167 



observing that in the embryonic flower the inner whorl of 

 staminodes originates from only two ') primordia, of which one 

 becomes the labellnm and the other one is left for all the 

 other staminodes, i. e., alae (V) Moreover Eichler states that 

 the alae would never produce an anther, which assertion, 

 however, is not in harmony with a Canna-flower observed in 

 Utrecht which bore a lateral anther on the ala /:?. 



This conception of Eichler's regarding suppressed and stipular 

 staminodes has something artificial and deserves no longer to 

 be contrasted with his second hypothesis after the observations 

 which I am about to make in the following pages. 



This second hypothesis is represented in fig. 1 B, and supposes 

 the outer whorl of staminodes represented by two petaloid 

 leaflets or alae ft and / opposing two of the sepals. Of the 

 inner whorl all three members are present, viz. 1° the semi- 

 petaloid stamen, 2° the labellum, 3° the ala a. Of the six sta- 

 minodes there is, according to this view, only one wanting, 

 which for convenience' sake will be termed d. Eichler, who 

 himself mentions that Kornicke had actually met with this 

 missing ala has failed to set great store by this observation 

 instead of using it as a strong support for his hypothesis, which 

 in the following pages will be shown to be the only accep- • 

 table one. 



Let us therefore devote our attention to fig. 2 drawn from 

 the brickred Canna Crozy ; in which s . . . s indicate the 

 connecting points of the free sepals on the top of the ovary, 

 p\ p\ [r the basal portions of the petals firmly adhering to the 

 flowertube, a, y and b the basal parts of three of the alae also 

 adhering and (i indicates the ala at the back of the flower. 

 The ala a is seen to be enclosed by y and d. 



In removing the free portion of these alae it appears that 

 they have grown together with the flowertube over a distance 

 of about 25m.M.,but a rises a little higher, reaching therefore, 

 in our drawing, slightly beyond its neighbours. The shape of 



\) Payer (II, p. 67 j, on the contrary, found three primordia for the inner circle. 



