89 
Here “diese Kraft der Natur” should have the same meaning as I have 
indicated above. Also in §38, GoxrTHE treats of the unity of a sepal and 
other organs. The section runs as follows :— 
@ 38. Die Natur bildet also im Kelch kein neues Organ, sondern sie verbindet 
und modificiri nur die uns schon bekannt gewordenen Organe, und bereitet sich 
dadurch eine Stufe niher zum Ziel. 
It explains that the calyx is not at all a new thing; it is only a modification 
of what we had already been considering. In other words, it is a different 
combination of the genes which we had seen before. It means, in the end, 
that the things which exist existed originally; there is no such thing as the 
creation of an absolutely new thing. 
In §§ 41, 42, 43 and 44, he says that a petal is also the same as a 
foliage leaf and that there are transitional forms between the one and the 
other. He states also that a foliage leaf passes over into a patal, without 
passing through the calyx stage. According to my opinion, this does not 
mean that a leaf changes into a petal, but it explains that there exists 
a transition between the petal and the leaf, just as there is unity in the 
two. In §§$46 and 47, he goes on to discuss the unity of a petal and a 
stamen and speaks of the transitional forms between the two. In §47, he 
says :— 
2.47. Die Natur zeigt uns in einigen Fallen diesen Ubergang (der Kronenblitter 
und Staubblatter) regelmissig, z. B. bei der Canna, und mehreren Pflanzen dieser 
Familie. Ein wahres, wenig veriindertes Kronenblatt zieht sich am obern Rande zusam- 
men, und es zeigt sich ein Staubbeutel, bei welchem das iibrige Blatt die Stelle des 
Staubfadens vertritt. 
As to the stamens of the Canna, it is stated, according to the current opinion, 
that the greater number of the organs which are to be originally stamens 
turns into petaloidal ones (staminodes) of an ornamental character, but only 
one of them retains imperfectly (one half) its original shape. In this, I do 
not concur. According to my idea, it should not be said in this case that 
organs which are originally destined to be stamens turn into petaloidal organs 
(i.e. staminodes); but it would be correct to regard the real entities (of the 
organs), which are to turn into any form whatever according to the causal 
* Ercuzer, A. W. — Bliithendiagramme (Leipzig, 1875) p. 174. 
Scuumann, K.— Praktikum fiir morphologische und systematische Botanik. (1904) pp. 
545-546. 
