176 Mr. J. Miers on the Calyceraceie. 



of the filamentous ring, are seen five coloured fleshy glands, 

 alternating with the stamens. Mr. Brown remarks * that this 

 and other peculiar characters distinguish the Calyceracea from 

 the hermaphrodite flowers of the whole order of the Composite : 

 viz. u the accretion of the base of the style with the tube of the 

 corolla," " the absence of the epigynous disk or nectarium," and 

 the perfectly unilocular space of the anther-lobes ; besides these, 

 the corolla is continuous with, and not jointed to, the ovarium ; 

 the anthers are deficient of any membranaceous expansion of 

 their summits, and the stigma is constantly undivided. Mr. 

 Brown further remarks that, in Calyceracea, " the absence of an 

 epigynous disk is a necessary consequence of the accretion of 

 the base of the style with the tube of the corolla;" and it appeared 

 to him that " a modification of the same organ may be traced in 

 the five thickened areolae observable within and near the base of 

 the tube formed by the filaments in Acicarpha spathulata, and 

 much more distinctly in Boopis balsamitcefolia, where they have 

 the appearance of five adnate fleshy bodies alternating with the 

 filaments f i" he adds that the condition above alluded to " may 

 be considered as formed of a series of modified stamina." 



M. Richard, in his admirable memoir before mentioned, com- 

 bated with great ingenuity the opinion of Mr. Brown, and 

 maintained J that this " accretion of the base of the style with 

 the tube of the corolla," and " the absence of an epigynous disk 

 or nectarium," are contradictory definitions. He endeavoured to 

 show that the apical protuberance in question is a true epigy- 

 nous disk ; or, if it be not rigorously demonstrated to be a true 

 disk, it bears at least the closest analogy with that organ, for it 

 appears to supply its place §. 



Whatever be the nature of the glandular areoles, a careful 

 examination of the whole structure leads me to conclude that 

 they belong to the region of the staminal tube, and not to that 

 of the corolla, as Richard was inclined to believe, referring to 

 Echinops, by way of analogy, where similar areolar glands exist 

 in the bottom of the border of the corolla. In Calycera and 

 Boopis, as examined by Brown and Richard, where these bodies 

 appear on the tube of the corolla, below the point of apparent 

 insertion of the filamentous ring, we easily ascertain the truth 

 by laying hold of any portion of this ring, and tearing it away 

 downwards from the corolla : we find the areolar glands come 

 away with the filaments, showing that they form no part of the 

 corolla. This fact is further established beyond doubt in Nast- 

 anthus and Anomocarpus, where the same glands are found 



* Linn. Trans, xii. p. 13/. t Linn. Trans, xii. p. 140. 



X Mem. Mus. vi. p. 67. § Mem. Mus. vi. p. 72. 



