PETALODY. 289 



flowers that have their stamens in two rows. Occa- 

 sionally it happens that an outer series of stamens is 

 abortive, or wholly suppressed, while the inner row 

 becomes petalodic ; this was the case in some flowers 

 of LiUum miratum lately exhibited by Messrs. Veitch. 



Those flowers in which only a portion of the stamens 

 undergo this change are called semi-double, while in 

 other cases that will be hereafter mentioned, not only 

 are the stamens thus rendered petaloid, but their 

 number is also augmented, as in most double roses, 

 pinks, anemones, poppies, &c. 



In some double flowers, in which the stamens 

 assume more or less completely the appearance of 

 petals, a singular appearance is afforded by the pre- 

 sence of four wing-like processes emanating from the 

 central filaments, two on each side, so that the arrange- 

 ment may be compared to two sheets of paper folded 

 in the centre and adherent in that situation, though 

 perfectly separate elsewhere, except sometimes at the 

 top, where they form a sort of hood. This change 

 results from an imperfect petalody of the anther ; the 

 two wings on each side of the central vascular cord 

 represent the front and back walls of an anther lobe, or 

 rather of that portion of the anther which, under ordi- 

 nary circumstances, produces pollen. In the malformed 

 flowers no pollen is formed, at least in the more com- 

 plete states of the malformation, but the walls of the 

 anther lobe become preternaturally enlarged, and peta- 

 loid in texture and appearance. This change occurs 

 in some semi-double rhododendrons and azaleas, in 

 crocuses, and in a species of violet found at Mentone 

 by Mr. J. T. Moggridge. 



There are numerous intermediate forms wherein the 

 wing-like processes may be traced all the way along 

 the filament till they ultimately lose themselves in the 

 anther-lobes, with which they become continuous. In 

 some cases, as in Crocus and Rhododendron^ this is 

 shown even more clearly by the existence of two per- 

 fect pollen-sacs or quarter-anthers, the rt^maining por- 



19 



