696 Mr. Bkown on the Organs and Mode of 



the lateral and generally rudimentary stamina bear to the other 

 parts of the flower. 



Into this subject I had in part entered in my Observa- 

 tions on Apostasia, published by Dr. Wallich in his " Plantae 

 Asiaticae Rariores*," and had then considered it probable that 

 in all cases these Stamina, in whatever state of development 

 they were found, belonged to a different series from the middle 

 and usually fertile stamen ; in other words, were placed oppo- 

 site to the two lateral divisions of the inner series of the perian- 

 thium. In 1810, however, when I first advanced my hj^pothesis 

 of the true nature of these processes of the column, I supposed, 

 though the opinion was not then expressed, that they formed 

 the complement of the outer series of stamina ; a view which 

 has been since very generally adopted, especially by Dr. Von 

 Martins, who has given it in a stenographic formula, and by 

 Mr. Lindley, who has exhibited the relative position of parts in 

 this family in a diagram+. A careful examination of the struc- 

 ture of the column in various tribes of the order, chiefly by 

 means of transverse sections, has fully confirmed the opinion I 

 entertained when treating of Apostasia ; and more particularly 

 established the fact in Cypripedium, in which these lateral 

 stamina are perfectly developed. 



On the hypothesis of rudimentary stamina I may remark, that 

 it presented itself to me some time before the publication of the 

 Prodromus Florae Novae HoUandiae ; and my belief is, that 

 until the appearance of that work this view had not been taken 

 by any other observer in England. Mr. Bauer at least, in a 

 recent conversation on the subject, readily admitted, with his 

 usual candour, that although acquainted with a case of acci- 

 dental development, the general view had not occurred to him 

 until stated by me. 



* Vol. i. p. 74. t Introdud. to Nat. Sifst. p. 264. 



In 



