100 Mr. Brown’s Observations on the 
and according to this view the order of expansion is direct, the 
central female flower being the representative of the terminal 
partial spike. | TOT 
There is even a third species of inflorescence with which the 
fasciculus of Euphorbia may be compared, namely, that’ consist- 
ing of one or more verticilli with a single flower in the centre. 
In this, which may be considered a modification of the spike. 
or umbel, the usual order of ex pansion seems to be from centre to. 
circumference. Its simplest form occurs in an unpublished New 
Holland genus of the same natural family with Euphorbia, in 
which a single verticillus of male flowers surrounds the central 
female flower. Lambertia may be considered as another instance of 
the same mode, and as far as can be determined, in a case where 
the flowers are hermaphrodite and their expansion nearly synchro- 
nous, following the same order. In all the known species of this 
genus the leaves are verticillate, and uniformly in threes : in 
L. formosa and inermis the involucrum constantly contains seven 
flowers, while in L. uniflora it is reduced to onc flower. 'The seven 
flowers of the two former species I consider as made up of two 
verticilli, in number of flowers corresponding with that of the 
leaves, and of a single central or terminal flower ; to which termi- 
nal flower L. uniflora appears to be reduced. From this order of 
reduction it may be assumed as more probable that species of 
Lambertia should be found with ten or four flowers in the involu- 
crum than with nine, six, or three. But greater permanence being, 
as has been already remarked, generally connected with greater 
perfection, it becomes also probable that, if any species of this 
genus should be discovered with androgynous capitula, the female 
flower will occupy the centre as in the genus, of Euphorbiaceæ. 
above referred to. | | 
It is worthy of remark, and may indeed appear in some degree 
at 
