182 Mr. J. Miers on the Calyceracese. 



accreted at the base upon a large fleshy receptacle in Calycera 

 and NastanthuSj and confluent for the greater part of their 

 length into a campanulate form in Boopis and Anomocarpus — 

 thus remaining free from the receptacle, which is small and 

 seated in its centre. In the five last- mentioned genera the re- 

 ceptacle is flat or slightly convex; in Acicarpha it is conical, 

 globular, or cylindrical ; in Boopis and Anomocarpus it is small 

 and greatly reduced in size. Each capitulum is furnished with 

 numerous crowded flowers ; and in most of the genera, each 

 floret is furnished at the point of its origin with a narrow elon- 

 gated palea, as in Composite ; but in Anomocarpus the receptacle 

 is almost epaleaceous, each floret being inserted in an alveolar 

 depression. In Gamocarpha the palese are conjoined in numerous 

 circles, from their base half-way up their margins, the upper 

 portions remaining free, and these again are united together by 

 other palese, thus forming a kind of honeycomb structure, with 

 deep cells or nests spread all over the receptacle, several florets 

 being affixed to the bottom of each nest. There is some analogy 

 in this respect with the structure in Gundelia among Composite, 

 where there is a large capitulum, provided with a general invo- 

 lucre, which capitulum is composed of a great many tubular 

 involucels with a spinosely dentate border, each containing 3-7 

 florets ; the greater part of these involucels are agglutinated 

 together in a honeycomb-like cylindrical head, and fixed upon 

 an elongated central receptacle; these involucels may be con- 

 sidered as composed of two or more palea? united by their mar- 

 gins into a dentate tube, as is shown in the last whorls, where 

 these tubes are quite free from one another. In Calycera the 

 capitulum is seated upon a long scape, the leaves being radical ; 

 in Acicarpha, and frequently in Boopis, where the plant has many 

 branching leafy stems, a capitulum issues from each alternate 

 axil, upon a rather short peduncle. In Anomocarpus, in three 

 species, the capitula are nearly sessile in the remote dichotomy 

 of the branchlets ; while in another species the axis of the plant 

 is so completely depressed that all the leaves become radical, 

 with its numerous sessile capitula interspersed between them, so 

 that the whole grows into a pul vitiate shape with a crowded 

 mass of flowers. In Nastanthus all the species assume a some- 

 what similar form, from an aggregation of its numerous capitula, 

 each supported upon a very thick fleshy peduncle, which bears a 

 single leaf near its summit, a little below the level of the invo- 

 lucre. 



In regard to the natural affinities of the Calyceracea, nearly 

 all systematic botanists are agreed in following the indications 

 first suggested by the illustrious founder of the order, who 

 showed that its closest alliance is with the Composite ; it has 



