60 LEAFLETS. 



But first, let me acknowledge that I take a lively interest in 

 the reviewer's speculations as to the origin of the cichoriaceous 

 corolla, which, by the way, is erroneously spoken of as " asym- 

 metrical ; " for it was long since established in the terminology 

 of our science that the word symmetrical applies only to the 

 numerical relation between the floral circles, and is predicable 

 ol nothing less than the flower as a whole. Neither an asym- 

 metrical or a symmetrical corolla, considered apart, can exist; 

 and the kind of corolla in question is irregular, very irregular ; 

 that is all. 



Now, while for reasons, some of which were given years ago, 

 others of which I may here adduce, I find it impossible to think 

 of the Bupatoriaceseand Oichoriacese as being of one and the same 

 natural family, or in anywise intimately related, I should never 

 think to look for indications of the evolution of the ligulate 

 corolla of the latter from the tubular one of the former group. 

 I have, indeed, in the careful investigation of fresh flowers of 

 many species of Lobeliaceous plants — between which group and 

 the CichoriaceaB all systematists of the last hundred and twenty- 

 five years have acknowledged the real affinity — I say I have 

 sought again and again in those lobeliaceous corollas that are 

 split down on one side, in some to the very base, to find the 

 prototype of the cichoriaceous ligule. But it is sometime since 

 I abandoned that line of research as hopeless. The ligule de- 

 rived from any bilabiate corolla with a split down between the 

 two small lobes, would be expected to present at its apex little 

 if anything more than the three teeth of the lower lip ; the 

 remains of the two small upper lobes, if any there should be , 

 ought to be small, very small, and in a manner lateral teeth. 

 But the fact is, that the cichoriaceous corolla exhibits a trun- 

 cate apex distinctly and equally, often sharply, five-toothed. In 

 my own speculations this one hard irrefragable fact has demol- 

 ished what was once a favorite hypothesis as to the derivation of 

 the chicory ligule. Those ten sharp equal teeth all terminating 

 in a line, as we may say, must indicate an origin in some 

 perfectly regular pentamerous corolla-type, not even necessarily 

 sympetalous ; possibly, or even plausibly, from one in which all 



