HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



153 



TERATOLOGICAL NOTES. 



AUGUST 1st.— Noticed to-day a fuchsia, of 

 whicli the leaves were arranged in tliree 

 different ways : not only on the same plant, but 

 also on the same branch, there were leaves opposite, 

 alternate, and in whorls of three, and on one branch 

 two whorls of three leaves each, bearing a flower- 

 bud from the axil of each leaf. Are we to suppose 

 that this is caused by a non-development of inter- 

 nodes, or is there a better theory to account for it ? 

 (N.B.— I believe Mr. Lindley is in favour of the 

 suppression of internodes.) 



Fig. p6. Garden variety of Ranunculus Asiatictis — a, the 3 

 foUoles of the Calyx, or Involucre; 6, the coloured inner 

 foliole, or abortive petal j c, the foot-stalk of the Flower. 



May 16th. — On rich, light, sandy loam, in Church 

 Cemetery, Nottingham, an abnormal specimen of 

 Trifolmm pratense or of T. medium (Bentham) ; the 

 whole plant apparently full and healthy. Examined 

 three heads of flowers, two of which exhibited the 

 monstrosities. 



The following is a description of one of the 

 flowers, and may be accepted as a tj-pe of the 

 rest : — 



Calyx.— Ixi two whorls; the inner of four, the 

 outer of nine sepals. Sepals. — Divided halfway to 

 the base, with subulate teeth. 



Corolla. — Nine oblique petals, arranged in an 

 apparently rosaceous manner (these situated between 

 the outer and inner whorls of the cahjx), then five 

 small, unequal, crumpled organs inside the inner 



whorl, and seemingly stuffing up the centre of the 

 flower, and not all on the same plane, but crowded 

 upon the central column. Petals. — The outer cues 

 red-purple, the inner quite green ; unguiculate, and 

 the nine outer ones incurved one over the other, 

 like the blossom of an apple, but more crowded. 



Stamens. — Eleven perfect ones cohering into a 

 central solid column, and about six very imperfect 

 green filaments at the top ; these were all of various 

 lengths, and scattered amongst the imperfect petals 

 upon and around the column. 



Pistil. — No trace, though the column, solid from 

 the centre to the top, appeared looser in texture at 

 the base. 



The spikes of flowers were very fine ones. On 

 them were counted 41, 45, and 66 flowers, the latter 

 one having no abortive ones ; — at least, none were 

 noticed. The monstrosities were all at the base of 

 the spikes, those flowers at the top being pretty 

 regular, though every flower on the two heads 

 appeared to possess more than its normal number of 

 sepals, the average being 6-fid. 



June 9th.— A lady found to-day a specimen of the 

 red garden daisy, with one large centre flower, the 

 involucre very loose and spreading, and having 

 fifteen other daisies, half the size of the central one, 

 springing from between the scales of the involucre. 

 This is, I believe, a very good specimen of the Hen- 

 and-chicken daisy. 



June 23rd. — While plucking some flowers from a 

 plant of the common blue lupine, noticed a pecu- 

 liarity about the leaves. The leaves of this well- 

 known, plant are commonly on long stalks, with a 

 number of lanceolate leaflets arranged in a stellate 

 manner upon the top of the stalk, and all upon the 

 same plane. In this case, however, the leaflets 

 appear to be arranged in two or three rows, and in 

 a spiral almost imperceptible, excepting that they 

 are alternate with the ones above. One of the 

 leaves consisted of 29 such leaflets. 



July 21st, 1873. — Perhaps the following is as good 

 an illustration of the transitions between sepals and 

 petals, &c., as could be found in the Ranunculus 

 family. A garden variety of Ranunculus asiaticus 

 produced, instead of a flower, one long stalk, on the 

 top of which were three green expansions of a leaf- 

 like form, and one within, and alternate, of a bright 

 red colour, and of remarkable shape. The best idea 

 of their appearance may be formed by supposing the 

 involucre of the Wood Anemone {A. nemorosa) to 

 be formed of three sessile leaflets, one-third of an 

 inch broad at base, and divided from halfway 

 up into numerous divisions, like the ordinary leaves 

 of the species. Within these, and springing from 

 the same centre, one tripartite flattened expansion, 

 coloured red, the two lobes entire, the other one 

 approaching the divisions of the leaves, and coloured 

 with green streaks up one side. The illustration 

 may make this plainer. 



