160 MR. C. C. BABINGTON ON THE 
Those of the Ospreolate which it is necessary to consider on 
this occasion are the following: F. pallidiflora, F. Borei, and F. 
confusa of Jordan, and F. muralis of Sonder. АП of these appear 
to inhabit Britain, and they are also found in the neighbouring 
parts of Europe. Their fruit is nearly, although not always, en- 
tirely smooth. It is chiefly when the fruit is quite dry that a 
slight roughness may be occasionally detected; but, as was re- 
marked above, in no case do they acquire the tubercular-rugose 
coat of the plants grouped as the Agraria. 
Mr. A. Jordan appears to have been the first to point out a most 
valuable character which distinguishes one of these species, the 
F. confusa, in à remarkable manner, and which is applicable also 
to the others, although less conspicuously. "The base of the fruit 
is furnished with a fleshy mass by which it is attached to the pe- 
dicel. The size and relative proportion of this mass (which may 
be called the dase) to the fruit itself, and to the enlarged tip of the 
pedicel, can only be seen when the fruit is fresh (although it may 
be restored tolerably completely by softening the specimens in 
boiling water), and has therefore been overlooked by botanists. 
In F. confusa this base is so large as to be very nearly as broad as 
the broadest part of the fruit, and exceeds in width the slightly 
enlarged tip of the pedicel. In F. Borei it is very narrow and 
nearly as long as broad, forming a kind of stalk to the fruit. It 
is much narrower than the rather remarkably enlarged tip of the 
pedicel. In F. pallidiftora the tip of the pedicel is not much en- 
larged, and very slightly exceeds in width the base of the fruit, 
which seems to be rather broader, but at the same time rather 
shorter and less conspicuous than that of F. Borei. In F. muralis 
the tip of the pedicel is enlarged and is rather thicker than the 
base of the fruit, which is not nearly so broad nor 80 conspicuous 
as that of F. confusa. It widens gradually upwards, so as to give 
to the whole fruit a pyriform shape when fresh,—the line of sepa- 
ration between the true carpel and the “ base ” being only faintly 
marked. In F. confusa the limits of these parts are clearly defined. 
There is a character furnished by the little pits at the top of the 
fruit (one pit being placed upon each side of the base of the style) 
which is probably of value. They are not very conspicuous on 
the fresh fruit, but show themselves obviously after its outer coat 
has shrunk in drying. In F. pallidiffora and F. Borei these pits 
are small, deep, and nearly round; in F. confusa they are broad 
and shallow ; in F. muralis they are usually so very shallow as 
often to be scarcely visible. 
