193 



Ekstam found similar pistillate flowers in NovaZembla; he 

 Avrites: "During autumn, closed or half-closed flowers are often 

 put forth, in which only the pistils are developed, while the 

 anthers are rudimentary." Andersson and Hesselman also found 

 pistillate flowers in Spitzbergen and in Beeren Eiland ; they 

 write: "the anthers never open," and Lindmark writes: "Truly 

 pistillate flowers are common ; it is almost the rule for the ter- 

 minal flower to be more or less pistillate" (see his Fig. 21, PI. I), 



Forma cryptopetala Berlin (Sv. Vetensk. Akad. Öfversikt, 

 1884, p. 38). Berlin found in West Greenland (Egedesminde, 

 Auleitsivikfjorden), and in East Greenland, a form with ovate- 

 lanceolate petals of the same length as the sepals, the stamens 

 of which are longer than the sepals. "The petals are swollen 

 at the somewhat drawn-out apex, which suggests that they are 

 being transformed into stamens." An exactly similar monstrous 

 form I examined in material from West Greenland (Bolstens- 

 borg, Aug. 6, 1884; see Fig. 14 E, F, G). On the same indi- 

 vidual may be found quite normal flowers and «cryptopetalous" 

 ones such as that figured, the petals of which have, towards 

 their apex, thick, yellowish margins, indicative of anthers. 



Another form showing similar instances of abnormality, but 

 Avith smaller petals, was gathered by N. Hartz in West Green- 

 land (Egedesminde); it appears to have ordinary hermaphrodite 

 flowers with normal pollen and stigma; only the petals are 

 being transformed into stamens (Fig. 16 E — K). In regard to 

 this point Hartz writes: "sets ripe fruit; on two large tufts 

 which have been examined, only cryptopetalous flowers were 

 found. Protogyny was found. Self-pollination must easily be 

 able to take place." 



This cryptopetalous abnormality was also met with in Spitz- 

 bergen with "the petals transformed into stamens" (Andersson 

 and Hesselman, Fig. 15); easy transitional stages between petals 

 and stamens occurred. ^ 



1 Roper has in Saxifraga gramdata observed a form "apetala deca- 

 XXXVI. 1 3 



