Lagenocarpus. | ERICACEE (Brown). | 417. 
hypogynous, shortly tubular-campanulate, with 4 (rarely 5) incurved 
tooth-like rounded to subquadrate lobes 1—1 as long as the tube, 
separated by rounded interspaces. Stamens usually 8, occasionally 7, 
quite included, arising from the ovary at the insertion of the corolla ; 
filaments i—1 as long as the anthers, connate throughout their length 
into a tube, often becoming more or less torn asunder by the enlarge- 
ment of the ovary, more or less adhesive to the corolla; anthers 
oblong, bifid, connate for half their length, opening laterally at the 
apical half. Ovary on a short stalk within and quite free from the 
calyx, but half inferior to the corolla, 1l-celled (not 2—3-celled as 
stated in the key on p. 4); style short; stigma large peltate, just 
exserted from the corolla. Ovules 4-5, pendulous from near the apex 
of a central placenta, which is quite free from the side wall of the 
ovary and only attached at the apex and base, dilated and thin at 
the basal part, filiform above. Fruit not seen, but evidently often 
l1-seeded. : 
Small shrubs or shrublets resembling a Salawis in appearance ; leaves grooved 
down the back; flowers 1-3 together, terminal or on minute axillary branchlets, 
preieh are shorter than the leaves and covered with minute bracts or very small 
eaves. 
Distris. Species 2, endemic. 
The ovary of this genus is, so far as I am aware, unique in the Vegetable 
Kingdom, and has never previously been correctly described. It is so con- 
spicuously half-inferior to the corolla that it seems remarkable that so unique a 
character should have escaped the notice of all previous authors. The placenta- 
tion and number of ovules are rather difficult to determine, and cannot be 
correctly understood from transverse sections. In young ovaries, before the 
stigma has emerged from the corolla, by carefully cutting or tearing away the 
side wall of the ovary all round, a central slender placenta attached at its base 
and apex, but quite unattached. to the sides of the ovary, can be clearly seen, 
bearing 4-5 ovules suspended from near its apex; after the stigma has become 
exserted, and before the formation of the embryo, 1-3 of the ovules become 
aborted and sometimes apparently disappear, and in transverse sections of the 
ovary made at this stage of development, the walls of the closely placed and 
perhaps slightly adhesive empty ovules often give the false appearance of the 
partitions of a 2-3-celled ovary, an error of observation, made after a hasty 
examination, which caused me to so describe it on page 4. The central (not axile) 
placenta is remarkable, and among South African Ericacee only occurs in this 
genus and in Thamnus ; no other author appears to have noticed it. 
(1) imbricatus. 
Calyx and corolla glabrous (2) ciliatus. 
Calyx and corolla puberulous 
1. L. imbricatus (Klotzsch in Linnea, xii. 214) ; 1-1) ft. high, 
much branched ; branchlets minutely tomentose-puberulous ; leaves 
3-nate, erectly imbrieate, ascending or more rarely spreading, longer 
than the internodes, 1-2 lin. long with the petiole, oblong or oblong- 
linear, subacute, very minutely scabrid or erose-denticulate on the 
margins and sometimes edged with minute sessile glands when 
young ; flowers axillary and terminal, 1-3 together or sometimes 
several clustered at the ends of the branchlets; calyx {-1 lin. long, 
coriaceous, glabrous, green ; teeth usually about half as long as the 
tube, very broadly deltoid-ovate, acute or obtuse, with or without 
VOL, IV.—BSECT, I. Ee 
