386 Miscellaneous. 



the ovary never ripens. The fructiferous flowers have neither calyx, 

 corolla, nor stamens, but consist at first of a minute ovary on a rigid 

 stipe that arises from between two bracteoles. After fecundation, 

 the minute ovary swells, and at the same time burrows in the ground, 

 where it ripens." 



On examination, I found in some specimens that had been in flower 

 some days, in the axils of two or three of the lower leaves, minute, 

 sessile (sometimes two or three in a kind of one-sided raceme), conical 

 germs situated between two bracteoles ; these gradually elongated 

 themselves, until, reaching the earth, they penetrated beyond the 

 reach of light, where their extremities becoming etiolated they grew 

 succulent, enlarged, and ripened their fruit. The stipe of the fruit 

 varies much in length ; in the prostrate forms of the plant from 1 to 

 3 or 4 inches ; but in an upright variety which I cultivate, they 

 grow 6, 12, and sometimes even 18 inches before reaching the earth, 

 and in their growth hang around the stem like aerial rootlets. In 

 the axils next above these fertile germs, in my specimens, I found 

 petal-bearing flowers, which I at first (supposing Mr. Bentham's 

 views of course to be correct) regarded as barren. But after close 

 and repeated examinations, to my surprise I found them in all 

 respects perfect, and what at first sight I had thought a long 

 peduncle which withered with the flower, proved to be a slender, 

 tubular calyx, through which there was no difficulty in tracing the 

 style to a minute conical germ, situated between two bracteoles, and 

 in all respects identical with those in the axils below ; and after 

 examining a few plants, I succeeded in finding germs elongated to 

 two or three inches, with the marcescent calyx and corolla still 

 adhering to their points^ and stimulated into growth beyond a doubt 

 by the perfect and fertilized ova. Younger plants just getting into 

 bloom showed petal-bearing flowers in the lowest axils ; and doubt- 

 less those that I first examined, and which I thought achlamydeous, 

 would have been found so, if seen a little earlier ; for, generally, the 

 flower falls away entirely, and is seldom found attached to the germ 

 after withering. The flowers of the Arachis hypogsea are all petal- 

 bearing and all fertile. The plant is in some respects a singular one, 

 and I am not surprised that Mr. Bentham, or any one else who 

 had not watched it in all stages of its growth, should have fallen into 

 error as regards its fructification. — Silliman's Journal for March 

 1855. 



On the Structure of the Starch Granule. By Mr. Grunby. 



The structure of the starch granule being by no means clearly under- 

 stood, I am induced to submit the results of a few observations on 

 the subject, with the view, if possible, of adding a little to our know- 

 ledge of its structure. There are, as is well known, two views of its 

 constitution ; one, especially advocated by Schleiden, considers it as 

 increasing by means of layers deposited from within outwards, and 

 that there is no membrane enveloping the granule ; secondly, the 

 view of Nageli and others that it is a true cell, consisting of a wall 



