fe 
*) 
“yubra-grandiflora.—Last spring while engaged in a series of cross fer- 
298 The Botanical Gazette. [Haly, 
EXPLANATION OF + Soi eae —Fi Pig. 1. Section through two pustules on 
st —Fi Cross section of healthy stem. X 105. 
ia. : 
—Fig. 3. Cross. seston of Sti pa resting-spore, the latter emptied of 
its contents. X 425.—Fig. 4. me esting-spore with outer thick coat broken and 
fe) 
425. Rig. 
eased part. X 425.—Fig. 6. Section through an upper internode, showing two 
sori in a common hig Set one sorus emptied of sporangia. x 425.—Fig. 7. 
—Fi 
A larger sorus. 425. ig. 8. Section Soe a younger pustule, showing an 
immature tating. spore or sorus. X 425.—Fig. 9. Young resting-spore with 
membrane attached to one side. x 425. 
A peenliar malformation of an ovary and placenta on Begonia 
tilization experiments, I observed a very peculiar ovary and pistil in 
one of the flowers I had crossed. It was Begonia rubra-grandiflora 
and it had been fertilized by pollen from Begonia Verschafeltii with 
all the usual precautions against accidental fertilization from other 
sources. ‘The ovary was superior instead of inferior, as it is normally. 
The four branches of the stigma seemed to be attached to the sides 
of the ovary near the base; or rather the ovary seemed to have grown 
up in the middle of the ous pushing the four branches of the stigma 
apart. The ovary also seemed to be turned wrong side out, exposiNg 
the parietal placenta on its outer surface, which was apparently cov 
ered with tiny whitish ovules. No capsule was developed below the 
base of the calyx, as in a normal pistillate blossom. These ovt 
or seeds could be seen very distinctly four or five days after fertiliza- 
tion, without a lens. 
Unfortunately, after about ten days of growth, this peculiar ovary 
was accidentally broken off; but the stem was placed in water i 
a bell jar until the seeds NES brown, and seemed ripe. a | 
the seeds seemed shrivelled when dry ee were nevertheless agzit 
but none germinated. 
This malformation was so curious (and so far as I could find unre ree 
corded), that I would not trust my own observatjon, but showeé nd 
plant to several botanical students, and to Prof. A. S. Hitchcock, amu 
t. M. A. Carleton, all of whom agreed with me that these * 
bidies on the outside of the ovary appeared to be seeds. 
scraped off with a scalpel and examined under a microscope; | 
all outward appearances seemed to be genuine seeds. might 
have never read of a similar freak, so think this pag 
be of interest to other botanists.—Minnie Reep, Botanical DDS 
ment, Kansas Agric. College, Manhattan. = 
