OF PLANTS CALLED COMPOSITE. .^71 



I conclude they are not absolutely wanting, but that their 

 connexion with the parietes is still more intimate. 



These cords may be supposed to consist either solely of 

 the vessels through which the ovulum is fcecundated, or to 

 contain also the remains or indications of a system of 

 nourishing vessels, or chorda? pistillares, the position of 

 which points out the true nature of the ovarium in this 

 class, or the relation it has to the apparently less simple 

 ovarium of other families. I am inclined to adopt the 

 latter supposition. In order, however, to be understood 

 on this subject, it is necessary to premise that I consider 

 the pistillum or female organ of all phaenogamous plants to 

 be formed on the same plan, of which a polyspermons 

 legumen or folliculus whose seeds are disposed in a double 

 series may be taken as the type. A circular series of these 

 pistilla, disposed round an imaginary axis, and whose 

 number corresponds with that of the parts of the calyx bk> 

 or corolla, enters into my notion of a flower complete in all 

 its parts. 



But from this type and number of pistilla many devia- 

 tions take place, arising either from the abstraction of part 

 of the complete series of organs, from their confluence, or 

 from both these causes united ; with consequent abortions 

 and obliterations of parts in almost every degree. Ac- 

 cording to this hypothesis, the ovarium of a syngenesious 

 plant is composed of two confluent ovaria ; a structure 

 which is in some degree indicated externally by the division 

 of the style, and internally by the two cords which I con- 

 sider as occupying the place of two parietal placentas, each 

 of these being made up of two confluent chord iilse, be- 

 longing to different parts of the compound organ. I am 

 well aware how very paradoxical such an hypothesis must 

 seem, especially when applied to a structure apparently so 

 simple as that of the ovarium of Composite ; and I there- 

 fore regret that I am not yet fully prepared to bring for- 

 ward in its support a series of facts already in my pos- 

 session, consisting of deviations from the usual structure of 

 organs, and particularly of instances of stamina changed 

 into pistilla, 



