DEGENERATION OF ORGANS. 297 



ness &c. All these terms, races, varieties and variations, are 

 often used indiscriminately for each other. 



Degeneration or change of the organs of plants. 



The organs of plants, owing to peculiar causes, often experi- 

 ence a metamorphosis, and instead of their usual appearance 

 exhibit anomalies of vegetable deformities. 



We use here the term deformity, as signifying any variation 

 from the ordinary course of nature. The causes which pro- 

 duce these changes are, 



1st. The adhesion of parts usually separate ; thus we often 

 see flowers, leaves and fruits united, and appearing double. 



Some writers, among whom is the celebrated French bota- 

 nist, De Candolle, assert that the single petal which forms the 

 corolla of many flowers, as the stramonium or the blue bell, is 

 in reality composed of several petals which become soldered, 

 or cohere together before the flower expands. The same 

 writers consider a monophyllous calyx, to be composed of sev- 

 eral little leaves thus united before their developement. 



2d. Changes are occasioned by a want of vigour in the 

 plant to bring all the parts to maturity. Some of the seeds 

 thus often fail for want of nourishment ; many plants which in 

 one flower produce several seeds, often ripen no more than 

 one. The horse-chesnut has six seeds, but seldom matures 

 more than two ; in the blossom of the oak where six seeds are 

 produced, but one acorn is perfected. 



3d. In some cases organs appear from certain changes to be 

 incapable of performing their original offices, and thus exhibit 

 deformities ; as where a bud is formed, which for want of suffi- 

 cient nourishment, or some other cause, does not develppe itself 

 into a leaf, but forms a permanent protuberance or swelling 

 upon the stem. The prickly pear exhibits a thick and ex- 

 panded stem, which is formed of leaves imperfectly developed. 

 4th. The stamens and pistils through excess of nourishment, 

 swell out, and become petals ; all double flowers are formed 

 in this manner. The poppy in its natural state has many 

 stamens, and but fotir petals ; but you often see double poppies, 

 with scarcely the vestige of a stamen left ; the same change 

 may be observed in the rose, which naturally has but five 

 petals and many stamens and pistils, but in a very full, double 

 rose, scarcely any appearance of either stamen or pistil is to 

 be seen. The stamens more frequently than the pistils meet 



Changes of the organs of plants Deformities 1st cause for the changes of 

 plants 2d cause of change 3d case in which changes appear 4th. Double 

 flowers, how caused. 



