( 326) 
ducting tissue. He regarded the ovules as being borne on 
the edges of the carpels, and in general as representing the 
teeth of the leaves. 
Coming down to the more recent work of Eichler” (1875) 
we find a discussion of the relations of the parts of the 
flowers of both kinds. The ovary of Cucurbcta is divided 
into three parts, or four or five parts, representing as many 
carpels. The edges of these carpels are turned inward, meet 
at the center of the ovary and are flexed back toward the 
outside again lying one beside another, and these reflexed 
margins form the placentae. The stigma which surmounts 
the ovary has lobes equal in number to the carpels and stand- 
ing opposite to them. He represents the placental folds as 
being separated by a false commissure, evidently formed by 
the reflexed laminae of the carpellary leaves. 
Ecballium agreste and Bryonia dioecia show a lesser 
development of the carpellary margins so that the commi- 
sural partitions are not so complete. The pistillate flowers 
of S%cyos are often on the tetramerous plan, probably by 
reduction from the pentamerous form (as in certain of the 
Plantaginaceae), by abortion of the calyx-lobe next the axis 
and the fusion of the two nearest corolla-lobes. From the 
fact that the stigma is divided into from three to five lobes, 
he regards the ovary as composed of the same number of 
carpels, but is uncertain whether to regard the lobes as repre- 
senting the middle of the carpels or their borders. 
Miiller™ (1889) refers largely to Eichler’s work in discuss- 
ing the floral structures. e points out the principal features 
in the structure of the ovary, and shows that the three prin- 
cipal partitions in the ovary of most of the Cucurbitaceae 
are the infolded margins of the carpels which grow back 
toward the wall of the ovary again after reaching the center, 
thus forming the placenta. This is shown in pistillodia, 
which show different stages in this process of development. 
He considers the original ovary to have had five locules, but 
the prevailing type has three. Each carpel is surmounted 
by a two-lobed stigma, but these lobes fuse often with the 
