MR. G. BENT HAM ON ETTFH0BBIAC1JB. 215 



1. Sura : the membranous bracts, each one inclosing a single 

 male polyandrous flower, are adnate to -the rhachis all round, 

 completely closed over the bud, bursting irregularly in the centre 

 as the flower pushes forth. The genus comprises two or three 

 species. 2. Algernonia, including Tetraplandra, about four Bra- 

 zilian species. In this genus the amenta are narrow, the long 

 narrow membranous bracts are adnate all round, quite closed over 

 the bud, and burst longitudinally as the flower opens as in Sura, 

 but each one covers about three superposed monandrous flowers. 

 The supposed difference in the anthers of Algernonia and Tetra- 

 plandra arises probably from the different stages at which they 

 are examined. In the bud they appear 2-celled only ; but when 

 they are exserted after flowering, each cell is more or less 

 distinctly divided into 2 locelli. Our last genus, JPera, com- 



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prising about 20 South- American species, is very different. Two 

 bracts are united in a globular pea-shaped involucre, perfectly 

 inclosing the cluster of flowers when in bud, and at the time of 

 flowering opening in a lateral slit or in two valves. These invo- 

 lucres are generally several together in the axils or at the nodes, 

 sessile or pedunculate, and have often a pair of small loose bracts 

 on the pedicel under them. The species were distributed by 

 Klotzsch into four genera, now retained as sections with a fifth 

 added by Mueller in the ' Flora Brasiliensis,' all with nearly the 

 same habit, but differing in the way in which the male flowers, 

 rudimentary ovules, or female flowers are mixed in the heads or 

 separated. There is still some doubt as to the structure of the 

 seeds. Klotzsch was only able to examine one, in which he found 

 thick fleshy cotyledons without any albumen. The very nume- - 

 rous specimens we have are mostly in flower or bud without ripe 

 seeds, of which I have only had three to examine: the first sepa- 

 rated within the testa into two fleshy masses, apparently cotyledons 

 like those figured by Klotzsch ; but in the two others the fleshy 

 masses were certainly albumen, with the normal embryo between 

 them having very thin and broad cotyledons. 



We have in our herbaria specimens of at least a dozen Euphor- 

 biacese, chiefly from Beccari's and Maingay's collections, with two 

 or three African ones, which I am unable to refer to any known 

 genera, but which, owing to our only having one sex, it would not 

 be prudent to publish as new genera. 



