229 



in thc „ Annales des se. nat., IV' Série (Botanique) T. IX 

 (1858) p. 76 deals with some cases of pistillody of stamens 

 in Macleya (Bocconia) cordata, which, I think, ought to be 

 classed with the cases described and cited above. Gris 

 says e. g.: „une étamine n'offrait qu'une seule loge nor- 

 male à l'anthère, l'autre étant très réduite, irrégulière, 

 sinueuse, et aboutissant par une de ses extrémités à la 

 base d'un ovule monstrueux réprésenté par un corps cen- 

 tral irrégulier (nucelle) qu'entouraient deux enveloppes 

 courtes et évasées". 



About another case he says: «l'anthère d'une autre 

 étamine monstrueuse n'avait qu'une seule loge fertile, 

 tandisqu'un renflement verdâtre occupant la place de 

 l'autre loge portait deux ovules bien développés". 



In perusing the literature on this subject within my 

 reach I hâve not met with more cases offering sufficient 

 similarity to those already mentioned. Often the descrip- 

 tions are too incomplète and defectively illustrated as to 

 yield a due insight into the transformation. Nevertheless 

 it seems to me acceptable that the manner of altération 

 as shown in Tobacco and so on may be looked upon as 

 the most usual, also in those cases which at présent, 

 owing to insufflcient examination, seem to justify some 

 différent opinion. 



How far the method of K 1 e b s ^ of artificially creating 

 monstrosities may be useful in this direction should be 

 tested by other plants than Sempervivum for the very 

 reason that the transitions of stamens to pistils made 

 known by von Mohl, Masters and other students, are of 

 fréquent occurrence and belong so to say almost to the 

 normal character of that plant. 



1) G. K 1 e b 8. Ueber kiinstliche Metamorphosen (Abh. der na- 

 turf. Gesellschaft zu Halle 1906 Bd. 25, S. 133—294) réf. by 0. 

 D a m m in Naturw. Rundschau, 27 Juni 1907. 



