PROLIFICATION OF THE FLOWER. 143 



with the petals, which, together with the stamens and 

 pistil, remained unaffected. The number of parts in 

 the supernumerary structures is generally less than 

 the normal flowers. 



In Mr. Herbert Spencer's * Principles of Biology,' 

 part iv, p. 37, are figured and described some mon- 

 strous inflorescences in Angelica and other Umhellifei-ce, 

 ^om which, amongst other things, the author draws 

 the conclusion that there is no absolute distinction 

 between leaf and branch. Without staying for the 

 moment to discuss this matter, it may here be said 

 that the Umbellifers in question apparently owe their 

 peculiarities rather to axillary prolification within the 

 flower, or to prolification of the inflorescence, than to 

 an actual transformation of a flower or any portion of 

 a flower into an umbellule.^ 



In the ' Gardeners' Chronicle,' 1855, p. 551, an 

 instance is figured of the production of a supernume- 

 rary flower proceeding from the axil of a stamen in a 

 species of Nymphcca (fig. 65). The ovary in this case 

 was wanting, but in its place was a tuft of small leaves. 

 It is curious that among Dr. Kirk's drawings of east 

 tropical African plants now at Kew, there should be 

 one representing a precisely similar state of things. 

 The species in both instances was Nymphcea LotuSy or 

 a cultivated variety of it. 



M. WesmaeP describes a very singular case of what 

 appears to have been referable to axillary prolification 

 in the flowers of Carex acuta. The rachillus is de- 

 scribed as prolonged through the utricle by the side of 

 the stigmas, bearing on its side a bract, then a secon- 

 dary utricle, from the axil of which sprung a short stem 

 surmounted by an ovary. Wigand, ' Flora,' 1856, 

 mentions a similar change in Carex glauca. In this 

 instance the base of the female inflorescence bore 

 lateral spikes, which projected from the utricles ; some 

 of these adventitious spikes were female, others 



' See also ' Nat. Hist. Review,' 1865, p. 377. 

 * 'Acad Roy. Belg.,' April lltb. 1863. 



