vitalha , £., with Special Reference to Trimery and Abortion. 
T 1 1 
II. Clematis vitalba, L. 
The meristic variation in the gynaeceum of Clematis vitalba was 
investigated in 1,303 specimens. As shown in Fig. 5, the curve exhibits 
a strikingly periodic form with 
maxima at multiples of three 
as in most of the genera and 
species already studied. But 
here the feature is more em- 
phasized and the progressive de- 
crease of the secondary modes is 
also well illustrated. 
The importance of the 
secondary modes, and even the 
position of the primary mode, 
though always corresponding to 
a multiple of three, appear to 
vary with the individual and 
even in different parts of one 
and the same plant. Thus the 
specimens studied were obtained 
from three localities in the neigh- 
bourhood of Radlett. Those 
from the different localities gave 
very similar variation curves, but whilst from the one, gynaecea consisting 
of twenty-seven carpels predominated, from the other two localities, gynaecea 
with twenty-four carpels 
were commonest. It is 
unlikely that this differ- 
ence was due to any 
variation in the habitat 
conditions, which were ap- 
parently almost identical ; 
moreover, similar differ- 
ences were noted when 
comparison was made of 
the different plants in the 
same locality. 
Just as different pri- 
mary modes may cha- 
racterize the various species of a genus, so too[ their relative prominence 
may vary with the individual. An interesting point, however, and one 
which is important in this connexion, is how far the individual is 
Fig. 5. 
Fig. 6. 
