PROLIFIC ATION OF THE FLOWER. 141 



glandular swellings, e.g. Reseday Nympha'a, Cruciferce. 

 In the last-named family, as has been already 

 remarked, prolification is very common. It would 

 be interesting to ascertain precisely what part of an 

 inflorescence is most Uable to this affection; but as 

 information on this point is but rarely given in the 

 records of these cases, I can only give the results of 

 my own observations, which go to show that, in a 

 many-flowered inflorescence, those flowers at the 

 outside, or at the lower portion, seem to be more 

 frequently the subjects of this change than those 

 situated elsew^here. This may probably be accounted 

 for by the fact that the malformation is met with 

 most generally in plants with an indefinite form of 

 inflorescence, and therefore the lowermost or outer- 

 most flowers are most fully nourished; the upper 

 flowers being in a less advanced condition, the 

 change is more likely to be overlooked in them ; or 

 it may be that from the unusual luxuriance in the 

 lower flowers, the upper ones may be either present 

 in their ordinary condition, or may be (as indeed 

 frequently happens) stunted in the size and propor- 

 tion of their several parts. 



Axillary foliar prolification of the flower. The formation 

 of an adventitious leaf-bud in the axil of any of the 

 parts of the flower is not of such common occurrence 

 as the development of a flow^er-bud in similar situations, 

 nor is it so frequent as median foliar prolification. I 

 have seen leafy shoots proceeding from the axils of the 

 sepals in the flowers of Brassica^ and a similar occur- 

 rence has been noticed in Caltha pahistrisy Herreria 

 parvijlora, and other plants. Dr. Marchand's flowers 

 of Anagallis, previously referred to at p. 117, showed 

 good illustrations of this occurrence, as also some 

 specimens described by Kirschleger in A. phcenicea.^ 

 Steinheil has figured and described" a flower of Scahiosa 



' ' Ball. Soc. Bot. Fr.,' 1863, vol. x, p. 461. 



s Ann. Sc. Nat.,' 1835, p. 65. See also Le Maout, ' Lemons Elenie^^t.,' 

 vol. ii. p. 426. 



