Mr. Sabine 07i ^/ic Chrysanthemum Indicum of LinncBus. 143 



to, which by the gardeners are called semi-double, from their 

 having, as is supposed, more radial florets than are strictly natu- 

 ral, I observed that the receptacles, as far as they were covered 

 with the tubular florets, were destitute of paleae, and that a few 

 of the chaffy processes only were observable in the circumference 

 of the flowers where the ligulate florets were placed. In the 

 plants with double flowers, where the ligulate florets extend over 

 the whole disc, paleaj were uniformly observable in greater or 

 less quantity; but whenever any of the flowers of the latter plants 

 from particular causes had lost the full double appearance and 

 showed a portion of the disc covered with tubular florets, in those 

 cases palea) ceased to be formed on that portion of the disc co- 

 vered with the tubular florets. I therefore conclude, that the 

 production of the paleae on the disc, when the tubular are changed 

 into ligulate florets, is the consequence of the luxuriance of the 

 flowers ; the rudiments of the paleae which exist on the disc in 

 the flower in its natural state are elongated into chaffy processes, 

 by the same operating cause which converts the tubular into 

 ligulate florets. 



As the existence of paleae on the receptacle of the flower was 

 the only ground on which the Chinese Chrysanthemums had 

 been referred to the genus Anthemis, I presume that the facts 

 above stated will be considered as conclusive against such refe- 

 rence, and that consequently the original application by the 

 English botanists of the Chinese Chrysanthemum to the genus 

 Chrysanthemum is correct. 



Soon after I had examined the semi-double or single flowers 

 of the Chinese Chrysanthemums, a plant which had been im- ' 

 ported by Mr. Samuel Brookes, of Ball's Pond, from China, 

 and which he had presented to the Horticultural Society, came 

 into blossom in the Society's garden. On this plant it was with 

 the greatest satisfaction I observed the flower conforming exactly 



with 



