﻿On the distribution and correlation of the sexes (staminate and 



pistillate flowers) in the inflorescence of the aroids 



Arisarum vulgare and Arisarum proboscideum 



I. Introductory Remarks 



Because of its high degree of specialization the inflorescence 

 of the aroids should present most interesting, and in some instances 

 favorable, material for biometric studies. 



So far as I am aware, however, practically nothing is known in 

 quantitative terms of variation and correlation in the inflorescence 

 of this group. In this note I present the results of an analysis of 

 the data for two species collected by Cannarella. I hope that the 

 publication of these results will suggest to those who have the 

 opportunity, the desirability of obtaining more adequate series of 

 quantitative data on this group. The structural peculiarities of 

 the Aroids are too well known to botanists to require comment. 

 Those who wish further details for Arisarum may consult the well- 

 known monographs by Engler. The two species here considered 

 are figured in Curtis's Botanical Magazine, pi. 602 j, 6634. 



In the case of Arisarum vulgare Cannarella* has given data 

 for number of male and female flowers in the inflorescence. 

 These he tables in several difi'erent ways, but without bringing 

 out the full significance of the observations. For Arisarum pro- 

 hoscideum\ he has recorded the data for number of staminate and 

 pistillate flowers per inflorescence for a series of individual habitats. 

 Beyond a descriptive discussion he gives no analyses of these data 

 except to state that the correlation between the number of male 

 and female flowers for the total material is r = — .069. A negative 

 value in a character such as the present leads one to suspect arith- 



. Bot. Palermo 4 



