100 



THE NATURALIST. 



parlance this metamorphosis may 

 be expressed. 



In certain tribes of plants possess- 

 ing many stamens, as for example, 

 RanuncidacecB, Rosacece, &g., the sta- 

 mens, by cultivation are trans- 

 formed into petals, and thus the 

 petals become doubled over and over 

 again, till, in the language of the 

 florist, the flower is perfect, that is, 

 all the stamens have undergone this 

 change. This may truly be called 

 doubling. 



The flower of the composite 

 plant is made up of a great number 

 of small flowers, arranged on a capi- 

 tulum or head. Many of these 

 plants, as the Daisy, &c., possess 

 two kinds of florets, viz., tubular 

 and ligulate or strap shaped. The 

 tubular florets are generally very 

 small and inconspicuous. They 

 occupy the centre of the head, and 

 form the disc. The strap-shaped 

 florets are nmch larger and gayer 

 in appearance. They occupy the 

 margin of the head and form the 

 ray. Now, when under cultivation, 

 and sometimes in a wild state, as in 

 the present instance, the tubular 

 florets of the disc — begining with 

 those next the ray — become larger 

 and ligulate, thus increasing the 

 number of whorls in the ray, and 

 rendering the flower more hand- 

 some and conspicuous. It will be 

 seen that this doubling of the whorls 

 of the ray florets is totally different 



from the doubling in those plants 

 previously alluded to. There is no 

 increase in the number of petals, as 

 in them, but simply a change of tu- 

 bular into ligulate florets. To use 

 the same term then to express 

 changes so totally dissimilar is, to 

 say the least, to eause much misap- 

 prehension and confusion. 



In the specimen under our notice 

 the ligulate whorls were increased 

 from one to six or seven, and the 

 flower was thereby rendered really 

 handsome and imposing. We met 

 with no other instance of the kind 

 though the plant was there truly 

 abundant. 



To the professed botanist these 

 few remarks will convey no new in- 

 formation, but I am aware that in- 

 cipient and non-botanists have very 

 vague and imperfect notions of the 

 change which takes place in these 

 plants, and to them — and to such I 

 write — these remarks may prove 

 acceptable. 



We collected about twenty species 

 ofi)lants, the majority of which are 

 not found in this locality. I should 

 have enclosed a list but find that 

 my friend, Mr. G. Roberts, who has 

 visited the district three or four 

 times this season, is preparing a list 

 of all the i)lants that he has taken 

 this season, and with them will be 

 incorporated our recent captures. — 

 John Hepwouth, Lofthouse, Wake- 

 field, September 30th, 1864. 



