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Maer Jun. 5 /42/

A very common tall umbelliferous plant no specimen dried with much pinnate leaves — has only its external florets seed the flowers petals of these are larger — — so just reverse of snow-ball-tree — it appears that marginal florets only have pistil & central ones an abortive pistil & stamens; but the flowers are rather past. —

I see other young specimen of same species (?) in which there are stamens to outer florets, apparently perfect — petals only a little larger of these florets — what is use of stamens of central florets or of earliest —I suspect germen of outer florets mature with stamens of central florets. — N.B I see the two styles of outer fl. do not grow till stamens dropped off— I suspect stamen of central florets wither & are abortive.—