OF THE CARPELS. 259 
Fig. 138, for which I am indebted to Mr. 8. J. 
Salter, represents a very singular conformation in the 
cucumber, described by that “eentleman in ‘Henfrey’s 
Botanical ‘Gazette,’ i, p. 208, and considered by him to 
be due to the foliaceous condition of one of the three 
carpels of which the fruit is composed. The portion 
near the peduncle was binary, while the distal extremity 
of the fruit was ternary. he main difficulties attend- 
ing the acceptance of this explanation reside in the 
_ peculiar reversed position of the leaf, and in the fact 
that the fruit of the Cucurbitacee is probably of axial 
nature, the dilated and succulent end of the peduncle 
adhering to and usually concealing the carpels; in 
some cases, however, these latter project beyond the 
axial portion, leaving no doubt as to the true nature of 
the structure in these particular instances. 
Admitting the axial nature of the fruit, it meght be 
supposed that in Mr. Salter’s cucumber an adventitious 
leaf had been given off from the axis, but even on that 
supposition the reversed position offers a difficulty, and 
there still remains to be explained the fact that the 
proximal part of the fruit was binary in its constitution, 
the distal end ternary. 
M. Norman’ mentions a case wherein the carpels of 
Anchusa ochroleuca were replaced by two leaves; from 
this he draws the inference that the pistil of borages 
and labiates is really composed of two leaves, placed 
fore and aft, the margins of the leaves being congeni- 
tally fused. This tallies well with the account given 
of the development of these plants by Payer, Germain 
de St. Pierre, and others. 
In an Indian species of Triumfetta, not only were 
the petals virescent, but the ovary also was much 
enlarged, and in some flowers it was divided half 
way down into five lanceolate leaves (fig. 139), the 
sepals and stamens being in their normal con- 
dition. 
1 « Ann. Se. Nat.,’ 4th series, vol. ix, p. 209. 
