324 HilL — On Variation in the Flowers 
makes the following statements : 4 Peu de temps apr£s la 
naissance des dtamines, le centre de la fleur se deprime et 
il en resulte une petite excavation, qui est I’origine du pistil. 
Cette petite excavation n’occupe pas tout le centre de la 
fleur ; il y a entre elle et la base des etamines une sorte de 
chemin de halage sur lequel on voit bientot poindre un 
bourrelet circulaire qui grandit rapidement, et forme une 
sorte de tuyau de cheminee au-dessous de l’excavation qui, 
de son cote, est devenue de plus en plus profonde . 5 
My own observations show that in the plants examined 1 
the ovary arises invariably as a ring of tissue, and nothing 
has been seen either in Primula or the other plants which 
could be interpreted as five carpels. Once only, in Anagallis 
arvensis , Linn., the top of a young ovary was seen to be 
somewhat crenated. 
Up to the present, then, it appears from the facts of develop- 
ment that the tubular upgrowth is either a single carpel, 
or, if it represents a number of carpels, the rudiments are 
generally indistinguishable owing to the simultaneous up- 
growth of the tissue between them. On the other hand, there 
are many points in favour of the ovary being multicarpellary 
in nature. 
The increased number of styles and stigmas tends to show 
that there are present more than one carpel, and then the 
dehiscence of the capsules of many plants of the Order into 
five or ten teeth points in the same direction, or of the 
structure in question being derived phylogenetically from one 
with five carpels. 
Again, if the other Orders of the Cohort to which the 
Primulaceae belong are examined, it is found that the 
Plumbaginaceae are characterized by the possession of five 
styles, which is in favour of the ovary of Primulaceae being 
composed of five carpels. 
The Myrsinaceae having but a single style do not afford 
evidence of a definite character. 
1 Primula verts, Linn., Hottonia palustris , Linn., Glaux maritima, Linn., 
Anagallis arvensis , Linn., and Samolus Valerandi , Linn. 
