PROHFICATION OP THE FLOWER. 129 



interest. Fusion of two or more flowers in association 

 with prolification is especially common in cultivated 

 specimens of Digitalis pwpiirea; the uppermost flowers 

 of the raceme become fused together so as to form one 

 large, regular, erect, cup-shaped corolla, to the tube 

 of which the stamens are attached, in greater number 

 than ordinary, and all of equal length ; the bracts and 

 sepals are confusedly arranged on the exterior of the 

 flower ; while in the centre, in the place usually occu- 

 pied by the pistil, there rises a conical prolongation of 

 the axis, bearing at its outer or lower portion a number 

 of open carpels, provided, it may be, with styles and 

 ovules ; these enclose an inner series of scale-like 

 bracts, from whose axils proceed more or less perfect 

 florets ; so that in the most highly developed stage a 

 perfect raceme of flowers may be seen to spring from 

 the centre of a cup-shaped regular flower, whose lobes 

 show its compound character. All intermediate stages 

 of this malformation may be found from cases where 

 there is a simple fusion of two flowers with a second 

 verticil of carpels within the outer, up to such cases 

 as those Av^hich have been just mentioned. It is worthy 

 of special remark, that in all these cases the flowers 

 at the uppermost part of the raceme are alone affected, 

 and that, in addition to the proUfication, there is fusion 

 of two or more flowers, and regularity in the form of 

 the compound corolla and stamens. 



The calyx of a prolified flower is either unchanged, 

 or it is modified in harmony with the changes in the 

 central part of the flower. If the ovary be normally 

 superior or free from the calyx, then the latter is com- 

 paratively rarely altered; for instance, in proliferous 

 pinks (Dianthus) the calyx is seldom affected, except, 

 indeed, in those instances where the floral axis is pro- 

 longed, and produces from its side a successive series of 

 sepals, as in what is called the wheat-ear carnation ; but 

 though these instances may be, as I believe, an imper- 

 fect degree of prolification, they do not affect the general 

 truth of the above opinion, that the calyx, if it be ^ree 



9 



