BRIEFER NOTES 
A freak flower of the Chinese sacred lily 
LeRoy K. HENRY 
Among a normal cluster of flowers upon a Chinese sacred 
lily (Narcissus Tazetta, var. orientalis) growing in a bowl of 
water, there appeared twin flowers on one of the peduncles. 
Normally each peduncle bears a single flower, but this one was 
broadened at the tip and bore two distinct flowers. These flowers 
were entirely separate, even to the ovaries, which were merely 
held together by the common epidermal covering. The tube of 
Ficure 1. Twin flower of Chinese Sacred Lily. 
(Narcissus Tazetta var. Orientalis.) 
the one flower was larger than that of the other and, in growth 
had split longitudinally half of its length; also there seven sta- 
mens instead of the normal number of six. According to Wors- 
ig “Principles of Plant Teratology,” this phenomenon Is 
called floral fasciation. Fasciation varies in all degrees from 
flowers with abnormal number of floral parts, such as increase 
: stamens, calyx, corolla, or all three, to separation into two 
distinct flowers. For the plant in question, I have found no re- 
Port of this type of fasciation in which there are two cong 
flowers, Often there is one flower with increased number O 
Petals or sepals and two distinct ovaries, or one with a common 
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