ORGANS OF REPRODUCTION. 



355 



Fiy. 762. 



mentary stigmas ; in other respects they resembled the stamens, 

 and possessed well-marked anthers containing pollen. The 

 whorls next in succession, gradually lost their anthers, became 

 more fleshy, bore evident stigmas, and on their inner surface 

 which was slightly concave, they had rudimentary ovules. Still 

 more internally, the intermediate bodies, whilst resembling those 

 just described in their general appearance, became more concave 

 on their inner surface, and bore numerous perfect ovules; and 

 Avithin these, the intermediate bodies had their two margins 

 folded completely inwards and united, and thus formed perfect 

 carpels. Such an example as this shows in a striking manner, 

 that the stamens and carpels are formed upon a common type, 

 and hence the latter are, like the former, merely modified 

 leaves. The analogy of the carpel to a leaf is, however, con- 

 stantly shown in cultivated flower.s, even 

 in a more striking manner than the stamen 

 is thus proved to be a modified condition 

 of that organ. Thus in many double 

 flowers, as Buttercups and Roses, the car- 

 pels, as well as the stamens, become trans- 

 formed into petals. It is by no means 

 rare, again, to find the carpels transformcc 

 into true leaves in cultivated Roses, &c 

 (^fig. 641). A similar condition also oc- 

 curs in the Double Cherry {fiy. 573), and 

 has been already fully described when 

 speaking of the carpel; in which place we 

 have also shown the analogy of a carpel 

 with a leaf, by tracing its development from 

 a little concave body but slightly differing 

 in appearance from a leaf, up to its mature 

 condition as a closed cavity, containing 

 one or more ovules. We have, therefore, 

 as regards the carpel, the most conclusive 

 evidence of its being formed upon a com- 

 mon type Avith the leaf, and that it is 

 consequently homologous with it. 



The carpel, being thus shown to be ho- 

 mologous with a leaf, it must necessarily 

 follow that the fruit is likewise a modified 

 condition of the leaf, since it is formed 

 of one or more carpels in a matured con- 

 dition. 



Further proofs of the homologous na- 

 ture of the parts of the flower to the leaf, 

 is afforded by the fact, that the floral axis 

 instead of producing flowers, will sometimes bear whorls of true 

 leaves. In other cases the axis becomes prolonged beyond the 



A A 2 



Fig. 762. A monstrous 

 jiear, showing the axis 

 prolonged beyond the 

 Iruit, and bearing true 

 leaves. 



