SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, APRIL 5. 



xxxvii 



Scientific Committee, Apeil 5, 1910. 



Mr. E. A. Bowles, M.A., F.L.S., F.E.S., in the Chair, with eleven 

 members present, and Eev. J. Jacob, visitor. 



Monoecious Willow. — Mr. Eraser, F.L.S., reported as follows on 

 the specimen of Salix cinerea, bearing both male and female catkins, 

 shown at the last meeting. In the female catkins the normal two 

 stamens of the flowers were represented by two imperfect ovaries, the 

 pedicels of which were 7 mm. to 8 mm. long, and corresponded with 

 the two filaments, and the ovaries 3 '5 mm. long, and corresponded with 

 the anthers. The pistil was open on one side, so as to expose the two 

 ovules, and was separable into two carpels, with a short style and 

 undivided stigma to each. The ovule, without the funiculus, appeared 

 perfect, except that the parachute was absent. Each of the two carpels 

 had a short placenta near the base, each bearing one ovule, the placenta 

 and ovule being marginal and exposed. Below the middle of the ovary 

 were the two contiguous cells of the anther, about the normal length, 

 but without pollen. In the abnormal male catkins the filaments were 

 hairy at the base only, and were normal; the anther-cells sometimes 

 three instead of four; the connective dilated between the cells and 

 elongated above the anther, often separated into two and terminating 

 m a stigma each, partly papillose, and capable of retaining pollen. The 

 pollen grains were often smaller than those of normal flowers, and in 

 very small quantity. 



Mr. Crawshay exhibited drawings illustrating the aberrations, and 

 pointed out that the branches usually bore flowers of one kind only ; 

 but in one case he found the flowers in some catkins on a branch differed 

 from those in others. 



The specimen figured bore catkins of three kinds on three separate 

 branches (fig. 72a, reduced -1). The left-hand branch bore four catkins, 

 all male. Each flower consisted of a ciliate bract, and two stamens 

 having thick hairy filaments terminating in a rudimentary ovary (fig. 72b, 

 mag. 5). The middle branch (top portion cut off) bore five catkins all 

 female. Each flow^er consisting of a ciliate bract, and two long-stalked 

 ovaries well-formed and hairy (fig. 72c, mag. 5). The right-hand branch 

 bore four catkins, differing in pairs. The two lower ones were herma- 

 phrodite, the flowers consisting of a ciliate bract and two long-stalked 

 ovaries, each bearing a bilocular anther (fig. 72d, mag. 5). The two 

 upper ones were males, and contained flowers like those in fig. 72b before 

 mentioned. 



Monoecious Populus tremula. — Mr. Eraser showed catkins of 

 Pojmlus tremula containing both pistils and stamens, these being the 

 last formed by the tree. 



Many-flowered Tulips. — Eev. J. Jacob showed, on behalf of 

 M. Bony, of Clermont-Ferrand, some pots of Tulip ' M. S. Mottet,' 

 bearing several flowers from a bulb and branching inflorescences. This 



