by a peculiar twist, turns around the stem, and 

 gives the appearance of being axillary instead of truly " extra '* 

 axillary. This arises from the plant being an incipient twiner •> 

 some of its allies having actually achieved this habit. The midrib 

 of the leaf curves more than 30° from a straight line, showing the 

 strong convolutionary character of the plant. 



During my short stay at Seal Harbor. I had no opportunity to 

 observe as closely as desirable ; but it seems certain that the ovarium, 

 though three-celled, has its walls made up of six original leaves. 

 The series of three outer leaves have become so thoroughly blended 

 with the three inner ones, that no one would suspect their existence, 

 except by watching the young fruit through the several stages of 

 ripening. The three outer ones color before the three inner ones. 

 At this stage their outlines are distinctly seen. At this time, also, 

 there is a slight tendency to a hexagonal form, which has been 

 noted in Trillium, though the hexapetal character seems not to have 

 been suggested. 



The Anthesis of Brunella vulgaris. 



Little new could be expected from a plant so common as Brunella 

 vulgaris, but noting at Seal Harbor, on July 18th, that every flower 

 was fertile, close fertilization was suspected. 



Pulling off at night-fall all expanded flowers, it was found the 

 next morning that all the flowers to expand that day were open 

 before 8 A. M. There is a total rest after this till a little before 8 

 A. M., the next morning. Opening a flower before its normal time 

 it was found that the anther cells were already ruptured, and one — 



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