Notes. 
150 
The chief points of interest resulting from the observations described above seem 
to be : 
1. The frequency of the abnormalities ; whether this is peculiar to a particular year 
or to the locality in question remains to be seen. 
2. The greater frequency of androgynous and transitional inflorescences in the 
lateral position. This seems to show that although normally the male and female 
zones of the fertile shoot are sharply delimited, yet there is frequently a tendency for 
the two to overlap, with, especially in the intermediate region, a consequent reversion 
of one or more of the inflorescences borne thereon to the probably original androgynous 
condition. 
3. The presence of the flowers on the apices of the cupule segments. Worsdell 1 
says that adventitious flowers are rare, and that their occurrence as enations from 
a leaf surface is entirely unknown. If the cupule segments of the Beech, are to be 
considered as modified bracts or bracteoles, the presence upon them of adventitious 
flowers offers a parallel to the case of the Nepaul Barley, Hordeum trifurcatum, where 
flower rudiments arise on the inferior or superior paleae of the spikelet. 2 
4. The orientation of some of the extra flowers in the cupule may perhaps be 
correlated with the position of certain of the flowers of the original dichasium. 
Fig. 1, 11, shows the possible arrangement of the flowers in a cupule with seven 
flowers of the dichasium present. Comparing the diagrams 6, 7, 8, and 9 with this, 
it will be seen that in diagram 7 the position of the extra flower may be correlated 
with that of flower No. 4, while the two extra ones of diagram 8 may be homologous 
with Nos. 4 and 5. The interpretation of the arrangement in diagram 9 is doubtful. 
1 Worsdell: Principles of Plant Teratology. 2 Loc. cit. 
Dept, of Botany, 
Sheffield University. 
L. W. COLE. 
