CHAPTER XXVII. 



MONSTROSITIES AND MALFORMATIONS. 



Monstrosities Teratology Atrophy of organs S/iafik- 

 ifig of grapes Barren fruit trees Dwarfing 

 Distortions and malfo7-matio7is Fasciatiotis 

 Flattened roots -Torsions Curliftg and puckering 

 Leaf rolling So-called ^^spontaneous" teratological 

 changes. 



Monstrosities. In a wide sense this term is 

 applicable to many cases here treated under other 

 headings, and signifies any departure from the 

 normal standard of size, form, arrangement, or 

 number of parts, and so forth, due to arrest of 

 growth, excessive growth of parts, or of the whole 

 organs, etc. 



Such teratological conditions are however by no 

 means always pathological : that is to say, they 

 may be variations which do not threaten the 

 existence of the plant. In some cases they are 

 clearly due to exuberant nutrition, and although 

 they may occasionally predispose to disease, in 



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