84 THE PHENOMENON OF 



other, subordinate points of descent which have still to 

 be examined more narrowly, at the transition of the 

 euphyllary formation unto the hypsophyllary formation 

 and of the corolla (or calyx) into the staminal formation. 

 In order to represent the occurrence of regions of vanishing 

 in their relation to the entire graduated series, we will 

 once more review the series, in the order of the tran- 

 sition of the metamorphosis from formation to formation. 



Within the cataphyllary formation we have observed 

 an increase of strength in the leaf-formation, which is 

 continued without any preparatory decrease into the 

 euphyllary formation. The leaf- formation runs progres- 

 sively from the cataphyllary formation to the euphyllary 

 formation either without any, or with imperceptible descent 

 at the point of transition, consequently no vanishing ever 

 occurs between these two formations. I shall not venture 

 to decide whether this transition takes place really without 

 any descent, or sometimes, perhaps, has connected with 

 it a slight decrease in the leaf-formation. The latter 

 hypothesis seems to be borne out by Adonis vernalis. I 

 found the 7 or 8 cataphyllary leaves of this plant of 

 gradually increasing length, growing from 1 to 8 lines ; a 

 transitionary leaf following them, and exhibiting the first 

 trace of blade- structure at its apex, was somewhat shorter 

 than the last true cataphyllary leaf, namely, only about 7 

 lines long. 



In the euphyllary formation we see the attainment of 

 the maximum of vegetative leaf-formation followed by a 

 decrease, which is frequently continued into the hypso- 

 phyllary formation without any new accession of strength. 

 But the case is not always such ; the transition of the 

 euphyllary formation into the hypsophyllary formation is 

 often effected through the medium of a strongish retro- 

 gression, which may go as far as disappearance, whereby 

 then the hypsophyllary formation is cut off as a distinct 

 wave, since it then possesses its own special rise and fall. 

 The hypsophyllary region, cut off in this way, thus forms 

 within the vegetative sphere a prototype of the flower, 



