September 1, 1863. ] JOITRNAL OF HOETICULTXJRE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



171 



VEGETABLE TEEATOLOGY. 



A VARIETY OP PAPAVEK WITH ANTHERS TRANSFORMED TO CARPELS. 



De Candolle, in his " OrganograpHe Vegetal," figured a 

 head of Papaver ai'ound which two or three of the stamens 

 had changed into capsules. Subsequently, in 1832, I pre- 

 sented to the Congress of Natui-alists at Vienna a more 

 complete sijecinien of a similar monstrosity, the greater 

 number of the stamens being in this case transformed into 

 capsules more or less large. Dui-ing the summer of 1839 I 

 learned, that at some miles from Breslau there was a whole 

 field of Papavers metamorphosed in the manner indicated 



The metamoiijhosis begins ostensibly by the appearance 

 of a substance which, produced with the toms, is interposed 

 and developed between the bases of the filaments of the 

 stamens, with which it effects a junction in the form of a 

 ring. Subsequently this substance surrounds the principal 

 capsule, either in part (in which case the metamorjihosis 

 only affects a small number of stamens), or entirely (when 

 the most of the stamens are transformed). But in every 

 case it is only the interior ranks of the stamens which be- 



■^5^ 



I 



I obtained a considerable quantity of them, in all degrees of come monstrous ; the exterior ones preserving their normal 

 transformation, each central capsule having round it from 

 one to sixty small supplementary capsules, and, what is very 

 important, ripe seeds existed, not only in the principal cap- 

 sules, but also in many of the accessory ones. The following 

 year (1850), I sowed a good 

 number of these seeds, piu-- 

 posely selecting the contents 

 of the large capsules round 

 which were an-anged the small- 

 est ones; I sowed these seeds 

 in two different places — viz., 

 one packet in a compartment 

 well exposed to the sun ; the 

 second ia a small sheltered 

 garden. The residt proved 

 cleai-ly that the metamor- 

 phosis in question was in- 

 duced by ch-cumstances the 

 most favourable to the luxu- 

 riant gi'owth of this species — 

 namely, good soU, full expo- 

 siu-e to the sun, and the 





sun 

 gi-eatest possible space for 

 each plant. 



In the compartment fii'st 

 named, the foremost pai-t 

 alone was unshaded; the 

 other pai-t, forming a partial 

 slope, was shaded from right 

 to left by some small bushes. 

 At this latter point, the seed 

 which sprung up in abund- 

 ance was not at all thinned, 

 so that the plants, more 

 crowded, coidd not attain the 

 same height as those of the 

 other portion, where there 

 was more space for theii- de- 

 velopment. Nevertheless, of 

 eighty of the fii-st plants (of 



the portion not shatled), ten only did not present any trace 

 of metamorphosis ; all the others showed it in the most 

 varied manner, though certainly it only attained its maxi- 

 mum of energy in ten cases. In the portion of the ground 

 much shaded, where the second lot of seeds had sprung up, 

 most of the heads showed metamoi-phosed stamens ; but 

 the number of these latter was, in general, very limited — 

 one, two, ten, for each central capsule, and, among sixty of 

 these capsules, two, at the most, had from forty to fifty 

 small supplementary ones. Moreover, w-hen even these 

 smaU capsides were very numerous, and formed a cii'ole 

 round the central one, there remained a tolerable number of 

 untrausfoi-med stamens on each head. Formerly I had sup- 

 IJOsed the metamorphosis to have absorbed all the male organs 

 of the same flower ; it was owing to my not having followed 

 the phases of this transformation, my observations having 

 been confined to the capsules which were ah-eady mature. 



form. As soon as the junction of the basis of the stamens 

 attains the length of from 2 to 3 lines, the transformation of 

 the anther to a cai-pel commences. At fii'st the connective 

 is swelled and becomes convex on the back, opening in a 



split in fi'ont. The exterior 

 valves of the cells of the 

 anther project, and become 

 reflexed behind, in the form 

 of wings. It is these which 

 form the large and non-pa- 

 piUous border of the stigms. 

 At the same time the exter- 

 nal border of the partition 

 of the anther becomes more 

 prominent, and covered with 

 papillae. It is this which 

 forms the true stigmatic line 

 which answers to the pa- 

 pOlous rays of the stigma- 

 tiferous disk of the normal 

 capsule. The analogy be- 

 tween the two is evident. 

 The stigma is already formed 

 when the ovules have not yet 

 appeared. Theu- formation 

 begins by the dilating of the 

 connective : this organ opens 

 more and more in front, and 

 its cavity, which seems bor- 

 dered by stigmatic ijapillK, 

 soon shows the rudiments of 

 the ovules. In proportion as 

 this cavity becomes more pro- 

 found (deeper) the upper part 

 of the metamoi-phosed sta- 

 mens takes the form of a 

 hollow club, in which are de- 

 veloped by degi'ees the longi- 

 tudinal ranks of the ovules. 

 Here my observations close. 

 When the number of monsti-ous stamens is consider- 

 able, and, consequently, .lose on one another, they fre- 

 quently split in two, three, foui-, together from the base 

 to the summit, forming thus small capsules, with two, 

 three, or four stigmatic rays, which come much nearer 

 the normal capsule. It often happens, also, that ordinai-y 

 stamens are joined to those which are metamoiijhosed. 

 The above experiments are susceptible of being repeated 

 with new modifications, and the subject, so far- from being 

 exhausted, promises interesting discoveries in science. A 

 fact well established, is that the monstrosity in question 

 is pei-petuated from seeds dm-ing two generations, and 

 ought, perhaps, to receive as a distinctive title, the name 

 of Papaver officinale, var. monstrosum. The jiresei-vation 

 of a plant so singular and interesting is worthy of aU the 

 care of horticultm-ists.— Professor Gceppekt. — i^lore de 

 Serres.) 



HAJIDY AQUATICS. 



Will you state the names of a few water plants capable 

 of bearing the fuB hght and heat of the sun? In the 

 grounds of a house to which I am moving, the lawn is 

 separated from a field by a long piece of ornamental water. 



the greater part of it entirely without shade. The late 

 residents have for years kept swans on it ; the consequence 

 of which is, that the water and its banks are as completely 

 unclothed as if it were a mere tank. My gardener says 



