69. A case of Lateral Floral Prolificatlon of the 



Inflorescence of the Pine-apple 

 Ananas sativus Schult. . 



Bj A. T. Gage. 



In July 1907 Mr. P. C, Coomar of Calcutta sent to me from 

 his garden at ChanditoHa, HoogMy, the curious-looking pine-apple 

 infructescence described below, which appears to be worth placing 

 on record as an example of lateral flornl prolification. 



The infructescence consisted of a central ' strobile ' of 

 normal shape and about 14 cm. long by 8 5 cm. in transverse 

 diameter, the base of which was surrounded by the curiously 



shaped smaller infructescences (Plate VllI). 



Each of the latter consisted of a basilar strobile-like swelling 



about 4*5-6 cm in transverse diameter, and 6-7 cm. long — above 



which the infructescence was fm>duced into a curved prolongation 

 of its axis about 13-15 cm. long by about 2 cm. in diameter, and 

 closely covered witli brownish imbricating scales that toward the 

 tip of the infructescence assumed a leaf-like appearance and 

 colour. A longitudinal section through one of the lateral infruc- 

 tescences is shown in Plate IX. The central strobile and its lateral 

 offshoots together give quite a " Hen and Chickens " effect. A 

 longitudinal section through both central and lateral infructes- 

 cences (Plate X) shows fairly clearly the organic connection of the 

 latter with the main axis, and also that the lateral infructescences 

 are carried in the axils of the basilar bracts of tlie central on^. 



Lateral ^(9?a/ — as apart ivoxa foliar — prolification of the in- 



florescence is stated by Masters in his Vegetable Teratology to 

 be the commonest of all the deviations from the normal as far as 

 tho inflorescence is concerned. Ho gives a list of otders and 

 genera in which the phenomenon has been most frequently 

 observed, but, as naturally most of the observations recorded 

 hnve been made by botanists residing in the cool temperate 

 tegions of the glob'^, it is not surprising that Brouieliaceae are 

 absent from the list. N'or have I seen any reference to a case 

 of the abnormality in the pine-apple, in such literature of Terato- 

 logy as I have been able to consult; so that a description of the 

 present case seems justified. 



