REJUVENESCENCE IN NATURE. 99 



the examples previously mentioned of the occurrence of 

 abortive circles at the passage from calyx and corolla to 

 stamen-formation, taken in comparison with the instances 

 just brought forward, of abortion of leaf-formations at 

 the transition to the fruit, leads to our remarking that 

 they are almost throughout derived from different natural 

 families, which gives rise the observation, that a suppres- 

 sion at both the said points of transition at once is among 

 the less frequent cases. Thus abortion occurs merely at 

 the first point in the Primulaceae, Geraniaceae, and 

 Malvaceae, solely at the second place in the Rutacese, 

 Onagreae, Solanaceae, &c. Cases where it is met with 

 in both regions are furnished by the apetalous Caryo- 

 phyllaceae, e. g. Stellaria media apetala, Sderanthus ; 

 also by the apetalous Leguminosae and Rosacese, but 

 most convincingly in Limnanthes. This genus exhibits 

 five sepals, and five perfect petals alternating with these ; 

 next, also alternating, five glandular scales, the traces of 

 an abortive inner corolla ; these are succeeded by two 

 pentamerous circles of stamens, the outer of which, lying 

 opposite the petals, are shorter, the inner, opposite the 

 sepals, larger; finally, five carpels, which are opposite 

 the inner stamens, and therefore lead to the supposition 

 of the abortion of one circle. 



In many plants, intermediate structures occur in the 

 position of the abortive circles, between flower and fruit, 

 softening the abruptness of the passage from the acute and 

 transitory stamen-formation to the calm and enduring 

 structure of the carpel. In many cases these transitional 

 structures are but stunted, as, for example, in the circle 

 of glands which succeeds the three circles of stamens in 

 the flower of the cinnamon tree ; very often they are more 

 developed, as in the two circles of lanceolate, sinuate- 

 bordered leaflets inside the staminal circles of Aquilegia, 

 and the above-mentioned structure of Paonia Moutan. 

 It is remarkable that these transitional structures some- 

 times assume completely the shape of an inner corolla. 

 We have already noted above the affinity of the calyx 



