40 HE VIEWS. 



pelopsis, three species of Panax, and four of Aralia, one of 

 which is near our A. nudicaulis ; and among Umbelliferae 

 are Hydrocotyle, Sanicula, Sium, Angelica, but what is most 

 remarkable, Cryptotaenia, Archemora, and Osmorhiza. Fur- 

 ther cases of generic conformity abound in the remaining di- 

 visions of the vegetable kingdom ; thus, for example, Dier- 

 villa, Mitchella, Madura, Liquidambar, Torreya, and Sassa- 

 fras, are represented in the flora of Jajmn. 



VEGETABLE MONSTROSITIES. 



This interesting treatise ^ on Vegetable Monstrosities is 

 very properly prefaced by a statement of what is meant by 

 the normal structure of plants, by vegetable individuality, 

 and vegetable symmetry. The author proceeds to consider, 

 first, those slighter deviations which are called varieties ; 

 and secondly, those more grave and mostly congenital anom- 

 alies which bear the name of monsters. As to the latter the 

 author remarks, that nearly every monstrous or abnormal con- 

 dition that has been observed is to be met with as the normal 

 state of other vegetables ; and that between a monstrous and 

 a normal flower, the only difference often is, that the former 

 is the occasional, and the latter the habitual state. " La 

 monstruosite est done, en general, Tapplication insolite, a un 

 individu ou a un appareil, de la structure normale d'un autre 

 appareil ou d'un autre individu. C'est une organisation traus- 

 posee, c'est une loi changee de place. On Ta dit avec raison, 

 la monstruosite ne se trouve pas en dehors de la nature, mais 

 seulement en dehors de la coutume." It is clear, therefore, 

 that while abnormal states may always be exi)lained by the 

 laws which regulate the normal structure, monsters themselves, 

 as the etymology of the name indicates, often show us the true 

 structure when it could not be certainly inferred from the 



1 Ele'mens de Teratologie Vegetate, ou Histoire ahregee des anomalies de 

 I' Organisation dans les Vrgi'taux. Par A. Moqiun-Tiuulon. Paris, 1841. 

 (American Journal of Science and Arts, xli. 374:.) 



