Vegetable Teratology. Maxwell T. Masters

labellum, dislocation of the parts of the flower, &c.

      Fig. 11.—Gamopetalous flower of Papaver bracteatum.

Cohesion of the petals.—Linnæus mentions the occurrence of cohesion of the petals in Saponaria.[26] Moquin notices a Rose in which the petals were united into a long tube, their upper portions were free and bent downwards, forming a sort of irregular limb. An instance of the polypetalous regular perianth of Clematis viticella being changed into a monopetalous irregular one, like the corolla of Labiates, is recorded by Jaeger.[27] There is in cultivation a variety of Papaver bracteatum, in which the petals are united by their margins so as to form a large cup. Under normal circumstances, the petals become fused together by their edges along their whole extent, at the base only, at the apex only, as in the Vine, or at the base and apex, leaving the central portions detached. Indications of the junction of the petals may generally be traced by the arrangement of the veins, or by the notches or lobes left by imperfect union. In Crocuses I have frequently met with cohesion of the segments of the perianth, by means of their surfaces, but the union was confined to the centre of the segment, leaving the rest of the surfaces free.

Cohesion of the stamens.—Under natural circumstances, cohesion of the stamens is said to take place either by the union of their filaments, so as to form one, two, or more parcels (Monadelphia, Diadelphia, Polyadelphia); at other times, by the cohesion of the anthers (Syngenesia), in which latter case the union is generally very slight. It must be remembered, however, that the so-called cohesion of the filaments is in many cases due rather to the formation of compound stamens, i.e. to the formation from one original staminal tubercle of numerous secondary ones, so that the process is rather one of over development than of fusion or of disjunction. These conditions may be met with as accidental occurrences in plants or in flowers, not usually showing this arrangement. Thus, for instance, Professor Andersson, of Stockholm, describes a monstrosity of Salix calyculata, in which the stamens were so united together as to form a tube open at the top like a follicle.[28] This is an exaggerated degree of that fusion which exists normally in Salix monandra, in Cucurbits and other plants.

      Cohesion of the pistils is also of very frequent occurrence in plants, under ordinary circumstances, but is less commonly met with than might have been expected as a teratological phenomenon.

      

      Further details relating to cohesion of the various parts of the flower are cited in Moquin-Tandon, 'El. Ter. Veg.,' p. 248; 'Weber. Verhandl. Nat. Hist. Vereins f. d. Preuss. Rheinl. und Westphal.,' 1860, p. 332, tabs. 6 et 7.

Formation of ascidia or pitchers.—In the preceding paragraphs, the formation of tubular or horn-like structures, from the union of the margins of one organ, or from the coalescence, or it may be from the want of separation of various organs, has been alluded to, so that it seems only necessary now, by way of summary, to mention the classification of ascidia proposed by Professor Charles Morren[29], who divides the structures in question into two heads, according as they are formed from one or more leaves. The following list is arranged according to the views of the Belgian savant, and comprises a few additional illustrations. Those to which the ! is affixed have been seen by the writer himself; the * indicates the more frequent occurrence of the phenomenon in some than in other plants. Those plants, such as Nepenthes, &c., which occur normally and constantly, are not here included. Possibly some of the cases would be more properly classed under dilatation or excavation.

      Ascidia.

      A. Monophyllous.

      1. Sarracenia-like pitchers, formed by a single leaf, the edges of which are united for the greater portion of their length, but are disunited near the top, so as to leave an oblique aperture.

       *Brassica oleracea (several of the cultivated varieties)!

       *Tilia europæa!

       Pelargonium inquinans!

       Staphylea pinnata.

       Amorpha fruticosa.

       Pisum sativum!

       Lathyrus tuberosus.

       Vicia sp.

       Gleditschia sp.

       Ceratonia siliqua.

       Trifolium repens!

       Cassia marylandica.

       Mimosa Lophantha.

       Rosa centifolia.gallica.

       Begonia sp.

       Bellis perennis!

       Nicotiana sp.

       Goodenia ovata!

       Antirrhinum majus!

       Vinca rosea.

       Polygonum orientale.

       Aristolochia sipho?

       Codiæum variegatum var.!

       Spinacia oleracea.

       Corylus avellana!

       Polygonatum multiflorum.

       Xanthosoma appendiculatum!

      2. Calyptriform or hood-like pitchers, formed by the complete union of the margins, and falling off by a transverse fissure (as in the calyx of Escholtzia).

       Tulipa Gesneriana.

      B. Polyphyllous.

      1. Diphyllous, formed by the union of two leaves into a single cup, tube, or funnel, &c.

       Pisum sativum (stipules)!

       Crassula arborescens.

       Polygonatum multiflorum.

      2. Triphyllous, formed by the union of three leaves.

       Paris quadrifolia var.

      Besides the above varieties of ascidia formed from the union of one or more leaves, there are others which seem to be the result of a peculiar excrescence or hypertrophy of the leaf. Such are some of the curious pitcher-like structures met with occasionally in the leaves of cabbages, lettuces, Aristolochia, &c. See Hypertrophy, cup-like deformities, &c.

      In addition to other publications previously mentioned, reference may be made to the following treatises on the subject of ascidia:—Bonnet, 'Rech. Us. Feuilles,' p. 216, tab. xxvi, f. 1, Brassica; De Candolle, 'Trans. Hort. Soc.,' t. v, pl. 1, Brassica; Id., 'Org. Veget.,' I, 316; 'Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr.,' I, p. 62, Polygonatum; 'Bull. Acad. Belg.,' 1851, p. 591, Rosa; Hoffmann, 'Tijdschrift v. Natuur. Geschied.,' vol. viii, p. 318, tab. 9, Ceratonia; C. Mulder, 'Tijdschrift, &c.,' vol. vi, p. 106, tab. 5, 6, Trifolium, Mimosa, Staphylea;' Molkenboer,' p. 115, t. 4, Brassica.

      FOOTNOTES:

       Table of Contents

      [10] See a curious instance of this kind in the branches of Pinus. 'Regel. Garten Flora,' vol. 8, tab. 268.

[11] 'Bull. Soc.