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218 
THE FLOEIST AND POMOLOGIST. [OCTOBER, 
three outer ones bent downwards, three inner ones somewhat smaller, often 
different in colour, and ascending to arch over the central organs of the flowers. 
Within these segments of the perianth are three stamens, concealed by three 
large petal-like styles, and generally not visible till these are turned aside or 
removed. The ovary, or young seed-vessel, is below the flower segments, as in 
Narcissus, Orchids, &c. 
“ In the Iris of which we are now speaking the arrangement is different— 
the three outer segments are flat and spread horizontally, and the three inner ones 
are of similar form, colour, and direction. The result of this is, a flat flower of 
nearly circular outline, such as rejoices the eye of the lover of the so-called 
‘ florist’s flowers.’ More than this, the three stamens concealed between the 
outer floral segments and the petal-like styles, show a tendency to emulate the 
styles, and themselves become petal-like, and the way in which they do this is 
also noteworthy. An ordinary Iris stamen consists of a filament or stalk, on the 
upper part of which is, on either side, an anther-cell containing the pollen ; the 
two anther-cells are separated one from the other by what is called the con¬ 
nective, which is in this case nothing but the direct continuation of the filament. 
In the flowers before us the summit of the anther is surmounted by a trumpet¬ 
like tube, coloured purple, and divided into three lobes at the free edge. 
Tracing these lobes downwards, it may be seen that two of the three are directly 
continuous with the anther-lobes, while the third is similarly a petal-like pro¬ 
longation of the ‘ connective.’ In addition to these three stamens, which (apart 
from their slight tendency to assume a petal-like condition) perfectly represent 
the ordinary stamens of an Iris, there are, in the variety before us, three addi¬ 
tional stamens opposite to the petals, but these supernumerary organs are almost 
entirely petal-like, and correspondingly unlike anthers. The styles and ovary 
present nothing materially different from the usual structure of Iris flowers. 
“ To sum up, then, we may say in brief that while an ordinary Iris has an 
irregular flower, this variety has a'regular one; an ordinary Iris has three 
stamens, not petal-like, this variety has six stamens, in two • rows, and all are 
more or less petal-like. Technically speaking, this flower affords an example 
of that form of peloria called regular peloria, and of the increased number and 
petal-like development of the stamens. Florists, however, will be more concerned 
with the fact that they have here a flower of circular outline, regularity of 
proportion, and marked tendency to become double.”—T. M. 
NECTAEINE PKINCE OF WALES. 
HE finest September Nectarine I have gathered, or seen, this season, is the 
variety known as Prince of Wales. The crop is heavy, and the fruit 
large, averaging about 7 in. in circumference, but many of the fruit being 
quite 8 in. round. In the matter of growth, robustness, and free-cropping, 
the young tree here, as compared with others planted three years since, has 
greatly the advantage; whilst as to quality, the fruit are, for the season, to be 
