MR. M. T. MASTERS ON AXILLARY PROL1FICATION IN FLOWERS. 185 
the second*. Pears are occasionally also observed arising either from the axils of the 
sepals of the primary pear or from the axil of leaves oriijii uing on the outer surfa<-, 
of the fruits — using the term fruit in its popular sense. These ca^es aiFord strong con- 
firmation of the view, that the onter portion of the so-called fruit in these plant s is rather 
to be considered as an expansion and hollo wing-out of the flower-stalk, than as formed 
from the calyx-tnbe. It is noteworthy that the true carpels and seeds are frequently 
entirely absent in these cases f. M. Trecul has described and figured an instance in a 
species of Prismatocarpus , in which a second flower proceeded from the axil of a bract 
attached to the side of the fruit of the first flower %. I have in my previous paper al- 
luded to the occasional presence of leaves on the calyx-tube, so-called, of the Rose, Pear, 
and Apple, to which I may now add, on that of Crataegus tanacetifolia. 
The unripe fruits of some species of Lecythls were stated by Von Martins, at the 
Meeting of the German Naturalists at Carlsruhe, to produce buds when placed in the 
earth. The fruit of these plants is probably of the same nature as that of the Pontacar. 
The fruits of Opuntia Salmicma and 0.fragiUs§ have been observed to form small 
fruit-like branches around their summits. M. Napoleon Doumet describes the fruit as 
ripening as usual, but as being destitute of seeds in the interior; after a little while, 
the fruit begins to wither, and then a circle of small buds, like those of the stem, 
may be seen at the top of the fruit, each bud springing from the axil of a little tuft 
of wool and spines found on the fruit. These little buds elongate into long shoots, 
produce flowers the following year, which flowers exhibit the same peculiarity. Gas- 
parini and Tenore are said to have recorded the same fact as long since as 1832. The 
specimen from which my figure was taken produced its fruits in the Royal Gardens 
at Kew, and is now preserved in the museum of that establishment (PI. LIV. fig. 2). 
The adventitious growth in these cases appears to arise from the tufts of spines, which, 
it has been suggested, are the homologues of the sepals. There can be little doubt that 
the outer and lower portion of the fruit of Opuntia and its allies is a dilatation of the 
flower-stalk. This is borne out by the fruits of Feres/cm, which bear leaves on their 
surface arranged spirally. . 
The fruits of Pereskw Bleo are mentioned as producing buds from then- summits, in 
the same way as the Opmtia just cited. P. Bleo is said, by M. Delavaud ||, to present 
this anomaly as a constant occurrence. On the summit of the pnmary fruit, arising 
apparently from the axils of the sepals, or of small leafy bracts m that s.tuafon are a 
series of fruit-like branches, which, in their turn, are surmounted by others, even to the 
fourth generation. I have not seen an instance of this myself ; but a figure is given 
in the work below cited. Tenore also has recorded « the transformation of the fruits of 
Nymphaa alba and N. Zotm into true tubercles, after the seeds had returned to the 
condition of elementary mucUage f ." I have not seen the paper wherein thts extra- 
,. a„ ion. «TheoT. Hortic." Gard. Chron. 
Botanv 
1851, p. 67 ; Irmish, Flora, 1858, &c. 
t Casparv, Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. vol. vi. 1859 ; also Payer in vol. i. 1854. _ ... 
I TrecV Ann. So. Nat. 2 ser. vol. **. p. 339. § Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. vol , p. 306. oL v. p. 1 1> 
| Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 1 858, p. 685. f Atti della Reale Accademia delle S«n« * NapoU, t. >v. 1839, pp. 1-4, 
