OF THE CARPELS. 261 



flower. When this change occurs it is commonly 

 attended by an increased number of parts, as in the 

 trefoil just mentioned, or in the double cherry, where 

 usually two foliaceous carpels may be met with, and 

 sometimes more. 



The change is also of interest when it affects such 

 orders as the UmheUifercey which have their ovaries 

 inferior under ordinary circumstances ; but when these 

 organs assume a leafy condition they become superior 

 also, L e. they are detached from the calyx. 



As regards the position of the o.vules in these folia- 

 ceous pistils, they may be placed, as in Aquilegla, 

 Delphinium, &c., on the edges of the carpel or on the 

 surface, as in some flowers of Ranunculus repens and 

 B. Ficaiia. A similar position of the ovules is recorded 

 in the case of the vine (Vitis), where the pistil consisted 

 of leaves bearing the ovules on their inner surface.^ The 

 supposed causes of this and other similar malforma- 

 tions are alluded to under the head of chloranthy, but 

 it may be here remarked that semi-double flowers, 

 fertilised by the pollen of similar flowers, are said to 

 produce flowers with a centre of small green leaves, this 

 central tuft resulting from the expansion and frond- 

 escence of the pistils. 



As this condition rarely occurs without correspond- 

 ing changes in other parts of the flower, further re- 

 marks on this subject will be found in the chapter 

 relating to Chloranthy. 



PhyUody of the pistil has been most frequently 

 recorded in the following plants : 



Poeonia oflBcinalis. NympLaea dentata. 



Ranunculus repens ! Sinapis ai-vensis ! 



Aquilegia vulgaris ! Diplotaxis tenuifolia. 



Delphinium elatum. *Bra8sica oleracea ! 



crassicaule. *Si8ymbrium officinale ! 



Ajacis. Dianthus, sp. 



amsenum. Reseda Fbyteuma. 



> Plauchon et Mares, ' Ann. So. Nat.,' scr. 5, vol. vi, 1866, p. 228, tab. 

 xit. 



