and on various Plants related to them. 339 



■concava. Caput antherarum membrand circumscissd, in columnam deflexd, quasi circum- 

 cinctum. Pollen rotundatum, simplex. Capitula foeminea spicata, ohlonga, oculo nudo 

 areolata ; spicce paniculaice basi squamd suffultce. Fructus moriformes, dispositione et 

 formd capitulorum. 



Sarcophyte sanguinea (Sparrm.), Meletemata Botan. fasc. 1. p. 11. Harvey, 



Gen. S. Afric. Plants, p. 300. 

 Ichthyosma Wiedemanni, Schlect. in Linncea, ii. p. 671. t. 8. 



Hab. Ad Caput Bonae SpeL 



Of this very remarkable plant I have only examined dried specimens (sub- 

 sequently kept in dilute spirits), communicated by Mr. Harvey. It has a 

 peculiar, by no means fungiform habit, the males reminding one of the males 

 of Nepenthes : it abounds in red colouring matter. 



Obs. I. — The only notices of this plant which I have had access to are those 

 of MM. Schlectendal and Endlicher above cited. 



The generic character I have endeavoured to draw up agrees in tenour with 

 the last part of the observation appended by M. Endlicher to the generic 

 character, and though it may be completely erroneous, I think it agrees 

 best with the appearances presented by the male plant ; for the filaments or 

 columns of these have rather the relations of bodies axillary to the concave 

 leaves by which they are surrounded, than those of bodies forming a verticil- 

 lus on a diflferent and inner plane. 



Obs. II. — I have not been able to observe the membrane surrounding the 

 base of the antheriferous part of each column in its entire state, its rupture 

 appearing to take place at an early period. 



The singular structure of the anthers is also against the supposition of their 

 belonging to single stamina, unless the spaces between the polliniferous cells 

 be found to have arisen from the formation of pollen grains. In all instances, 

 I believe, in which the anther is so formed as to present either the usual cells 

 or irregular cavities, the spaces between these are filled up with solid tissue, 

 being the unaltered portion of the originally solid body. So that I think 

 M. Endlicher's generic description, which relates to many polliniferous distinct 

 bags, covered by a common membrane, itself distinct from those bags, is 

 incompatible with what is known of single stamina. 



