6 46 Worsdell. — The Morphology of the 
these, in a median position, a rudimentary foliar organ as well. 
I will now proceed to cite the various instances in which this 
normal state of things is departed from, and shall in every case 
speak of the whole axillary product as a ‘ flower.’ 
In comparatively few instances, the flower bore below the 
ovules and in a lateral position a pair of foliar organs 1 ; in one 
or two cases, below these again, were rudiments of a second 
pair (Figs. 16 and 17). Of course, where two or three whorls 
are thus inserted, one immediately above and opposite the 
other, we must assume that one or more, in the latter case 
mentioned at least two, median whorls are theoretically present ; 
but, owing to the extremely confined space existing between 
the bract and the primary axis of the inflorescence, have 
become crushed out of objective existence. However, in one 
flower examined, I found in the median anterior position, and 
below the insertion of the ovules, two exceedingly small rudi- 
ments one above the other, which quite probably represent 
two of the missing median whorls (Figs. 18 and 19). The 
appearance of these two to four whorls of foliar organs below 
the ovules is very interesting, for it brings Cephalotaxus into 
line with Taxus and Torreya , which always normally possess 
these inferior whorls of leaves. Indeed, these two latter plants 
may be considered to possess, as compared with the case of 
Cephalotaxus, somewhat proliferated floral axes. Here, there- 
fore, already is one result of the examination of these abnor- 
mal flowers : a new link is forged between the three genera, 
which, with others yet to follow, will help to substantiate 
their nearer relationships, along lines different from those 
usually conceived. 
The ovules are themselves frequently replaced by, or meta- 
morphized into, foliar organs of almost the same shape and 
size, but always somewhat lighter in colour and more pointed 
at the apex than the brownish ovules. Either one or both 
ovules maybe thus metamorphosed. These two leaves in one 
1 In every case in which either this or the term ‘ leaf ’ is used in describing the 
following abnormalities.it denotes a very rudimentary structure, in no way resembling, 
either in colour, shape or size, a foliage-leaf. 
