Teratological Notes. 



241 



Facilities were afforded me by the Conservator of Forests, Mr. 

 H. Mackiiv; the Director of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, Mr. J. 

 ■Cronin ; and Messrs. Brunning and Son. to examine the seedling 

 l>tds in the respective nurseries. The State Forests Nursery, estab- 

 lished principally for the sowing and nursing of eucalypts, is at 

 Broadford; the other plants were observed in my private garden at 

 Kew. Nothing like an exhaustive search was made or attempted 

 in the limited time available, and though many genera were noticed, 

 the quest was made with the study of seedlings of Eucalyptus as the 

 main object in view. 



Polycotyly. — In some species there appears to lie a tendency to 

 polycotyly, the deviation from normal conditions ending there; in 

 others this tendency seems to have strengthened into a habit without 

 subsequent growth of the plant being affected, while in a third phase 

 the impulse given is continued into successive foliar organs in their 

 arrangement relative to the axis. In frames containing some thou- 

 sands of Pittosporum nigrescens, I failed to find a single dicotylous 

 plant, although 3-merous and 4-merous forms were common, and 

 5-merous seedlings were in the proportion of about 1-100. 



The species of which 1 exhibited specimens with increased number 

 of cotvledons are as follows : — 



Cupress us m ar roca rpa 



( 'uprosma ludica 1 

 Eucalyptus Muelleriana 

 „ resinifcra 



„ radiata - 



,, Risidoni - 



., cornuta - 



Dillwynia cinerasce»s 

 Ligu&trum (chinensis ?) 

 Sterculia (sp.) 

 Pittosporum tenuifolium 

 „ floribundum 



„ Buchanianum 



„ nigrescens 



,, undulatum 



Cytisus proli/erus 



Maudevillea (sp.) 

 Gleditschia triacanthos 

 Callistemon lanceolatus 



3-, 4-, 5-, and 7-meroiis forms, fre- 

 quent ; 2-inerous forms not seen 



3-merous, in proportion of about 6:100 



3-merous, rare. 



3-merous, 1 : 500. 



3-merous, about 1 : 100. 



3-merous, about 1 : 100. 



3-merous, i-are. 



3-merous, 1.22. 



3-merous, 9:140. 



3-merous, ] :20. 



3-, 4- and 5-merous. 



3-merous 3:80. 



Only two out of 17 in one lot were 

 dicotylous, five were 3-merously 

 whorled, nine 4-merously and one 

 5-merously. 



3-, 4- and 5-merous (see above). 



Many 3-merous whorls seen. 



3-merous, about 3: 100. 



3-merous, numerous. 



3-merous about 3 : 1000. 



A few, not counted. 



Result of observation di 



seasons of seedlings of the same t« 



