THE 
NEW PjlYTOIiOGIST. 
April 30TH, 1906. 
ON ABNORMAL FLOWERS OF SOLANUM TUBEROSUM, 
By Daisy G. Scott, B.Sc. 
With Text-Fig. 11. [I.—VIII.] 
HE flowers described in this note were gathered in August 1897, 
by Professor Harvey Gibson, in afield near Cuilimuich Farm, 
Carrick Castle, N.B. The farm lies on a river delta, composed of 
alluvial soil, which had been cultivated for generations. 
Each of the flowers examined shewed some abnormality. A 
curious feature found in all the flowers was the presence of ovules, 
in large numbers on the filaments of the stamens, notwithstanding 
that the ovaries in the same flowers produced normal ovules in the 
usual fashion. In some of the flowers, although the full number of 
fertile stamens was present, one or two of the petals were found 
with well-developed pollen-sacs containing pollen-mother-cells, 
which in one instance had reached the tetrad stage. 
The flowers had the usual number of parts, not a single 
instance of abortion being seen. Only in one case was increase in 
number of parts found, namely where in one flower the ovary was 
evidently composed of three carpels, and possessed three loculi. 
Sections taken from the distal part of the flower-bud shewed 
five stamens alternating with the petals, and a two-celled ovary 
with axile placentation. At this level the flower appeared to be 
quite normal. The pollen-sacs and tapetum were well-developed, 
and numerous pollen-mother-cells occurred in the loculus. Sections 
taken at a lower level, however, shewed on the ventral face of the 
stamen, i.e., on that side directed towards the ovary, the presence 
of two or three ovules. These ovules were fully-formed and 
differed in no respect from those found in the ovary. They were 
anatropous and had developed fairly large embryo-sacs. Sections 
taken quite near the base of the flower shewed numerous ovules 
