OF THE SEPALS, ETC. 27 
ways; their edges sometimes cohere between the leaf 
and the stem, and thus form a solitary intra-axillary 
stipule. At other times they become united in such a 
manner as to produce a single notched stipule opposite 
to the leaf. Again, in other cases, they are so united 
on each side of the stem, that in place of four there 
seem only to exist two, common to the two leaves as 
in the Hop. 
To the Rey. M. J. Berkeley I am indebted for speci- 
mens of a curious pitcher-lke formation in the garden 
Pea. The structure in question consisted of a stalked 
foliaceous cup proceeding from the inflorescence. On 
examination of the ordinary inflorescence, there will 
be seen at the base of the upper of two flowers a small 
rudimentary bract, having a swollen circular or ring-like 
base, from which proceeds a small awl-shaped process, 
representing the midrib of an abortive leaf. In some 
of Mr. Berkeley’s specimens, the stipules were developed 
as leafy appendages at the base of the leaf-stalk or 
midrib, the latter retainmg its shortened form, while, 
in others, the two stipules had become connate into 
a cup, and all trace of the midrib was lost. The cup in 
question would thus seem to have been formed from the 
connation of two stipules which are ordinarily abortive. 
Cohesion of the bracts by their edges, so as to form 
a tubular involucre, or by their surfaces, so as to form 
a cupule, is not of uncommon occurrence, under natural 
conditions, and may be met with in plants which 
ordinarily do not exhibit this appearance. 
Cohesion of the sepals in a normally polypetalous calyx 
renders the latter gamosepalous, and is not of uncommon 
occurrence, to a partial extent, though rarely met 
with complete. I have observed a junction of the 
sepals to be one of the commonest malformations 
among Orchids, indeed such a state of things occurs 
normally in Masdevallia Cypripedium, &c. An illus- 
tration of this occurrence is given by Mr. J. T. 
Mogeridge in Ophrys insectifera, im ‘Seemann’s Journal 
