Ficaria verna , and other Members of the Rammculaceae. 55 
of the six honey-leaves usually present. In Fig. 2, A, is shown the arrange- 
ment of the honey-leaves in a flower where their number was eight, the 
gynaeceum and androecium having been dissected away. It will be noticed 
that four of the honey-leaves are grouped in pairs. The members of each 
pair here arise in such close proximity, as to render their origin from a single 
rudiment highly probable. The same feature is illustrated from a specimen 
with seven honey-leaves in Fig. 2, B, the contiguous members being situated 
at the point marked p. In addition specimens of partially bifurcated honey- 
leaves are occasionally present (Fig. 2, D), the example illustrated being 
taken from a specimen in which there were also six normal honey-leaves. 
Cases such as this doubtless indicate a bifurcation of the original rudiment 
and the subsequent fusion of the two halves. Rarely an additional honey- 
Fig. 7. Eranthis liyemalis. Meristic variation in androecium. 
leaf is exhibited that, from its position, is to be regarded as a transformed 
stamen, since it is situated on the same orthostichy as one of those normally 
present. 
(3) The androecium. The number of stamens ranges from 18 to 44 
(cf. Fig. 7), and it is very significant that the lowest number observed should 
be a multiple of three. Church ( 1908 , pp. 14-16) found that, in the speci- 
mens examined by him, the range was from 24 to 39, with 30 as the usual 
number. In our specimens the mode was also 30, whilst a large proportion 
of flowers had 24 or 27 stamens. It will be noticed that, though the 
general trend of the ‘ curve 5 is of the normal type, there are several maxima 
associated with numbers which are some multiple of three. Several 
instances of flowers with forked stamens have been observed (Fig. 2, 1 and j), 
and it is of importance to note that in most cases, if the forking be disre- 
