A FLORAL ABNORMALITY OF THE 

 INDIAN WATER LILY 



Prolification and Phyllomorphy in Nymphaea Rubra 



P. M. Debbarman 

 Hozvra, India 



THE curious specimen described 

 below appears to be worth plac- 

 ing on record as an example 

 principally of axial floral prolification 

 of the flower and phyllomorphy of the 

 stamens. 



In this specimen a small supernu- 

 merary flower with a distinct ])edicel 

 has issued from the axil of one of the 

 inner petals of a normal-sized flower 

 of Nymphaea rubra Roxh. The stam- 

 ens have been transformed into small 

 leaf-like structures thus exhibiting 

 "phyllomorphy." This latter change 

 is very striking in view of the fact 

 that the structure of an anther is usual- 

 ly far removed from that of an ordi- 

 nary leaf. The ovary has been found 

 to be filled with a brownish-yellow 

 mass and covered with intricate woolly 

 hairs. No trace of any stamens or 

 ovary has been found inside the super- 

 numerary flower, which is quite small 

 in comparison with normal flowers. 

 Not only the flowers but even the 

 leaves in this specimen are found to 

 be rather modified in shape and size. 



Masters has recorded a somewhat 

 similar specimen of Nymphaea in his 

 Vegetable Teratology. The present 

 one, however, primarily differs from 

 the latter in the following respects — 

 (i) the scape is free from any sign 

 of torsion; (2) the supernumerary 

 flower has apparently proceeded from 

 the axil of a petal ; (3) long matted 

 hairs cover the disc and the abortive 

 ovary and (4) the leaves are modified 

 in size and shape. 



It seems quite probable that two 

 different kinds of factors — one internal 

 and the other external — might have 



06 



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LEAVES FROM STAMENS 



Figure 18. Several stamens have de- 

 veloped into small, leaf-like structures, and 

 a supernumerary flower has grown from the 

 axils of one of the petals. Leaves and 

 stamens are structurally so dififerent that 

 such a change of characters is remarkable. 

 It is not known what caused this variation, 

 but it is believed to be due either to a para- 

 site or to a nutritional disturbance. 



been at work here, giving rise to these 

 structural deviations. On the one hand 

 the presence of the supernumerary 

 flower and the change in the shape 

 and size of the leaves lead us to sus- 

 l^ect that these might have been due 

 to some internal cause (e. g. nutrition), 

 and, on the other hand, the abnormal 

 tissue in the abortive ovary and the 

 hairs on it, lead us to suspect some 

 external factor (e. g. a parasite). 



