SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, AUGUST 31. 



CXX111 



the part where the style usually begins, and carrying the leaflets above 

 this. As he remarked, according to this evidence the ovary is made 

 up of the base of the petiole with its stipules, the top of the petiole forms 

 the style, and the leaflets form the stigma of the normal flower. He also 

 showed T. pratense with the primary capitulum having two opposite 

 bracts at its base, above these a calyx with many teeth, springing from 

 the inside of which were the pedicels unusually elongated, then a second 

 calyx enclosing a corolla of five petals, sometimes partly affected with 

 chloranthy, and exposed stamens, then a leafly bract, and in the centre 

 numerous flowers. Each of the central flowers had a well-formed calyx 

 and was apetalous, with exposed stamens and a small pistil in the centre. 

 The chairman remarked that the occurrence of virescence such as was 

 exhibited in the specimens shown was the result of the attack upon the 

 base of the plant of the grub of a fly belonging to the family Diptera. 



Hybrid Badicula. — Mr. Fraser also showed specimens of what he con- 

 sidered to be a hybrid between Badicida (Nasturtium) palustris and B. 

 sylvestris. The plant had occurred in company with both its supposed 

 parents, and had imperfect flowers. In most of its characters it appeared 

 midway between the two plants named, although perhaps nearer to 

 B. palustris. 



The Wonderberry. — Mr. Cuthbertson showed a specimen of the 

 American ' Wonderberry,' said to have been raised by Mr. Burkank. He 

 also showed Solarium nigrum for comparison. The plant, though 

 differing in some few details from the specimen of Solanum nigrum shown, 

 is apparently only a form of that very widespread and variable weed of 

 cultivated land. Mr. Meyer remarked that the fruit of S. nigrum was 

 frequently made into pies and eaten in different parts of the States, and 

 he was unable to distinguish the plant exhibited from the spontaneously 

 occurring plant. 



Spencer Siceet Peas. — Mr. Cuthbertson also made some remarks 

 regarding the reasons why the ' Spencer type ' of sweet pea is shy in 

 producing seed, showing photographs (fig. 84) and flowers in illustration 

 of his remarks. The reasons he considers to be as follows : — 



* 1. The keel is not constricted or clamped, and consequently the 

 anthers and stigma are not compressed together as in the old type of 

 flower. 



2. The open keel tends to allow the pollen to drop into the base of 

 the keel without coming in contact with the stigmatic point. In the old 

 type this was hardly possible. 



3. In many of the waved forms the style grows beyond the anthers 

 before the anthers dehisce, and the point is thus never brought into 

 contact with the pollen. 



4. In some, notably salmon and orange-coloured varieties, the anthers 

 are nearly sterile. 



5. The large waved standard does not act as an umbrella in bad 

 weather. The hooded standard deflects the rain from the vital parts of 

 the flower. 



Note. — The Unwin or moderately waved type of flower is a good 

 seeder. It follows the old type very closely in the formation of its 

 keel. 



