THE ANDRCECIUM. 405 



Meiotaxy of the androBcium. Complete suppression of 

 the stamens occurs normally in the female flowers of 

 unisexual plants, and, as an accidental occurrence, is 

 not very uncommon. Eiica Tetralix is one of the 

 plants in which this is said to happen. The variety 

 anandra is said to have been known in France since 

 1635. Cornuti speaks of it in his * Enchiridion.* In 

 1860 M. du Parquet discovered it in peaty woods near 

 Nangis (Seine et Marne). 



Many TJmhelliferce^ such as Ttinia vulgaris, present a 

 like deficiency, while' it is of common occurrence 

 among Bosacece and Pomacece. In the latter group 

 the St. Valery apple, so often referred to, is an illus- 

 tration. To obtain fruits from this variety it is neces- 

 sary to apply pollen from another flower, a proceeding 

 made the occasion of festivity and rejoicing by the 

 villagers in some parts of France. In some of the 

 Artemisias, especially in Artemisia Toumefortianay all 

 the florets have been noticed to be female, owing to 

 the suppression of the stamens, and this suppression 

 is associated with a change in the form of florets.* 

 Mr. Moggridge has communicated to the author flowers 

 of Thymus Serpyllum from a plant in which all the 

 stamens were deficient, the flower being otherwise 

 normal. 



M. Dupont has given a list of nineteen species of 

 Chenopodiaceoe in which female flowers are occasionally 

 produced, owing to the entire suppression of the 

 staminal whorl.^ 



Flowers the subjects either of regular or irregular 

 peloria, q. v., are often destitute of some or all then* 

 stamens, e. g. Calceolaria, Liiiaiia, Viola, &c., while in 

 cases of synanthy suppression of some of the parts 

 of the flower, and specially of the stamens, is of veiy 

 common occurrence. 



Suppression of the androecium as a teratological 

 occurrence has been most frequently noticed in the 



' Moquin-Tandon, loc. cit., p, 328. 



' For other instances see Chatin in ' Ann. Sc. Nat.,' 4 ser , vol. r, p. 305 



