A VARIATION IN PLANTAGO LANCEOLATA. 367 



The details of the flower have not yet been examined thoroughly, but it 

 seems that only a few of them function; and, of these, a great many do not 

 have normal stamens. No other plant of the genus was allowed to grow 

 within a radius of 250 feet from this one during the past summer, and it is 

 very probable that self-pollination was the only means of seed production. 

 The small number of seeds produced — only 10 to 20 in an inflorescence — 

 may be correlated with the scarcity of pollen. 



In some ways the abnormality resembles those caused by insect or 

 fungous diseases in some other plants, but no organism has been found 

 in this ease, and there is no good evidence of" the presence of a parasite in 

 the tissue of any part of the plant. Moreover, if a parasite is present, it 

 has remained with the plant through a variety of conditions of environ- 

 ment, and is not known to have been transmitted to any other plant of the 

 species. This possibility as to the cause of the peculiarity will be investigated 

 later if no positive results are obtained from the investigations now in pro- 

 gress. 



Some of the seeds have been planted, and a fair per cent of them have 

 germinated. If the peculiarity reappears in the next generation, it will 

 furnish good reason for treating this plant as a definite specimen of mutation. 

 The roots of the old plant have again been divided and transplanted and give 

 promise of at least another season's growth. 



The writer has observed the same variation in this species on two other 

 occasions, but on the first of these the significance of the peculiarity was not 

 realized, and no thorough examination was made. In the other instance the 

 plant was examined carefully, and it was found that only a few infiorescences 

 were abnormal. The spikes of Plantago RugelUi Dene, often show a similar 

 tendency by being more or less branched, especially when growing in rich 

 soil and well supplied with moisture. But the variation here described 

 does not seem to be in any way connected with soil or moisture conditions; 

 and every one of the 500 or more inflorescences produced during the past 

 summer ha* consistently shown this peculiarity. 



