M. 



MR. J. MIEIiS ON MOQUILEA. 373 



This nucleus is globular, with a small nipple (chalaza) at its apex ; 

 it has a roughish surface, is 7\ lines in diameter, the indurated 

 integument being closely agglutinated to it ; it is solid, and when 

 cut transversely exhibits a homogeneous hard dark albumen, 

 showing in the axis a longitudinal chink, corresponding to the 

 position of the slender embryo in Licania prismatocarpa ; but 

 here the embryo cannot be seen on account of its extreme tenuity, 

 and I did not like to injure my specimen in searching for it. 



My analysis of the fruit of Licania heteromorpha* shows a very 

 analogous structure. 



I will now proceed to show the very different organization of 

 fruit of Moquilea. I first observed it in examining that of 

 Turiuvaf. This species is well described by Sir J. Hooker, 

 who noted the size of the fruit but did not analyze it. 



The fruit is a dry drupe, fusiform in shape, 13 lines long, 4^ lines 

 broad in the middle, acute at the summit, shortly narrowing 

 at the base to a breadth of 1^ line, w r here it fits into the hollow of 

 the persistent almost unchanged calyx, which is 5-toothed to its 

 base ; the pericarp, i line thick, is fuscous brown, opaque, coria- 

 ceous, and when macerated gives out a red dye ; it is unilocular 

 and monospermous. The most ready way of examining its struc- 

 ture is in its dry state, without softening it by maceration, when, 

 by making two opposite longitudinal incisions through the peri- 

 carp alone, it becomes separated into two halves without difficulty. 

 In one half will be found the nucleus, covered by part of the 

 integument of the seed, the other half of the integument remaining 

 adherent to the inside of the other moiety of the pericarp. The 

 integument or testa thus severed is found to be bilamellar in that 

 part where the raphe is confined within it. The raphe thus 

 exposed to view is seen to be a network of longitudinal bundles of 

 numerous fine spiral vessels, with other threads or bundles 

 anastomosing with them, forming a reticulated network quite 

 white. The integument at its summit is terminated by a polished, 

 fleshy, conical chalaza. The embryo, after the integument is re- 

 moved, appears like a solid body, cylindrical, somewhat pointed 

 at its chalazal extremity, obtuse at its base, faintly grooved longi- 

 tudinally ; it is 10 lines long, 2\ lines broad in the middle ; in its 



* Flor. Bras. fasc. 42, p. 11. 



t Licania Turiuva, Cham. & Schlect. Linnea, ii. p. 550. Licania apcrfa, 

 Benth. in Hook. Jouro. Bot. ii. p. 218. Licania pubiftora, Benth. /. c. p. 219. 

 Moijuilea turiuva, Hook, in Flor. Bras. fasc. 42. p. 25. 



