D.T.MACDOUCAL. 



A Monstrous Specimen of Rudbeckia hirta, L. 



By J. T. Rothrock, B. S., M. D. 



(WITH PLATES I, II, AND III. 



THROUGH the kindness of Mr. Francis Windle, of 

 West Chester, Pa., a most remarkable illustration of 

 proliferation and floral modification in the above-named 

 plant has come to my knowledge. 



There were two specimens, taken from a field which 

 had been previously mowed. He removed them from the 

 ground and planted them in a flower-pot near his home, 

 where he had them under observation. We may fairly as- 

 sume that if the stems had not already produced flowers that 

 season, they were well advanced toward that period when cut 

 down. Hence they represented a weakened second-growth. 

 In the larger of these two heads there were nineteen well- 

 developed secondary heads and four others less well de- 

 veloped, but following in the course of the larger ones. 



The order of development was acropetal. Hence the most 

 of the departure from a typical condition was evinced by the 

 ray flowers. Of the latter there was not a single normal one 

 in the entire floral mass, which is represented in the unnum- 

 bered illustration accompanying this brief sketch. 



In general, it may be stated that while the proliferation of 

 the tubular flowers was not so marked, still instances were 

 not wholly wanting. 



The most striking fact was, that from the central part of 

 both ray and disk flowers there were found proliferated 

 foliar and floral axes in the position which belonged to the 

 styles. This is none the less singular when one remembers 

 that the ray of Rudbeckia is neutral. From these proliferated 

 masses, in many instances, there were secondary prolifera- 



