The Distribution of Sexes in Myrica Gale. 149 
in which androgynous catkins are the rule ( e.g. M. conifera, 
described by Chevalier 1 )- Sometimes the reverse arrangement is 
found. The middle regions of these catkins may contain herma¬ 
phrodite flowers or flowers with rudimentary pistils. 
C. Plants with shoots the hulk of whose catkins consist of 
hermaphrodite flowers. The catkins with hermaphrodite flowers 
are intermediate in size between the normal pistillate and staminate 
catkins, but may incline towards either kind in form and appear¬ 
ance, according to the nature of the bracts. The larger staminate- 
like type with broad and wide-spreading bracts is the more 
common. The pistillate type is smaller and more compact. The 
hermaphrodite flower contains a centrally placed ovary, similar 
to that of the normal female flower. Round it there are three or 
four stamens united to the base of the ovary, and just below 
these on the very short floral axis are two minute lateral out¬ 
growths, corresponding to the “ bracteoles ” of the normal female 
flower. (See Fig. 1.) Both stamen and stigmas are functional, 
and the flowers are proterogynous. They are capable of producing 
fruit. 
In the upper scales of the catkins various abnormal stages 
may occur; e.g., a centrally placed pair of stamens, flanked by two 
1 Chevalier, loc. cit., p. 229. 
