The Morphology of the ‘ Corona ? of Narcissus. 
BY 
W. C. WORSDELL. 
With three Figures in the Text. 
A S a result of the recent investigation of two unusually interesting 
l abnormal flowers 1 of Narcissus Pseudo -narcissus var. tridymus , 
De Graaff, I have been able to confirm the conclusions arrived at by 
Celakovsky 2 * * * (as a result of his study of abnormal flowers of N. Tazetta) 
with regard to the morphological nature of the ‘ trumpet 7 or ‘ corona *, 
In my flowers the three sepals were normal, save for the complete absence 
of any corona. The androecium and pistil were also normal. The three 
petals were all partially transformed into stamens, and it was owing to this 
fact that, as it so happened, the nature of the corona became revealed in 
its true light. The corona of each petal was bilobed and was confined to 
these members of the flower, the sepals, as above stated, being devoid of it. 
As each petal had its own individual corona, it is obvious that the normal 
corona had become completely split up. In both flowers the corona of each 
petal was seen to be an intermediate structure between a petaloid ligidar 
outgrowth from the upper surface of the petal , on the one hand , and the basal 
lobes of the versatile anther on the other , in just the same way as the organ 
bearing it was an intermediate structure between a petal and an anther. 
In the case of one petal the corona lobes were obviously direct downward 
extensions, in petaloid form, of the anther lobes, while at the same time 
continuous on their outer margin with the normal ligular outgrowth from 
the petal ; and the presence of this marginal petaloid portion of the 
corona was a result of the presence of the corresponding marginal 
petaloid portion of the upper portion of the anther (Fig. i). This was, 
perhaps, the best case for demonstrating the absolute oneness of the anther 
lobes with the corona, the texture and colour of the normal corona being 
always present. In another petal, besides the downwardly directed narrow 
1 Handed to me by Mr. F. J. Chittenden at the meeting of the Scientific Committee of the 
Royal Horticultural Society of March 24, 1914. 
2 Ueber die Bedeutung und den Ursprung der Paracorolle der Narcisseen (Bulletin international 
de l’Academie des Sciences de Boheme, 1898). 
[Annals of Botany, Vol. XXVIII. No. CXI. July, 1914.] 
O O 2 
