362 POLYPHYLLY. 
of seven stamens in another Crucifer, /onopsidiwm 
acaule. Here the supernumerary organ was placed 
between two of the long stamens. The effect of 
chorisis in producing an augmentation of parts 1s well 
seen in some plants that have some of their flowers 
provided with staminodes or abortive stamens, and 
others with clusters or phalanges of perfect stamens. 
Thus, in the female flowers of Liquidambar there are 
five small staminodes without anthers, whereas in the 
male flower the stamens are numerous and grouped 
together in phalanges, so that the relation of simple to 
compound stamens is in this case readily seen, as also 
in many Malvacew, Sterculiacew, Buttneriacee, Tilacee, 
and Myrtacee. It is probably the idea of splitting or 
dilamination involved in the word chorisis that has 
led many English botanists to hesitate about accept- 
ing the notion. Had they looked upon the process as 
identical with that by which a branched inflorescence 
replaces an unbranched one, or a compound leaf takes 
the place of a simple one, the objections would not have 
been raised with such force. ‘The process consists, m 
most cases, not so much in actual cleavage of a pre- 
existing organ as in the development of new-growing 
points from the old ones. 
An illustration eles by Moquin from Dunal’ goes 
far to support the notion here adopted. The majority 
of the stamens of laurels (Laurus) have, says M. Dunal, 
on each side of the base of their filaments a small 
glandular bifid appendage ; these excrescences are lable 
to be changed into small stamens. The male flowers 
have a four-leaved calyx, and sometimes eight stamens, 
each with two glands, four in one row, opposite to the 
sepals, four in a second series alternating with the 
first. More generally two of the stamens are destitute 
of glands, but have in their place a perfectly developed 
Sstamen, so that in these latter flowers there are twelve 
stamens. 
1 Loc. cit., 351. 
