Chap. III. FUMARIACE^. 121 



spines, it is surprising that it should be provided with 

 tendrils, comparatively inefficient though these are. 

 The plant might have been left, one would have 

 thought, to climb by the aid of its spines alone, like 

 our brambles. As, however, it belongs to a genus, 

 some of the species of which are furnished with much 

 longer tendrils, we may suspect that it possesses these 

 organs solely from being descended from progenitors 

 more highly organized in this respect. 



FuMAMACEiE. Corydalis claviculata. According to 

 Mohl (p. 43), the extremities of the branched stem, 

 as well as the leaves, are converted into tendrils. 

 In the specimens examined by me all the tendrils were 

 certainly foliar, and it is hardly credible that the same 

 plant should produce tendrils of a widely different 

 homological nature. Nevertheless, from this state- 

 ment by Mohl, I have ranked this species amongst the 

 tendril-bearers ; if classed exclusively by its foliar 

 tendrils, it would be doubtful whether it ought not to 

 have been placed amongst the leaf-climbers, with its 

 allies, Fumaria and Adlumia. A large majority of its 

 so-called tendrils still bear leaflets, though excessively 

 reduced in size ; but some few of them may properly 

 be designated as tendrils, for they are completely 

 destitute of laminae or blades. Consequently, we here 

 behold a plant in an actual state of transition from a leaf- 

 climber to a tendril-bearer. Whilst the plant is rather 

 young, only the outer leaves, but when full-grown all 

 the leaves, have their extremities converted into more 

 or less perfect tendrils. I have examined specimens 



