234 NEW JERSEY AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE 



the lowest upon the side axis wliich has bent down as is the habit 

 of the fruitful peduncles with a calyx bearing prickles. The 

 ui)per inflorescence shows the axillary flower and the first two 

 blossoms upon the side branch fully open. The Chinese parent 

 is shown at i, and it is noted that the inflorescense is a miniature 

 of the ones above considered in the hybrid. In the American 

 sorts shown in several specimens to the right, yy, the most 

 noticeable features are the larger size and the fewer number of 

 the blossoms. The usual inflorescence is perhaps best seen at 5. 

 where the axillary blossom is with its face downward and the 

 peduncle horizontal and much stouter than the rachis of the 

 inllorescence and (juite "spinose"' while the latter is nearly free 

 from prickles. The secontl flower sIkjwu full face \iew is in 

 every way smaller than the axillary one and usually sixjn falls 

 away as do the others as well as the rachis leaving the single 

 fruit at the node. Practically the same general type of inflor- 

 escence is shown at 4. At 6 is shown an instance of two flowers 

 only in a cluster, the one much larger, stouter stemmed, and more 

 l)rickly than the other, and produces a fruit. At 7 and 8 are to 

 be seen the large horizontal flowers borne singly, that is. the 

 temporary portions t)f the inflorescence have been omitted. 



riiK ixici'i.ANT I i,owi-:r. 



The fruit-producing flower of the eggplant is interestingly 

 "spinose" (prickly), as staled above, and needs to be handled 

 with gloves. A plant may be the "si)ineless"' sort, so oJtten 

 mentioned in the seed catalogues, up to the time when its first 

 flowers form when the calyx shows a set of formidable prickles. 

 This calyx seems a direct continuation of the stem and has its 

 thick leathery lobes surrounding the other parts until the large 

 wheel-shai)ed purplish corolla unfolds bearing the stamens and 

 surrounding the stout green-tii)i)ed style. 



The parts of the floral organs vary from five in the small- 

 fruited kinds to eight in the most highly developed or distorted 

 bv cultivation. In some of the former, as the "Black Snake." 

 "Round White" and "Dwarf Purple." the flmvers are compar- 

 atively small and the lobes of the corolla range from five to 

 six, more or less. The corolla, the portion most easily studied, 

 is a fair index of the other parts: that is. for example, when it 

 is five-lobed the alternating stamens are of the same number and 

 the fruit is apt to be smooth, while the contrariwise is true wdien 

 the corolla* is with eight or more lobes, the stamens are corres- 

 pondingly increased and the fruit, even in the flower, shows 



