148 THE PLANT WORLD 



than the normal, has been found in this hood, and another case where 

 an axis with three nodes, each bearing bracts, has been observed. As a 

 rule, however, much less development is found, and sometimes the hood 

 is almost empty. 



The lateral branches of the glume do not appear to indulge in the 

 production of abnormal growths at their tips. They usually end in acute, 

 attenuated points. This immunity, however, is not shared by the glumes 

 that subtend the flowers, as is shown in figure 2 of Plate VIII. These 

 glumes, which in most cases terminate in slender, straight awns, as is 

 shown at the left of the figure, in rather rare cases develop the condition 

 shown at the right of this figure where at their tips they indulge in 

 proliferation like that of the outer flowering glume. So far, however, no 

 case has been noted where this proliferation resulted in anything more 

 than the production of one or two unequal, bract-like structures. In 

 fact, this appears to be the first time that the proliferation of the subtend- 

 ing glumes has been observed. 



Not the least curious thing about this proliferation is that in both cases 

 the structures are borne in a reversed position with respect to the main 

 axis of the plant. This applies to the central branch of the flowering 

 glume and to the subtending glumes. No case of reversal or proliferation 

 has been observed on the lateral branches of the flowering glume. This 

 reverted position is shown by the direction of the pubescence in both cases 

 and also by the direction of the floral organs when they occur in the 

 hood. 



As would be only natural, this curious structure has been freely com- 

 mented upon from time to time by botanists in the past and its signifi- 

 cance has been as freely conjectured. It has been assumed that Nature 

 is wont to reveal her secrets through abnormalities, and the secret behind 

 this one has been earnestly sought. To mention and discuss the various 

 views already published would be to write a book, and one of doubtful 

 value at that. A brief review of some of these has made it plain that 

 the knowledge of the morphology of grasses is still deplorably incomplete. 



In 1824, at least six years before the plant now under discussion was 

 known, Raspail, in discussing the embryology of grasses, said that he 

 would not be surprised to find some time a grass, the lower (outer) flower- 

 ing glume of which might serve, through its median nerve, as the axis 

 of other flowers — a truly remarkable prediction. In 1869 Masters, in 

 discussing this plant in his " Vegetable Teratology," expresses a doubt 

 as to whether or not a flower bud has ever been found actually on a leaf, 

 and he concludes as follows : 



The occurrence of an adventitious axial structure with rudimentary 

 flowers has been adduced in support of the opinion that the lower palea 

 (flowering glume) is, at least so far as its midrib is concerned, an axial 



