80 THE PHENOMENON OF 



Hepatica, Caltha, and Aquilegia. The Camettiea, the 

 Campanulaceae and Nardssece also exhibit this kind of 

 " doubling," and the decreasing length of the petals 

 connected with it. 



With the transition from corolla to stamen-formation 

 commences a new decrease in length. Far the majority 

 of plants possessing a highly developed corolla, agree in 

 having the stamens, notwithstanding their considerable de- 

 velopment of stalk, shorter than the petals. Cases of the 

 opposite kind, in which the stamens exceed the corolla in 

 length, are rather rare.* Where two or more successive 

 circles of stamens exist, there is often a further degrada- 

 tion in length, the inner stamens being shorter than the 

 outer. This is the case in Narcissus, Muscari, Daphne, 

 Myricaria, Boronia and other Rutaceae, many Mai- 

 pighiaceae and Melastomaceae, Lythrum, Cratcegus, &c. 

 An opposite relation of length in successive circles of 

 stamens does however occur, to which we shall return in 

 the subsequent examination of the subordinate rises and 

 falls of the metamorphosis. 



The third and last increase in length presents itself in 

 the fruit, often expressed even at the flowering epoch, by 

 the projection of the points of the carpels (styles and 

 stigmas) beyond the stamens, as universally in the 

 Campanulacea3, Compositae, and Cactacea3, but often first 

 becoming distinct with the ripening of the fruit.f 



Thus the leaf-formations exhibit altogether three maxima 

 in reference to length and magnitude, the first falling in 

 the euphyllary formation, the second in the corolla, the 

 third in the fructification. These maxima become some- 

 what displaced if we regard the leaf in reference to its 

 inner differentiation, to the more or less distinct develop- 

 ment of the contrast between stalk- and blade-formation, 

 and the completeness of the working out of form con- 



* For example : Ribes stamineum, Fuchsia, Cynoglossum stamineum, Hydro- 

 phyllttm magellanicum, Hyssopus, Vaccinium stamineum, Erica staminea, cornea, 

 multiflora, &c. 



f Leguminosse, Cruciferac, (especially the Siliqno9<e), Geraniacese, Palin;r, 

 &c. See also Asimina triloba. above, page 79. 



