FLOWER IN THE GENUS NAPOLEONA, ETC. 501 



W. Hooker published a figure and description of Na/p6leona 

 imperialism founded upon living specimens from Sion-House 

 Gardens, which had been derived originally from Mr. Whitfield, 

 and were therefore from the same species as those which had 

 been examined by Dr. Lindley. The drawing in question was 

 made by Mr. Fitch, and is accurate so far as it goes. Sir William 

 himself adds but little to what was previously known concerning 

 the plant, but confines himself to a resume oi what had been writ- 

 ten by previous authors. In the description of Mr. Fitch's section 

 of the flower, however, occur the following remarks : — " Judging 

 from this section, what is in the generic character called the 

 inner of three whorls or series of the corolla [second whorl of the 

 corona] might rather be considered as a second and outer series 

 of filaments which are abortive ; according to this vieiv the co- 

 rolla would be in a double series [including thus the true corolla, 

 and the first ring of the corona], and the stamens in a double 

 series." Sir William concludes that Jussieu's N, Heudelotii is 

 the same as the original N. imperialis. 



Still treating of plants derived from Whitfield originally, we 

 find Decaisne publishing in the Hevue Horticole for 1853, t. xvi., a 

 description, accompanied by a very indifferent figure of N. Whit- 

 Jteldii, the species so named being, of course, the same as that 

 described by Hooker and Lindley as imjperialis. The main points 

 in Decaisne's description which need be here mentioned are, that 

 the flowers are said to be solitary, while the calyx and corolla, 

 ■with the two rings of the corona, are described in almost exact 

 accordance with the conformation as seen by myself, Decaisne, 

 however, describes the stamens as ten in number, thus : — " Lea 

 5 groupes d'etamines se composent chacun en apparence de 4 

 filets enroules sur eux-memes, les deux lateraux portent seuls des 



antheres, ceux du milieu sent steriles Les etamines 



sont done opposees aux lobes de la corolle et les filets steriles a 

 ceux du calice ; les antheres sont biloculaires." More- 

 over the flowers are said to wither in the evening after their ex- 

 pansion, and to have a peculiar smell, like sea-weed. Decaisne*s 

 account of the stamens, then, corresponds closely with my own, 

 and does not greatly differ from that of Palisot de Beauvois and 

 A. de Jussieu, except in points that were, I believe, overlooked 

 by his predecessors. From Lindley's account it diflfers in the 

 number of the anthers. Decaisne, it will be seen, describes the 

 anthers 2-celled, and considers the sterile filaments opposite to 

 the caljrx — a position a little different from what I imagine their 

 true position to be. 



