124 ALTERATION OF POSITION. 
As the carpels are not unfrequently absent in cases 
of median proliication, it has been thought that the 
pistil in such cases was metamorphosed into a stem 
bearing leaves or flowers. Setting aside the physio- 
logical difficulties in the way of accepting such an 
opinion, an examination of any number of cases is 
sufficient to refute it; for, as Moquin well remarks, 
the carpels may frequently be found either m an un- 
altered condition or more or less modified. 
If the pistil be normally syncarpous, its constituent 
carpels, if present at all in the prolified flower, become 
disjoined one from the other to allow of the passage 
between them of the prolonged axis; thus in some 
malformed flowers of Daucus Carota gathered in Switzer- 
land (fig. 61), not only was the calyx partially detached 
from the pistil, but the carpels themselves were leaf- 
like, disjomed, and unprovided with ovules; between 
them rose a central prolongation of the axis, which 
almost immediately divided into two branches, each 
terminated by a small umbel of perfect flowers, sur- 
rounded by minute bracts.’ 
' The tube of the calyx in these specimens was traversed by ten ribs, 
apparently corresponding to the primary ridges of the normal fruit; 
these ribs were destitute of spines, and the bristly secondary ridges 
were entirely absent. Those portions of the carpels which were detached 
from the calyx had each three ribs, a central and two lateral ones, which 
appeared to be continuous with the ribs of the calyx below,—although in 
the case of the calyx there were ten, in the case of the carpels six ribs, 
three to each. This diversity in number is thus explained :—A circle of 
vascular tissue ran round the interior of the calyx-tube, at its junction 
with the limb, and at the point of insertion of the petals and stamens. 
The vascular circle seemed to be formed from the confluence of the ten 
ribs from below. Of the five ribs in each half of the calyx, the three 
central ones were joined together just at the point of confluence with the 
vascular circle, above which they formed but a single rib—that traversing 
the centre of the carpellary leaf; the two lateral ribs of each half of the 
calyx seemed to be continuous, above the vascular rim, with the lateral 
ribs of the carpel; these lateral ribs were connected on either side with 
the central one by short branches of communication. The disposition 
of the ten ribs may be thus represented :— 
1 1 i 1 1 1 
323 2 3 32323 
1 Me ee PF Pad 
The lower line of figures represents the calycine ribs, the middle row 
