DEVELOPMENT OF THE ANTHBK. 45 



whorls occurs in PrimulaceEe, where fi've protuberances appear on 

 the receptacle above the Calyx, each of which grows up into a 

 stamen, while on the posterior or lower side of the base of each 

 primordial stamen a lobe of the corolla subsequently appears." 



"The flowers of Primulacese would therefore be strictly 

 apetalous in the morphological sense of the word, since their 

 corolla is not a true floral whorl but only an outgrowth of the 

 stamiual whorl." On reading this statement I was struck with 

 the peculiarity of the circumstance, and determined to investi- 

 gate the subject. I have examined the flower of Primula in its 

 earliest and subsequent stages. 



It will be seen by referring to sketches from my note book 

 (Diagram II) that at a very early period, when the bud is but little 

 larger than the ordinary full-stop (•) the anthers have precedence 

 of the petals. This advance continues till the bud has grown 

 to the size of a pea when the petals have overtaken the anthers 

 and their apices are at the same level. The sepals, however, 

 arise in their normal order anterior to either petal or stamen. 

 The anther now, having its lobes swollen with pollen and its 

 form determined, is carried upward by the corolla sheath, which 

 soon attains its full size. So far as my observation goes, the 

 petals are not simple appendages of the stamens, as described by 

 the renowned Grerman Botanist, notwithstanding they both seem 

 to originate in the same zone of tissue. Hence the flower of 

 Primula cannot be regarded as apetalous. 



Extending my researches to other flowers, I find that the 

 partial arrestation of the corolla and the precocious attitude of 

 the Andrsecium are phenomena of a, by no means, exceptional 

 character. Indeed, from the abundant examinations I have 

 made of young buds, I am led to believe that the backwardness 

 of the coronal members is of frequent, if not of general, occur- 

 rence. The following genera may be referred to at this season 

 as attesting the correctness of the above remark, Eanunculese, 

 Resides®, Veronieae, Chelidonium. 



There is another point in connection with the development 

 of the stamen which claims our attention, and that is the growth 

 of the filament which does not proceed, pari passu, with that of 

 the anther, but seems to wait until the latter organ has arrived 

 at the period of its dehiscence and then shoots up apace. 



