DR. R. SPRUCE OK EQUATORIAL-AMERICAN PALMS. 93 



Inermes. Sepala petalaque fl. $ convoluto-imbricata. 

 Endocarpium basi foraminatum. 



Stamina 6 inclusa Cocos, Z. 



Stamina 6 exserta Maximi liana, Mart. 



Stamina 9-24 inclusa Attalea, H.^ _B., K. 



Spathellielor^. Spadix pinnato-ramosus, spathellis (bracteis 

 tubularibus cyathiformibusve) plurimis distiche imbricatis 

 tunicatus, spatha universali nulla. Polia ssepius flabelliformia. 

 Lepidocaryin3D. Fructus squamulis retrorsis loricatus. 

 riores polystichi. 



Corolla c? tripetala Mauritia, i./l 



Corolla c? gamopetala Oropuoma, Sjpruce. 



Flores disticlii Lepidocartum, Mart. 



§ 13. NcitTier tTie Degree of Excentricity of tTie Fruity nor the 

 Position of the JEinlryo in the Seed, is to le relied on in the for- 

 mation of large Natural Genera of Fahns, 



As far as possible, I have religiously preserved the genera within 

 the limits assigned to them by the excellent Martins, choosing 

 rather to stabilitate the ancient landmarks than to set up new 

 ones. It will be seen that I have placed little stress on the de- 

 gree of adhesion of the carpels in the ovary, which varies in closely 

 allied species of the same genus — or on the measure of excentri- 



solitary) 



as much variation. 



(Eno 



# 



find some fruits with lateral, others with apical stigmas. Under 

 the genus Iriartea I shall have to point out the phases of structure 

 in the ovary, fruit, and embryo, in species otherwise closely related 

 in habit, foliage, &c., which have seemed to some authors sufficient 

 to justify the breaking-up of that small genus into five ! 



The ovule (solitary, rarely twin) is uniformly subsessile at the 

 inner angle of the base of each carpel, and in most of the ovaries 

 I have been able to examine is more or less completely anatropous ; 

 but neither does the position of the micropyle seem a constant 

 concomitant of other peculiarities of structure. 



The embryo, in the exocarpic or excentric-fruited genera, occu- 

 pies almost every possible position on the periphery of the seed, 

 being apical, basal, or medial in species otherwise closely related, 



* The experienced botanist will at once call to mind analogous structures in 

 such an order as Eutaceae, in the umbraculiform Cordia;, and in other polycar- 

 pellary families and genera. 



