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CHAPTER XXVr. 



DEGENERACY OF FLOWERS. 



Inconspicuous and Cleistogamous * Flowers. — Degeneracy 

 in plants is as of frequent occurrence as in animals ; and just 

 as it implies no pathological or anything of a constitutionally 

 injurious character in them, so, it must be distinctly borne 

 in mind, does it imply nothing of the sort in plants. The 

 word means "down from the genus ; " like " degradation," it 

 is only a " step downwards." It implies retrogressive or at 

 least arrested conditions ; but a degraded flower often 

 acquires new features, qualifying it for securing self-fertili- 

 sation with a far greater certainty than was the case with its 

 more conspicuously flowering ancestors. 



There are several causes which can bring about degrada- 

 tions in the various organs of plants, such as growth in 

 water, subterranean habits, parasitic and saprophytic states, 

 freedom from strains, compensation, etc. Though it would 

 be interesting to trace out the cause and efl^ect in each case, 

 I must content myself with flowers, and particularly tlic 

 essential organs. 



There are two principal causes whic-h may be stvled the 

 rationale of degradation in flowei'S. The first is compensa- 

 tion, when the vegetative system is in too great activity to 



* Cleistogamous, "a closed union," i.e. wlicu ilowcrs are self- 

 fertilising without opening. 



