INTRODUCTION. 17 



petals only and 5 stamens. That was even a 

 deviation from the family ! 



2. I have met with a Tecoma bearing a ca- 

 psule with 3 valves, the generic character is 

 bivalve. 



3. Asters and Solidagos with the ligules 

 mixt with the florets, forming a kind of peloric 

 genus which I have called Mictanthes. 



4. The Aster discoideus of Elliot or my 

 genus Atiactis, has no rays, it must have been 

 a deviated genus like Kclipta from Verhesina. 

 I have met some Asters with the rays so short- 

 ened as to be almost invisible. 



5. My G. GoNONcus has two sorts of flowers 

 and seeds on the same plant, uniting the char- 

 racters of Polygonun and Persicaria. 



6. My G. Stttrandra appears to have origi- 

 nated once from Convallaria or rather Majan- 

 ihemuni^ just like Paris from Trillium. 



7. Many monoical and dioical plants return 

 to Polygamy and hermaphroditism. This is the 

 case with some of our Vines, Vitis, Morus, Ur- 

 tica, CallitricJie, ^c. 



8. Nothing more common than monstruous 

 deviations by addition or deficiency of parts, 

 which are as many links of generic varia- 

 tions. 



Of all the European Floras, that in which 

 generic and specific deviations are most expli- 

 citly stated and best detailed, is the Flora Li- 

 thuanica of Gilibert, where many similar ano- 

 malies may be noticed. 



Therefore the result will be that our species 

 and genera are not quite permanent as suppos- 

 ed, but are gradually producing deviations of 

 forms ; when these are floral thev are of course 



