392 
Reed. — Some Points in the Morphology and 
M. T. Masters (13) published his ‘Vegetable Teratology’ in 1869, 
and there gives a host of examples of plants showing various forms of 
malformation. He recognizes that malformations are to be regarded as 
irregularities differing from variations mainly in their wider deviation 
from the customary structure and in their more obvious dependence on 
external conditions, and by their smaller liability to be transmitted by 
inheritance. He further goes on to say ‘ that it is even possible that mal- 
formations, especially when they acquire a permanent nature and become 
capable of reproducing themselves by seed, may be the starting-point of 
new species, as they assuredly are of new races, and between races and 
species he would be a bold man who would undertake to draw a hard 
and fast line’. Thus even as early as 1869 Masters thought it not 
improbable that mutations, caused by external influences, might give rise 
to new species. 
Coming to more recent times, A. Braun, Celakowsky, Worsdell (23), 
Goebel (4, 5), Vochting (18), and de Vries (19, 20, 21, 22) have given us 
many interesting observations on malformations. 
K. Goebel (4, 5) states that it was mainly owing to the study of 
malformations that the idea of the foliar nature of the stamen came to 
be recognized. Tt is rather to the causes which condition the deviation 
from the normal development that we ought to pay most attention.’ If 
by altering the external conditions an alteration can be induced in the 
organism, then we are in a fair way towards throwing some light on the 
great question of organic form. He gives examples of fasciations in 
Taraxacum officinale and mentions that it is only well-nourished specimens 
which show this phenomenon. 
H. de Vries (19, 20, 21, 22) describes several examples of fasciated stems 
in Taraxacum officinale, Thrincia hirta, Pier is hieracioides , and Crepis biennis. 
The latter gives off about 30 per cent, to 40 per cent, of heritable forms. 
He states that weak seedlings are not favourable examples for obtaining 
malformations, but strongly nourished plants should be taken. In speaking 
of stems which show biastrepsis and fasciation, de Vries (19) also states 
that ‘ most monstrous plants require much manure ; manure can hardly be 
given in excess; the richer the soil the better the proportion of twisted 
stems ’. 
A. D. Knox (9) describes instances of fasciation in Oenothera biennis 
and O. cruciata. She describes the anatomy of the fasciated stems and v 
gives an account of the degree of heritability of the malformation. The 
causes of fasciation in these cases are said to be two, (1) injury to the grow- 
ing point by insects, and (2) superabundant nourishment. She concludes 
that ‘ given similar conditions of culture the factors involved in the produc- 
tion of fasciations are the specific mode of attack of insects, the character 
of the plant, and the rapidity of development. The second of the three 
