64 PHILOSOPHICAL NOTES ON 



Again, in the Papaveraceae, we have species with an ovary con- 

 sisting of two carpels, such as Glaitcium, while in Papaver 

 somnlferum we have an ovary with a multitude of carpels fused 

 into one large head. It is quite conceivable that this head may 

 have originated by repeated fusions of simpler ovaries. 



If you glance over a number of flowers of Papaver nudicaule, 

 you will find the ovary with stigmas, varying from five to ten, 

 while curiously enough the petals are rarely more than four. 



In the Ranunculacece we have a similar state of things. There 

 are species with two or three carpels, and others, as in Ranunculus, 

 Anemone, Trolius, &c., with a multitude of carpels, which might 

 have easily arisen by fusion of flowers with a simpler structure. 



The same might be said of the Anonacece, Dilleniacece, and a 

 number of others. 



It is enough to glance at the figure of Sharpless' seedling 

 strawberry given in the Gardeners^ Chronicle of 12th July 1890, 

 p, 43, to be convinced that its calyx is made up of a large number 

 of sepals, which do not normally belong to the wild strawberry. 

 The latter has five large sepals, "svith five intermediete smaller 

 ones. And this seedling strawberry, in its calyx and receptacle, 

 undoubtedly gives indication of being a fusion of many flowers.* 



In the Compositce we have Lactuca muralis (Fresem). It is 

 composed of a very small number of ligulate florets, without any 

 disk florets. It is quite conceivable that a fusion of such minute 

 heads, in course of generations, would produce the head of a 

 Sonchiis, Taraxacum, or other similar composites, which have 

 many whorls of ligulate florets, and no disk. 



It is also conceivable that the genesis of the disk of composite 

 flowers may have come about by fusion after fusion of ligulate 

 capitula, the florets of the central portion becoming regular and 

 dwarfed /or want of space, while those of the ray retained their 

 irregular ligulate corolla. 



Under cultivation and luxuriant growth, as in the Pyrethrum, 

 the disk florets enlarge and produce what are called double forms. 

 The double Zinnia and double Dahlia are remarkable cases of 

 reversion of the disk florets to the ligulate form. 



♦ The strawberries Auyuste Nicaise and Sir Charles Napier bear distinct 

 evidence of the fusion of two or more receptacles. 



