ON CERTAIN EPIGYNOUS MONOCOTYLEDONS. I'JB 



the column are the inner circle of these. And then he gives 

 up his earlier opinion as to the stigma of the Orchidea?, and 

 assumes that its arms are opposite to the lateral organs of the 

 outer circle of the perianthial organs. 



With regard to the first point, I have already advanced some 

 arguments against the assumption of a calyculus as typical, 

 and cannot but think Endlicher's view, as laid down in his 

 ' Genera Plantarura/ the more correct, chiefly because the soli- 

 tary anther in every case stands in front of that outer organ of 

 the perianth, which falls next the bract. The complicated nature 

 of the labellum appears to me to be shown both by its so fre- 

 quent confluence with the column, and by the cases where all 

 the other organs of the perianth are blended together, and the 

 column alone remains free. The history of development is quite 

 silent on this point, as well as in reference to the column, at 

 least in the above plants. But I have no doubt that the Neottiece 

 display the composition of the column most distinctly in their 

 development, just as, moreover, the analogy of the Orchideae with 

 the Scitamineae is rendered most clear by this group. In a series 

 of monstrosities of Ornithocephalus in my possession, there is 

 one which has only one simple filiform body at the bottom of 

 the flower, and another where two such organs are observed one 

 standing behind the other, evidently anther and column, arrested 

 at the lowest stage of development*. 



In reference to the explanation of the stigma of the Orchideae, 



* Since monstrosities in general, so interesting in many respects, do not 

 always prove much in other directions, I cannot accord very great value to the 

 various monstrosities observed in the Orchideae. When three anthers occur 

 instead of one upon a column, the additional two may just as well be called a 

 monstrous multiplication of the central one, as a retrogression to the type ; even 

 as, for example, a pelorian Linaria by no means proves that the flower of Linaria 

 ought to have five spurs. On this ground peloricB in general ought to be divided 

 into two groups, one comprehending those where the regularity is restored by 

 the multiplication of an existing irregularity. To return to the Orchideae, I 

 have observed blossoms of Isocliilus where in almost every case three anthers 

 occurred instead of one ; and where in one case I found only one, there were 

 still two empty ones by its sides. But this is certainly not a further return to 

 the type. If however, on the whole, no doubt can exist now-a-days as to the 

 morphological import of the column, it must still be observed, that no mon- 

 strosity can demonstrate how it should properly appear, and that if ever a co- 

 lumn should present itself separated into its elements, this might have a totally 

 different character. 



