^n^ Oir CHOKISIS. 



Slid Oenothera belong, the reduction by pressuTe of the natural num^ 

 ber to four instead of five, and sometimes to a smaller number, is chai- 

 acteristic, but it is by no means uncommon to observe the restoration 

 of the fifth part in both Fuchsias and Oenotheras under high culture, 

 and, when it occurs at all, it takes place uniformly through all the 

 drcles^. I have seen various examples in both genera. In the great 

 order Fabaceae, the Leguminous plants, a single carpel from abortion 

 through irregularity of the rest of the circle is characteristic, but I 

 have often met with kidney beans with two opposite carpels united by 

 their edges so as to remind us of the maple fruit, and in Acer Pseudo- 

 platanus, the Sycamore, I have found, instead of the usual pair of 

 earpels, a complete circle. "We are thus forced to admit that the 

 parts deficient in particular structures are absent through abortion, 

 but were rudimentally present in the bud, capable under favourable 

 infiuences of being developed. 



In fact the number five is very common in the exterior circles of 

 IXicotyledonous plants, less so in the gynoecium, though often occur- 

 ring there also ; four is often produced both by pressure and by 

 iftegularity, three is occasionally found, and two rather more fre- 

 quently, whilst in cases of the least amount of development, where the 

 circles are reduced to two, or even one, a single organ in that circle is 

 all that appears. In monocotyledonous plants the number three, and. 

 from additional circles, its multiplies, is somewhat more constant, but 

 abortion or degeneracy of organs from irregularity, is found through- 

 Out the Musal and Orchidal alliances and in grasses ; and other irregu- 

 larities of number occur. Our general laws of Floral structure, once 

 understood, leave little difiiculty in recognizing the proper explanation 

 of the facts as they fall under o\ir notice. 



Having now shortly reviewed those principles which may be regarded 

 as admitted among those botanists who apply themselves to the theo- 

 retical relations of the flower and its organs, tracing what is common 

 and accounting for what is varied in the diiferent structures, and hav- 

 ing ventured to add one or two suggestions for improving these views 

 or the mode of expressing them, we are prepared to estimate the evi- 

 dence for any additional principle, where we have to judge whether the 

 phenomena are susceptible of good explanation by the aid of those 

 already established, or really require some new generalization for the 

 correct expression of what occurs, and the perception of its true rela" 

 tions with other facts — and then whether the proposed principle agree* 



