110
General Notes
Botany
AESTIVATION OF THE FUCHSIA. - "In the books," the petals of the
fuchsia are described as convolute. At my request, one of my students
examined one hundred and fifty-nine flowers of various species, hybrids,
and varieties. The petals exhibited sixteen different modes of arrangement with reference to each other. Only twenty-eight, about one sixth,
were regularly convolute; of these, twenty-one twisted to the right, and
seven to the left. Seventy-five flowers, nearly half of all examined, had
one petal outside at each edge, the others in regular order. In thirty-
seven cases, one petal was entirely outside, the one opposite to it had
both edges covered by those next to it.
The foregoing remarks are kindred to those on Phyllotaxis of Cones,
in the NATURALIST, vii. 449, and on Imbricative Aestivation, viii. 705 .-
W. J. BEAL.