48 Mr. Colebrooke on the Indian Species of Mcnispermum. 



Before I proceed to propose a generic character for Gaertner's 

 Ceylonese plant, I must premise a few observations on the parts 

 of the flower in that whole group. 



The Linnaean genus Menispermwn, constructed on the Cana- 

 dian species, assumes for a calyx two short linear exterior leaf- 

 lets ; for an outer corol, six (4 — 8) ovate, spreading, equal pe- 

 tals ; for an inner corol, eight smaller, concave, obcordate scales 

 ranged in a double series : it notices sixteen fertile stamina in the 

 male, and half as many sterile in the female ; and 2 — 3 (rather 

 2 — 4) pistils, whence two monospermous berries arrive at matu- 

 rity. Here the quaternary order, in a simple or double series, 

 or a multiple of it, is apparent. 



The defect of a fourth part throughout the fructification would 

 seemingly connect with that character numerous Indian species, 

 in which likewise two small exterior floral leaflets are observed 

 in some, but wanting in others ; and rows of calycine leaflets, 

 petals and scales in ternary order ; and the ternary proportion 

 single, or a multiple, prevails among stamina and pistils. 



The two exterior leaflets do not seem in all, nor in most, of 

 these plants to be a calycine envelope of the flower, but in some 

 are wanting ; and in others, again, are evidently mere bractes or 

 floral leaflets, closely appressed to the true perianth in some in- 

 stances, separate and distant in others, and reduced even to a 

 single bracteal leaflet in certain examples. 



The first ternary series of leaflets, or in some specimens a 

 double ternary series of equal leaflets, I take to be in general 

 the true perianth. They are smaller than the next row within. 

 This, which is likewise ternary, and consisting of larger, ten- 

 derer, and, in short, petal-like leaflets, appears properly to be 

 the corol. 



The innermost row, comprising six scales at the foot of the 

 filaments, commonly much smaller than the ternary range which 



encompasses 



