tumtEracEjE fbom madagascab. 257 



The calyx is, perhaps, its most remarkable character, aud it was 

 only by careful dissection in water that I was able to understand 

 it. The name I propose explains its peculiarity ; instead of the 

 usual herbaceous calyx, we have a membranous one, hyaline, and 

 without chlorophyll ; it is tubular, cleft to the middle into five, 

 quincuncially arranged, concave oblong segments, close to the 

 apex of which are two diverging seta?, quite a fourth of the calyx 

 in length, and bent back from it at an angle of 45°. There are 

 three faint nerves on each segment to the base of the calyx, at 

 which point the petals and stamens are inserted (as shown in the 

 drawing). The ovary contains nine ovules, three on each placenta, 

 and apparently arranged in a single series ; the number may not 

 be constant, and a few of the ovules do not develop. The fruit 

 is altogether anomalous in the Order : after the flower withers 

 the short peduncle elongates considerably ; but the side nearest 

 to the branch grows more rapidly than the opposite one, and the 

 capsule becomes inverted, and closely appressed to the curved 

 peduncle (fig. 10), the long white bristles giving it a singular 

 appearance. 



The absence of chlorophyll in the calyx, and its hyaline cha- 

 racter, seem to be very easily accounted for. The flowers occur 

 at the ends of the branches, where the leaves are much congested 

 and sessile ; these upper leaves are clothed at the base with a 

 quantity of long whitish hairs, amongst which the minute flowers 

 are developed. The light is evidently prevented from reaching 

 them in this position, so much so that the green* colour is absent 

 in the bases of these upper leaves. It is probable that the 

 elongation of the peduncle after flowering is an attempt on the 

 part of the plant to bring the fruit under the full influence 

 of the light, and thus assist its development. It would be 

 interesting to watch this development under cultivation. 



Htalooaltx, gen. nov. 

 Sepala ad medium in tubum subcylindraceum coalite, tenuis- 

 sime hyalino-membranacea, inconspicue trinervia, qumcuncialiter 

 imbricata, apice bisetifera. Petala ima basi calycis inserta sed vere 

 perigyna, inferne cuneata, nuda. Stamina pengyna, ima basi 

 calycis inserta ; filamenta linearia, basi dilatata ; anther* breves, 

 cordato-ovoide*, apice leviter mucronulatae. Ovarium ovoideum, 

 glabrum; styli 3, recti, filiformi, glabri, apice breviter flabellatim 



