72 



PHILOSOPHICAL NOTES ON 



Fig. 8. Fusion of three heads of pale yellow Marguerite. 



Mr. J. Kelwav, jimr., has sent me a series of similar transfor- 

 mations in Chrysanthemum lacttstre, a hardy perennial. 

 It consisted of : — 

 (a.) Two fasciated stems, with the capitula back to back. The 



rav of each was complete, and the disk quite separate ; 

 (?».) Two fasciated stems and two capitula as above, but the 

 disks ran into each other by a narrow bridge ; over the 

 bridge the ray florets were absent ; 

 (c.) All the parts as above, with the exception that the two 

 disks were fused into an oblong disk forming a sort of 

 saddle, the involucres and the rays being continuous all 

 round the margin of the saddle. 

 A further modification would be one oblong ca2)itulum, the 

 seeds of Avhich would tend to produce more and more circular 

 capitula, till a larr/e, but perfectly regular head resulted. 



In one of the London shops I found that the Michaelmas 

 ilaisy (Erigeron) is very subject to similar fusions. One head 

 was the fusion of three, and almost every flower on a large branch 

 bore traces of duplicity. 



I have noticed that the central flower, in two species of Sedum 

 was the fusion of two. 



