127 



Cannaeeae. 



Canna indica hybrida (dark red). 



Coll. J. J. S. in suo horto, February 1 909 and later. 



In Carina indica the flowers are, as is well known, united 

 in small eincinni of two flowers each. The cincinni constitute 

 a terminal raceme, whether branched or not '). In normal circum- 

 stances the variety cultivated by Dr. Smith stands in the follow- 

 ing position : At first the peduncle is without branches and bears 

 flowers. When these flowers wither there spring from the axil 

 of one or two of the sheaths an axillary inflorescence also 

 with two-flowered cincinni. In 1909 Mr. Smith observed that 

 the specimens cultivated in his garden produced three-lowered 

 instead of two -flowered cincinni. This fact deserves attention 

 as it applies to the appearance of a flower that is ordinarily 

 rudimentary and scarcely visible 2 ). A further examination showed 

 that this "third" flower deviates from the other two in the 

 same cincinnus. A considerable quantity of material preserved 

 in alcohol enabled me to show: — 



1°. that the only stamen of Canna has become petaloid and 

 imitates the labellum (fig. 66). 



2°. that one of the alae, indicated as y by Eichler, has 

 been suppressed. 



In this way the flower has become tetramerous consisting 

 of two alae and two labella decussate (fig. 66). 



In order to make the relation between normal and abnormal 

 as clear as possible I first copy Mr. Smith's description of the 

 fresh material and then describe the results of the examina- 

 tion of the immersed specimens. 



"The normal flowers of our variety" says Mr. Smith, "show 

 3 sepals, 3 petals, a petaloid stamen and a ditto style, 3 dark 

 red staminodes (Eichler's a, ft and y) and a dark red labellum 



1) Das Pflanzenreieh, herausgegeben von A. Englki;, (Ainnaceae von Fr. Khan/.i.in. 

 p. 60: racemi simplices vel rarius pauciramosi ramum longnm (v. duos) prime 

 deflorato proferentes. Floivs plerumque bini, rarius (superne) singuli.... 



2) Eichler. Bliitheodiagramme I. fig. 101. 



