OMPHALOCARPUM, AND ASTERANTHOS. : 3 
base, somewhat shorter than the corolla, all radiating outwards, each with a fine median 
nerve. Ina circle, about 1 of an inch beyond the points of their attachment, we now 
observe a very distinct moniliform ring of prominent vesicles, one upon each segment, 
bearing the appearance of as many sterile anther-cells. This important feature appears 
to me to afford a key to the nature of the whole structure, and seems to have been over- 
looked by all botanists, except perhaps by Dr. Masters’. 
The second whorl of the corona is also petaloid, formed of 40 to 60 similar but broader 
segments, sometimes as long as, often shorter than the corolla. These are confluent along 
their margins towards the base for $ or $ of their length, thus forming a cup; but the 
external portions are quite free, erect, or curving inwards. Looking at this cup from 
below, we see a similar ring of prominences as in the former case, and at the same 
distance from the base, all forming as many distinct hollow patches, like corrugated 
vesicles. 
The third or internal whorl consists of a series of linear segments like the preceding, 
and, I believe, constantly 20 in number. They are attached to the disk in a similar 
manner, are quite free to their base, their margins touching or overlapping each other ; 
they have a fine nerve along their centre up to a short distance below the apex, there 
terminating in а prominent point, where the anther is attached; these have been con- 
sidered true filaments by all botanists. Тһе anther is oblong, a little curved, appear- 
ing 2-lobed, owing to a deep furrow down their middle; it opens bivalvately at the 
bottom of the furrow, its margins becoming detached from a prominent line upon the 
connective; before dehiscence, they are consequently 2-locellate; after bursting they 
appear 1-locular; this cell is adnate for its whole length, upon a narrow fleshy con- 
nective and is affixed by one of its extremities to the point in the nerve of the filament 
before mentioned, always extrorsely. By the hippocrepiform curvature of the filaments 
the anthers become lodged in the 5 open cavities within the area of the concave disk, 
formed by the projecting winged angles of the style. Although there are 20 similar 
filaments, not more than 10 (sometimes only 5) bear anthers, the summits of the others 
being crumpled round the termination of their nerve. We may thus believe in the 
statement of Palisot on this point, which many botanists have doubted. 
The disk which supports the floral parts is annular, narrow, prominently erect, crenu- 
lated on the margin, and placed around the deeply hollow vertex of the ovary, wherein 
the stigma is ensconced; the latter, peltately supported by a short, broadly 5-angular 
style, is large, depressed and pentagonal, hollow in the centre, with 5 radiating furrows 
on the flat summit, each terminating near the angles, in a gaping gland filled with 
stigmatie tissue. 
The calyx consists of 5 equal, triangular sepals, which surround the disk, are valvate 
in sestivation, but afterwards quite rotate; they are thick, flat, with square margins, 
which end externally in a short mucronate point, on each side of which there is generally 
a distinct imbedded gland. 
1 Seeing them upon the second whorl, he says, ** But just at the bend they often present a slight exerescence or 
fold, representing perhaps the traces of an anther” (Journ. Linn. Soc. vol. x. p. 495). 
B2 
