FASCIATION. 17 
in Primula vulgaris, Mieracitum aureum, and Ranunculus 
bulbosus. I have myself met with several cases of the 
kind in Primula veris, in the Polyanthus, in the Daisy, 
and in the Leontodon Taravacum, in which latter a 
fusion of two or more flower-stems bearing at the top 
a composite flower, and made up of two, three, four, 
or more flowers combined together, and containing all 
the organs that would be present in the same flowers 
if separate, 1s very common. 
Moquin’s second objection is founded upon the fact 
that, in certain fasciated stems, the branches are not 
increased in number or altered in arrangement from 
what is usual; but however true this may be in par- 
ticular cases, it 1s quite certain that in the majority of 
instances a large increase in the number of leaves and 
buds is a prominent characteristic of fasciated stems. 
Another argument used by the distinguished French 
botanist to show that fasciated stems are not due to 
cohesion of two or more stems, is founded on the fact 
that a transverse section of a fasciated stem generally 
shows an elliptical outline with but a single central 
eanal. On the other hand, if two branches become 
united and a transverse section be made, the form of 
the cut surface would be more or less like that of the 
figure oo, although in old stems this may give place 
to an elliptical outline, but even then traces of two 
medullary canals may be found. This argument is 
very deceptive, for the appearance of the transverse 
section must depend, not only on the intimacy of their 
union, but also on the internal structure of the stems 
themselves. When two flowers cohere without much 
pressure they exhibit uniting circles somewhat re- 
sembling the figure of oo, but when more completely 
combined they have an outline of a very elongated 
figure, and something similar is to be expected in her- 
baceous stems. Even the elongated pith of a trans- 
versely cut, woody, fasciated stem only marks the 
intimate union of several branches, and Prof. Hincks, 
whose views the writer entirely shares, has noticed 
