from the usual Structure of Seeds. — 147 
This second instance occurs in Peliosanthes Teta of Andrews's 
Repository and the Botanical Magazine: ; 
In this monocotyledonous plant, which in 1812 nearly ripened 
seed in Mr. Lambert's collection at Boyton, the ovarium coheres 
with the tube of the perianthium or corolla, and has originally 
three cells, each containing twoovula. Soon after impregnation has 
taken place, from one to three of these ovula rapidly increase in 
size, by their pressure prevent the deyelopment of the others, and 
rupture the ovarium, which remains, but little enlarged at the base 
of the fruit, consisting of from one to three naked berry-like seeds. 
In the Botanical Magazine Mr. Ker, in describing a second 
species of Peliosanthes *, takes the opportunity of altering in some 
respects the character of the genus he had previously given, and 
of adding a description of its supposed pericarpium, from an in- 
spection, as it seems, of the unripe fruit of Peliosanthes Teta. It is 
evident, however, that he is not aware of its real structure; and 
consequently does not succeed in reconciling its appearance with 
the unquestionable fact of its having ** germen inferum." 
"There are some cases in which this early opening of the ova- 
rium, instead of being, as in the preceding instances, an irregular 
bursting, apparently caused by the pressure of the enlarged ovula, 
is a regular dehiscence in the direction of the suture. Of this 
Sterculia platanifolia and S. colorata are remarkable examples; their 
folliculi after opening, which takes place long before the maturity 
“of the seeds, acquiring the form and texture of leaves, to whose 
thickened margins the ovula continue firmly attached until they 
ripen. Another exampleof this early and regular dehiscence occurs 
in an undescribed genus of the same family, which differs from 
Sterculia platanifolia in its pericarpium having a terminal wing and 
a single seed. | E 
* Botan, Magaz. 1532. 
U 2 In 
