42 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [NOVEMBER 
further growth. The flowers have accomplished their purpose 
with the development of pollen, defective though that may be, 
and soon wither (figs. 17, 19). 
2. Functional ovulate flowers, from which all the stamens have 
been eliminated by degeneration before the opening of the flower. 
In such flowers the stamens frequently disappear so early that 
the points of insertion are no longer discernible, and even the 
vascular traces have almost disappeared. An embryo begins 
to develop, and endosperm formation starts, although subse- 
quently degeneration may overtake it, resulting either in death of 
the entire flower, or in development of a pseudo-parthenocarpic 
fruit. The sepals remain small, but the petals enlarge as pro- 
tective organs and develop the characteristic tubercles (figs. 18, 20). 
3. Bisporangiate flowers, containing both functional ovary and 
functional stamens. They are very rare; I have sectioned two 
such, and these had only one or two stamens each. 
4. Completely sterile flowers, where degenerations have occurred 
in both stamens and carpels early enough to cause complete 
elimination of the former, but not severe enough to cause the flower 
to drop before blooming. The ovary may be in any condition from 
fully developed, with only the embryo sac defective, to a mere 
dried remnant (fig. 21). 
Conclusions as to significance of degenerations 
Such degenerations as have been described look toward the 
complete elimination of either the stamens collectively or the 
carpels. The process seems very severe, and results in a high 
mortality, not only of flowers, but of the developing fruits as well. 
It is a case of degeneration during the process of development, 
and is not to be confused with arrested development, such as 
occurs in the production of staminodia, and which looks toward 
reduction in the number of organs in the cycle involved. 
The term dioecism has a very different meaning when applied 
to spermatophytes and when applied to cryptogams. In the latter 
it is assumed that separation of the sexes to distinct male and 
female gametophytes is a phenomenon based on heredity, and 
determined by chromatic constitution, and that the separation 
