Mr. J. Miers on some genera of the Icacinacese. 33 



shell obliquely by a hole which comes out in the point of its at- 

 tachment to the calyx. Between these foramina is a deep groove 

 filled with a thick chord of fibres : this chord, issuing from the 

 interior of the nut, out of the upper perforation, descends through 

 the basal passage just described, and terminates in the torus of 

 the persistent calyx. By making a careful incision through each 

 side of the shell, the cell is seen filled with an oblong seed, which 

 is suspended from a thick funicular support, continuous with the 

 raphe on one hand and with the chord before mentioned on the 

 other : in Pennantia these parts are attached to one another, but 

 here the bundle of fibres is continuous with the raphe, as well as 

 with the external chord, that terminates in the basal torus. The 

 raphe does not descend along the centre of the dorsal face of 

 the seed, as in Pennantia, but takes a somewhat lateral course 

 towards nearly the bottom, when it makes a sudden turn, and 

 curving in a hippocrepical form ascends the opposite side of the 

 same face, terminating in a caruncular prominence upon the apex 

 of the seed. The thin integumental covering apparently con- 

 sists of two adherent membranes, in which the raphe is imbedded ; 

 but there is no thickening of these membranes at the base, nor 

 any appearance of a chalaza, unless the caruncular swelling at 

 the apex can be so considered. The albumen is fleshy, and its 

 embryo almost divides into two nearly equal portions, interposing 

 a vacant space between them, and leaving on the edges only a 

 very narrow solid rim of its albuminous substance to connect 

 them ; the embryo entirely lines this space, and consists of two 

 extremely thin, almost pellicular cotyledons, which are oblong, 

 nearly the size of the albumen, cordate at the summit, with a 

 short terete radicle in its sinus. I have had an opportunity of 

 examining only a single seed, and I can affirm with confidence 

 that its structure was that above described. A result so greatly 

 at variance with other recorded observations will naturally create 

 a suspicion that the seed so examined may have been a malfor- 

 mation, but there appeared in this case no indication of any ab- 

 normal deformity : how then can we account for the existence of 

 an embryo so different in size and form from that figured by 

 Dr. Wight ? Is it possible that this distinguished botanist, or 

 more probably his draughtsman, can have mistaken the radicle 

 for the entire embryo ? This will appear probable when we care- 

 fully examine fig. 10 of his plate 954 above referred to, which 

 gives a transverse section of the seed, where exactly the same 

 lunated space is shown across the middle, which I found to exist, 

 lined with the two thin membranes above described, and which 

 I conceive can be nothing but cotyledons ; and again, if we com- 

 pare this with fig. 1 1 of the same plate, which is a longitudinal 

 section of the same, we perceive a line or long* space descending 

 Ann. S,; Mag. N, Hist. Ser. 3. Vol.x. 3 



