49 H PHANEROGAMS. 



unilocular inferior ovary as in the superior ovary of other Primulaceoe (Fig. 360), and 

 bears a number of lateral ovules. If the placentae of the unilocular inferior ovary 

 are parietal, they form on the wall two, three, four, five or more ridges from above 

 downwards or from below upwards, and bear two or a larger number of rows of 

 ovules (as in Opuntia or Orchideae). These placentas, which project more or less 

 into the interior, may be regarded as the prolongations of the margins of the carpels 

 on the inside of the ovary. A similar explanation may be given of the longi- 

 tudinal dissepiments of the multilocular inferior ovary ; the same differences occur 

 in them as those which have already been described in the case of the superior 

 ovary ; for they may either meet in the middle and bear the ovules in the axile 

 angles of the loculi, or they may split into two lamellce, bend back, and bear the 

 ovules in the middle of the cavity of the loculus (as in Cucurbitacae). Usually two, 

 three, or more carpels share in the formation of the upper part of the inferior ovary, 

 their elongated margins being prolonged inwards and developing downwards into 

 the parietal placentae or the dissepiments of the multilocular ovary. In such cases 

 the inferior ovary must be termed polycarpellary, like the superior ovary of similar 

 structure. Examples of a monocarpellary inferior ovary appear to be very rare ; 

 Hippuris (Fig. 330) affords one ; its inferior ovary consists of a single carpel, and 

 contains a solitary anatropous pendulous ovule. 



The Style is a prolongation of the carpel above the ovary ; in monocarpellary 

 ovaries there is therefore only one style (Figs. 351, 353), which may however be 

 branched ; when the ovary is polycarpellary, the style consists of as many parts as 

 there are carpellary leaves ; these parts may be free for the whole distance above 

 the ovary (Fig. 355), or coherent for a certain distance above it, separating only at 

 a greater height; or, finally, they may cohere for their whole length (Figs. 357 G^, 

 359). Although the style arises from the apex of the young carpel, it may subse- 

 quendy stand on the axile side of the monocarpellary ovary, the carpel becoming 

 considerably bulged outwards by the more rapid growth of the dorsal side of the 

 ovary (as in Fragaria and Alchemilla). If this occurs with the separate carpels of a 

 polycarpellary ovary, the ovary itself appears to be depressed in the middle, and the 

 style rises from the depression (Figs. 356, 357). In Labiatae and Borragineae this 

 peculiarity is especially conspicuous, the four lobes of the bilocular ovary forming 

 strong protuberances (Fig. 359, A, B), so that the style finally appears to spring 

 from between four parts of the ovary which seem to have scarcely any connection 

 with one another, and is hence termed a gynobasic style. 



The style may be hollow, that is, it may be penetrated by a channel consisting 

 of a narrow elongation of the cavity of the ovary, as in Butomus (Fig. 351, B, E), 

 where it opens on the hairy surface of the stigma ; or in Viola (Fig. 364), where 

 the channel is broad, and opens above into the hemispherical cavity of the stigma ; 

 or in Agave and Fourcroya, where the style is hollow throughout its whole length, 

 and open to the stigma, the simple channel dividing below into three tubes which 

 run into the loculi of the ovary, a phenomenon which occurs also in other Lilia- 

 ceae^ In other cases it is at first hollow, as in Anagallis (Fig. 361, B), but becomes 



^ Zuccarini, Nova Acta Ac. Leopold, XVI, pt. II, p. 665. 



