HERMArHRODITISM. 197 



Change from nnisexuality to hermaphroditism. This occur- 

 rence depends on one of two causes, either organs are 

 developed (stamens or pistils as the case may be), 

 wihch are habitually absent in the particular flower ; 

 or some of the stamens may be more or less com- 

 pletely converted into or replaced by pistils, or vice versa. 



The first condition is the opposite of suppression ; 

 it is, as it were, a restoration of symmetry, and might 

 be included under the head of regular peloria, inas- 

 much as certain organs which habitually undergo 

 suppression at a certain stage in their development, 

 by exception, go on growing, and produce a perfect, 

 instead of an imperfect flower. In teratological 

 records it is not always stated clearly to which of the 

 two above-named causes the unusual hermaphroditism 

 belongs, though it is generally easy to ascertain this 

 point. Very many, perhaps all, diclinous flowers may, 

 under certain conditions, become perfect, at least 

 structurally. I have myself seen hermaphrodite 

 flowers in Gucurbita^ Mercurialis, Cannabis^ Zea MaySy 

 and Aucuba japonica, as well as in many BestiacecBf 

 notably Gannamols virgata and Lepyrodia hermaphro- 

 dita. Spinacia oleracea, BJwdiola rosea^ Gachrys tawrica, 

 and Empetrum nigrum are also occasionally herma- 

 phrodite. 



Gubler^ alludes to a similar occurrence in Pistacia 

 Lentiscus, wherein, however, he adds that there was a 

 deficiency of pollen in the flowers. 



Schnizlein^ observed hermaphrodite flowers in the 

 beech, Fagus syhatica, the ovaries being smaller than 

 usual, and the stamens epigynous. 



Baillon* enumerates the following Enphorbiaceoi as 

 having exceptionally produced hermaphrodite flowers, 



' See also Scblechtendal, ' Linnssa,' viii, p. 623, and Lindley, ' Veg. 

 Kingd.,' p. 315. 



Bull. Soc. Bot. France,' vol. ix. p. 81. 

 Cited in Heufrey, ' Bot. Gazette/ 3. p. 11. 



BaiHon, 'EtudcH dii Groupe des Euphorhiacees,' p. 205, tab 

 fig. ID, tab xix. fig. 31. 



