without anthers, whereas in the male flower the
stamens are numerous and grouped together in phalanges, so that the
relation of simple to compound stamens is in this case readily seen, as
also in many _Malvaceae_, _Sterculiaceae_, _Byttneriaceae_, _Tiliaceae_, and
_Myrtaceae_. It is probably the idea of splitting or dilamination
involved in the word chorisis that has led many English botanists to
hesitate about accepting the notion. Had they looked upon the process as
identical with that by which a branched inflorescence replaces an
unbranched one, or a compound leaf takes the place of a simple one, the
objections would not have been raised with such force. The process
consists, in most cases, not so much in actual cleavage of a
pre-existing organ as in the development of new-growing points from the
old ones.

An illustration given by Moquin from Dunal[407] goes far to support the
notion here adopted. The majority of the stamens of laurels (_Laurus_)
have, says M. Dunal, on each side of the base of their filaments a small
glandular bifid appendage; these excrescences are liable to be changed
into small stamens. The male flowers have a four-leaved calyx, and
sometimes eight stamens, each with two glands, four in one row, opposite
to the sepals, four in a second series alternating with the first. More
generally two of the stamens are destitute of glands, but have in their
place a perfectly developed stamen, so that in these latter flowers
there are twelve stamens.

M. Clos[408] mentions a flower of rue (_Ruta_) wherein there were two
stamens joined together below and placed in front of a petal, as in
_Peganum_.

Buchenau[409] mentions a flower of _Lotus uliginosus_ in which there
were eleven stamens, namely, two free and nine monadelphous; and
Hildebrand describes an analogous increase in a flower of _Sarothamnus
scoparius_ in which, in conjunction with a seven-toothed calyx, there
were two carinas and fourteen stamens. It would seem probable in this
case that there was a coalescence of two flowers at an early date and
consequent suppression of some of the parts of the flower. Whether this
was the case or not in this particular illustration, it is nevertheless
certain that many of the recorded instances of increased number in the
organs of a flower are really the results of a fusion of two or more
flowers, though frequently in the adult state but few traces of the
coalescence are to be seen.

=Polyphylly of the gyno