156 Matthews.—Note on Abnormal Flowers 
from the mesochil. According to Pfitzer the odd stamen #3 does occasion¬ 
ally appear in abnormal flowers. 
These abnormalities in the androecium were not always accompanied 
by any other malformation in flower structure. Two flowers showing the 
triandrous condition were otherwise quite normal (Fig. 3). On the other 
hand, cohesion of the sepals occurred in some, and in many flowers this was 
observed without, however, any modification in the androecial whorls. In 
the flower where <23 was represented by a pollinium the labellum was con¬ 
siderably modified. One lateral lobe was scarcely developed, and the 
middle lobe showed little trace of its usual bifid character. 
Fig. 2. Column from normal 
flower ot Orchis purpurea , showing 
the staminodes. 
Fig. 3. Triandrous flower ; the stami¬ 
nodes appear as fertile stamens. 
Deviations from the typical structure in Orchid flowers have long been 
known. In 1825 Von Martius (1) recorded three anthers in Orchis Morio> 
and adds, ‘ monstrosa, anth. 3 ! singulae naturaliter conformata 5 . Ahexan- 
drous flower of Orchis militarise to which O. purpurea is a close approach, has 
been described by Kirschleger ( 2 ). Further details of numerous abnormal 
forms are given by Masters ( 3 ), and more recently by Penzig ( 4 ). In many 
of these instances it appears that substitution occurred. The normally sup¬ 
pressed stamens appeared in a petaloid state. In my specimens the stamens 
were fertile, the tendency being towards a restoration of numerical sym¬ 
metry. 
It is not the purpose of this note to enter into a full discussion regard¬ 
ing the homologies of the Orchid flower. The discussion is well known, 
and has arisen because of the striking departure from the monocotylous type 
