Fig. 104.—Ovuliferous anthers—Cucurbita.
In hermaphrodite flowers of Carica Papaya (fig. 103) there is a single row of five stamens instead of two rows of five each as in the normal male flowers, the position of the second or inner row of stamens being occupied by five carpels, which, however, are not adherent to the corolla as the stamens are, thus, supposing the arrangement of parts in the normal male flowers to be as follows:
---------------------------
S S S S S
---------------------------
| p p p p p
|
| st st st st st
|
| st st st st st
|
That of the hermaphrodite blossoms would be, in brief, as follows:
| 5 S
|------------
| 5 p
|
| 5 st
|
| 5 c
|
One of the most curious cases of this kind recorded is one mentioned by Mr. Berkeley,[209] wherein a large white-seeded gourd presented a majority of flowers in which the pollen was replaced by ovules. It would seem probable from the appearances presented by the figure that these ovules were, some of them, polliniferous, like those of the Passiflora, &c., described at p. 185, but nothing is stated on the subject.
See also section on Regular Peloria, Substitution, Pistillody of the stamens, &c.