FISHER: SEED DEVELOPMENT IN THE GENUS PEPEROMIA 153 
spike both above and below this zone of leaves, being more distant 
from each other just above the zone than they are below it. In 
other words, in the arrangement of the flowers, the part of the spike 
above the leaves as well as the part below the leaves resembles 
a whole normal spike of this species, that is, it is much as 
though there were one normal spike above another. In this 
respect these abnormal interrupted spikes remind one of the 
similar, though normal, phenomenon in Callistemon, the inflores- 
cence axis of which continues to grow after flowering and pro- 
duces a zone of vegetative leaves and later another zone of 
flowers, and so on. An approach to this condition is normally found 
in Ananas sativa, in which the inflorescence axis continues to 
grow and produces vegetative leaves above the fruits. This 
Phenomenon has also been found as an abnormality in Pinus 
and Larix. But in neither of these cases, so far as known to the 
Writer, is there a second zone of flowers formed, as there is in 
Callistemon and in Peperomia metallica. 
Dr. Casimir de Candolle writes me that these interrupted 
spikes are not present in his two herbarium specimens of P. 
metallica. And further, he thinks that the peculiar spikes consti- 
tute a teratological case, of which he has found striking examples 
in several species of Piper, and also in some Peperomias. In P 
Fraseri C. DC. (P. resedaeflora Lind. & André), particularly, he 
has seen some spikes in which a few scattered bracts were replaced 
by small undeveloped vegetative leaves. 
At a subsequent blooming of the plant in the greenhouse at 
Homewood, only six of the abnormal spikes appeared, while at 
least twice that number were normal. One of the abnormal ones 
showed the small vegetative leaves scattered considerably along 
the axis. A close examination of the interrupted zone shows that 
a few of the leaves have flowers in their axils. 
The writer believes with De Candolle that these abnormal 
Spikes have only teratological significance. 
PEPEROMIA FRASERI var. RESEDIFLORA C. DC. 
The flower-spikes of Peperomia Fraseri var. resediflora C. DC. 
(P. resedaeflora Lind. & André), which were used in this study, 
Were collected by Professor D. S. Johnson in 1901 in the green- 
house of the “‘Pflanzenphysiologisches Institut” in Munich. 
