AN EERATIC IVY. 



178 



which constitute the midribs of the carpels of the normal flower. 

 The accompanying cut, Fig. 2 (p. 174), which has been kindly placed 

 at my disposal by that gentleman, and which is taken from his 

 recently published work on the ' Origin of Floral Structures,' 

 illustrates the arrangement and distribution of the fibro-vascular 

 cords in the pedicel and ovary of the Ivy under ordinary circum- 

 stances. In the pedicel there are four such cords as indicated in 

 section at a; at a higher level these four divide, and the divisions 

 are arranged in a ring or circle, as seen on a transverse section b ; 

 at the base of the receptacular tube fifteen such cords may be seen 

 c, ten in one outer ring, five in an inner series ; the outer ten pass 



Fig. 1. — Abnormal flower of Ivy seen from the top, the side, and in median 

 Vertical section. To the left is seen an abnormal stalked flower, which occupied 

 the centre of one of the flowers. 



upwards, one into each of the five sepals and five petals respectively; 

 the inner five are separated radially from those cords which are 

 superposed to the sepals and are destined to supply the stamens. 

 Then from the five cords of the outer series which supply the 

 petals two divisions are given off, of which one runs up the centre 

 of each carpel, and the other up the axis, d. If only four or three 

 ovarian cells are developed, then the central cords become fused 



