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of the Mistletoe ( Viscum album , L). 
of foliage-leaves are usually tetramerous, the outer whorl of 
perianth-leaves being median, and, therefore, differing in this 
respect from the terminal female flowers, as will be seen when 
Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are compared. It will also be seen that the 
outer whorl of perianth-leaves of the male flowers has the 
same relative position as the uppermost pair of scale-leaves 
in the female ones. The terminal male flowers of shoots with 
three foliage-leaves usually possess two trimerous whorls of 
perianth-leaves, the outer one having also the relative position 
of the three scale-leaves in the corresponding female flowers. 
Eichler is of opinion that in the common male terminal flowers 
the two scale-leaves which precede the female flowers are 
made use of (‘werden einbezogen 5 1 ) in the formation of the 
perianth. Although at first sight this appears obvious, I 
cannot agree with such an interpretation. First of all it 
may be argued, from a general point of view, that the 
outer and first formed perianth-leaves take a median position, 
simply because there is room for them to develop in this 
position on account of the scale-leaves being absent. If we 
adopt Eichler’ s view we must further admit that the male 
terminal flower is constantly without the inner dimerous whorl 
of perianth -leaves which the corresponding female flower 
always possesses. But there is, thirdly, one reason which 
directly compels us to give up the view brought forward by 
Eichler. I have already mentioned that dormant buds often 
produce inflorescences composed of a various number of flowers. 
I have described the three cases which are the most frequent. 
Let us compare the two cases represented in Fig. 8 I and II. 
These two inflorescences were found side by side. It will be 
admitted that in these two cases the terminal flowers are 
absolutely equivalent, and yet, if we examine the relative 
position of their parts, we notice the actual difference which 
exists between the normal male and female terminal flowers. 
If, as in Fig. 8 I, the terminal flower is preceded by two sterile 
scale-leaves, the outer whorl of perianth-leaves is median, and 
thus alternates with them ; but if it is not preceded by them, 
1 It must be said that the German expression is rather vague. 
