METAMORPHOSIS. 



205 



stamens and carpels were petaloid. In hermaphrodite 

 flowers of Begonia Pearcei, in which the stamens were 

 partially petaloid, some of the carpels were similarly 

 affected ; in another Begonia many of the ovules were 

 also petaloid. In a double Narcissus the three styles 

 were more or less petaloid. In the Miltonia vexillaria 

 above-described, in which dialysis of the column had 

 occurred, the stamens and carpels composing it had 

 become petaloid. 



Cramer and Masters describe more or less petaloid 

 carpels in Primula sinensis and vulgaris which bore 

 ovules not only on the margins, but also on their upper 

 surfaces, far from the margin ; this may be explained 

 as follows : inasmuch as they have become petaloid 

 these carpels probably also possess latent stamina! 

 characters, for petals are but modified stamens ; hence 

 these superficial ovules probably indicate the latent 

 presence of a median fertile region such as occurs in 

 the anther, but is here occupied by ovules. 



A normal case of a petaloid carpel, or part of it, 

 viz. the style, is afforded by the iris ; but the most 

 interesting point about its structure is not the petalody, 

 but the possession of well-developed median lamellae 

 such as occur in some virescent anthers and in the 

 foliage-leaves described above. These lamellae in their 

 terminal portion form the upper bifid lip of the curious 

 stigma in this plant. Here, then, is one more foliar 

 organ to be added to the already long list of those 

 exhibiting this (from the morphological view-point) 

 profoundly interesting structure. 



4. Staminody. — This is a phenomenon which might 

 well be expected to occur, seeing what closely-allied 

 organs stamens and carpels really are, and how fre- 

 quent is the converse phenomenon of carpellody of the 

 stamen. 



Its occurrence in hermaphrodite flowers will first be 

 considered. 



In some very abnormal flowers of the toadflax 

 (JAnaria vulgaris), kindly sent in the same year (1908) 



