In _Orchidaceae_, among which family I have now met with several instances of prolification, the ovary seems usually to be absent. Fig. 63 shows a prolified flower of _Orchis pyramidalis_ in which the perianth was nearly regular, the central portions of the flower absent, and their place supplied by a new miniature raceme. This specimen was forwarded to me by Dr. Moore, of Glasnevin. [Illustration: FIG. 63.--Median prolification in _Orchis pyramidalis_, the outer segments of the perianth regular and reflexed.] As might be expected, it very rarely happens that median prolification occurs without some other deviation in one or more parts of the flower being simultaneously manifested. Some of these changes have been already mentioned, but others are commonly met with, as, for instance, the multiplication or doubling, as it is termed, of the petals; others, though less frequent, are of more interest. Fusion of two or more flowers in association with prolification is especially common in cultivated specimens of _Digitalis purpurea_; the uppermost flowers of the raceme become fused together so as to form one large, regular, erect, cup-shaped corolla, to the tube of which the stamens are attached, in greater number than ordinary, and all of equal length; the bracts and sepals are confusedly arranged on the exterior of the flower; while in the centre, in the place usually occupied by the pistil, there rises a conical prolongation of the axis, bearing at its outer or lower portion a number of open carpels, provided, it may be, with styles and ovules; these enclose an inner series of scale-like bracts, from whose axils proceed more or less perfect florets; so that in the most highly developed stage a perfect raceme of flowers may be seen to spring from the centre of a cup-shaped regular flower, whose lobes show its compound character. All intermediate stages of this malformation may be found from cases where there is a simple fusion of two flowers with a second verticil of carpels within the outer, up to such cases as those which have been just mentioned. It is worthy of special remark, that in all these cases the flowers at the uppermost part of the raceme are alone affected, and that, in addition to the prolification, there is fusion of two or more flowers, and regularity in the form of the compound corolla and stamens.