and on various Plants related to them. 315 



umbilicatae, poro deorsura spectante dehiscentes, floris fceminei castratae et demissius 

 circa columnam verticillatae. Pollen viscosum, glabrum, laeve. Ovarium uniloculare, 

 floris masculi solidum ; jjlacentae plures parietales, ovulis innumeris tectae ; ovula ana- 

 tropa, tegumento uno, nuclei apice prominulo. 

 Hab. Jugi Himalayani montes Mishmeenses, in sylvis umbrosissimis, humidis, ripae fluminis 

 Brahmapoutrse apud Ghalooms, et torrentis Paieen Panee apud Khoshas : alt. circiter 

 3000-5000 ped. Lat. Bor. 27° 57' ; Long. Or. 96° 27'. 



Obs. I. — I met with this plant in 1836, while on a visit to the Mishmee hills 

 to the extreme east of Upper Assam : in both the localities mentioned it oc- 

 curred in abundance in every stage. Sketches and a description of the bud 

 and flower were made upon the spot; but I reserved the fruit for subsequent 

 leisure examination. However, of all the specimens brought away in spirits, 

 I have now only three fragments of the base of the male flower. 



The species of Cissus on which it was found is a large climber with flattened 

 stems, quinate or septenately pedate leaves, remotely and coarsely serrate, and 

 large subedible white fruits. This plant is common enough in the forests of 

 Assam, but in that country does not, so far as I could learn, present the 

 parasite. 



Obs. II. — The attachment of this plant to the Cissus takes place by a 

 cone, which is in apposition with the bark of the disc (an extension of that of 

 the root), and also with the woody system. If care be taken to procure a 

 central section of the parasite and stock, it will be found that the bark, which 

 forms the outer part of the disc, comes into contact with the parasite a short 

 distance below the bases of its outermost scales. As the bark however follows 

 the curve of the disc, and as the parasite is tapered downwards and inwards 

 into an inverted cone, there is necessarily a rather large mass interposed 

 between the two, especially at the lower part. This is filled up by cellular 

 tissue, the cells of which have a linear, slightly curved direction. In this 

 occur several series of a tissue, which, except in its oblique direction, is evi- 

 dently part of the woody system of the stock. The lowermost of these oblique 

 lines passes down under the apex of the cone of the parasite, and is in fact 

 the outer fascicle or bundle of the main body of the wood of the root. 



Under this occurs the general bulk of the wood, consisting of fascicles of 

 vessels and fibres, divided from ^ach other by cellular tissue, having the same 



