ZINGIBARE^: 399 



or five gorgeous petal-like structures which are the 

 beauty of the Canna flower. In the centre rises 

 a narrow flat rather firm structure ; this is the style. 

 Of the petal-like structures, the innermost (the one 

 next to the style) has half way down its edge a 

 one-celled anther ; there can be no doubt, therefore, 

 that it is a stamen, one-half only of the anther of which is 

 developed normally, the rest being completely changed 

 into a large flat expansion. The other petal-like struc- 

 tures are stamens of which the whole anther is changed 

 into flat expansions, i.e. staminodes. 



Reasoning from the analogy of ordinary monocoty- 

 ledonous flowers in which there are two whorls of 

 three stamens each, the innermost, half fertile stamen 

 must, of course, belong to the inner whorl. Of the 

 staminodes the innermost is usually spotted or other- 

 wise different from the others, and this must, from its 

 position, be another of the inner whorl of stamens. 

 The other staminodes are by some botanists regarded 

 as pieces of the third stamen of the inner whorl (on the 

 supposition that the outer whorl is altogether absent), 

 by others as this third stamen and two of the outer 

 whorl, the third of the outer whorl being regarded as 

 generally absent. 



CANNA stands by itself, just as MUSA does, as by 

 far the most important member of its small family. 



ZINGIBARE^E 



ZlNGlBER OFFICCINALE, Rose the Ginger-plant, 

 HEDYCHIUM CORONARIUM, Koen. the wild ginger, 

 and ELETTARIA CARDOMOMUM, Maton the cultivated 



