Page:The Journal of Indian Botany, Volume III.djvu/18

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8

THE JOUSNAL OF INDIAN BOTANY.


A. In the first ease (Mg. 5) the two lateral sepals have fused to form a boat-shaped structure not unlike the normal dorsal sepal. There are, however two strong midribs, each ending in a small cusp. Another fainter nerve ends in the sinus between the cusps. It probably represents two lateral nerves. In addition, there are two lateral nerves on each side.

The labelium is reduced to a linear acute 1 -nerved structure of about the same length as the sepals. The spur has entirely dis- appeared.

The remainder of the flower is normal.

B. In the second ease of fusion of the Iaterel sepals, the resulting double structure cannot be distinguished from the dorsal sepal, except by its being 7-nerved, the latter being 5- nerved. Here the lip is reduced to a small fleshy process, rather like a “stigmatic” lobe in a normal flower, although about twice as long. As in the last case, there is no trace of a spur. The stigmatic lobes are also totally absent. Instead the basal lobes of the rostellum are considerably larger than usual’ whether due to mere over-development or to fusion with stigmatic parts not being apparent.

(For another abnormality in the same specimen, see next section.)

(4) On a case of laminar outgrowths from the midrib of a double bract m Habenaria grandiflora Lindl.