and Monstrous Flowers hy Pruning, 343 



has been gained in one year, giving to the ear a different habit; 

 and although a distinct variety was not produced, yet the same 

 process continued yearly, selecting the largest grains of the year 

 before, might lead to useful results. 



As serving to show the facility with which a departure from 

 an ordinary mode of growth may occasionally be effected, merely 

 through a superabundant supply of sap from pruning, a variety 

 of inflorescence was in a few weeks produced in a plant of Atri- 

 plex angustifolia, which may deserve attention, because it is not 

 known, that I am aware of, to flower in this very unusual way, 

 however rich the soil may be in which it is growing ; and this 

 plant was not very luxuriant, as it grew in a rather poor soil. 

 It was allowed to grow till most of its branches had the appear- 

 ance of commencing inflorescence, and then about half of them 

 were removed, and the remainder more or less cropped, the 

 young shoots which subsequently sprouted being cut off every 

 week or ten days. The remaining portion soon acquired a con- 

 gested appearance, and it was found on examination that the 

 receptacles of some of the female flowers had produced additional 

 female flowers ; from two to six, and in one instance seven were 

 observed, each having two sepals as usual, and the ovary two 

 stigmas. When two, they were opposite the sepals ; when five 

 or six, they irregularly surrounded the ovary. 



These flowers, developed from the receptacle, may serve to 

 explain the origin of a singular monstrosity occurring in Dian- 

 thus barbatus^j in which a flower, the calyx of which consisted 

 of the usual number of parts, had within it five imperfect flowers, 

 which grew from the receptacle so as to surround the ovary ; and 

 the same variation in growth is also noticed as occurring in the 

 Clove Carnation. 



A monstrosity occasionally occurs in Prunus spinosa, appa- 

 rently produced in the same way as in the Atriplex, consisting 

 of flowers with double the number of petals and stamens, and 

 two or three ovari«s. 



Should such experiments on other plants be followed by the 

 production of permanent varieties from the seed, it will become 

 obvious that the grazing of cattle would occasionally give rise 

 to varieties, inasmuch as the greater part of the inflorescence of 

 a plant is often destroyed, leaving a few flowers only to perfect 

 seed. 



* Phytologist, vol. ii. p. 667. 



