Dr. Dickie on a Munsirous Farm of Gcntiana campcstris. 387 



.. \Ti<i\ mi'rrrr'- 

 LV. — O71 a Monstrositi/ 0/ Gcntiana campcstris. By G. Dickik, 

 M.D., Lecturer on Botany in the Lnivertiity and King^s Col- 

 lecrc of Aberdeen*. 



I.\ Anjrust 1844 there occurred in the vicinity of Aberdeen se- 

 veral remarkable monstrosities of Gentiana campestris which ap- 

 peal' worthy to be recorded. The plants were growing near the 

 sea in a soil of almost pure sand. In many of them all tiie 

 ilowcrs were fully double ; in other cases the monstrous llowers^ 

 the structure and arrangement of which are now to be described, 

 were growing on the same plant with those alluded to, but were 

 as fi-equeutly associated with others presenting the usual struc- 

 ture. 



The monstrous flowers may be briefly described as consisting 

 of a calyx, })resenting the number and arrangement of parts com- 

 monly found in Gentiana cumjiesiris ; the corolla was mostly na- 

 tural, but sometimes 5-cleft ; stamens four, sometimes more, in 

 most cases either j)artially or wholly petaloid, these three whorls 

 presenting the usual relation to each other. The greatest devia- 

 tion from the natural structure occurred in the central whorl. 

 Instead of a pistil there were frequently flower-buds, in one case 

 no fewer than eight, in another six, Ave of these forming a regulai' 

 whorl round a central bud ; and sometimes ovaries nearly natural 

 wei'c intermixed with flower-buds. 



The accompanying Table will show at a glance the general ar- 

 rangement in ten of these flowers. 



'I" 



Read before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, April 10, 1845. 



