Linruean Society, 431 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



LINNiEAN SOCIETY. 



November 1, 1853. — Thomas Bell, Esq., President, in the Chair. 



Mr. James Yates, F.L.S., offered some observations on the inflo- 

 rescence of Cj/cas revoluta and Macrozamia spiralis, illustrated by 

 specimens. 



Cycas revoluta. 



Prof. Miquel of Amsterdam, to whom we now look for the best 

 systematic arrangement and description of Cycads, remarks, that 

 male specimens are rarer in Europe than female. " Specimina culta," 

 says he, ** omnia fere feminea. Masculinum in Horto Petropolitano 

 exstat, ubi bis floruit (Otto u. Dietr. Gartenz. vii. 1839, p. 24)." 

 See his ' Monographia Cycadearum,' 1842, folio, p. 24, and his 

 " Genera et Species Cycadearum viventium " in the * Linnsea ' for 

 1843, p. 683. This observation is certainly true in regard to Great 

 Britain. Since the first example of the female at Farnham, described 

 by Sir J. E. Smith in the ' Linnsean Transactions,' vol. vi., not less 

 than six other plants have borne fruit, and some of them two or 

 three times, viz. at Chatsworth, Ravensworth Castle, Laurel Mount 

 and Knowsley near Liverpool, Kew,and Lauderdale House, Highgate. 

 The plant last alluded to (Mr. J. Yates's) flowered in 1845, and 

 subsequently produced four magnificent crowns of leaves, the finest 

 of them consisting of fifty-three leaves. In October 1852, the first 

 appearance of another cone was indicated by scales, covered with 

 their soft yellow tomentum ; but it remained long doubtful whether 

 this would turn out to be another crown of leaves, or a head of 

 fruit-bearing fronds. In April last the question was determined, as 

 the peculiar palmate fronds were clearly seen, and were closely 

 folded over one another, having the form of a somewhat flattened 

 spheroid and the size of a moderately large melon. In May these 

 fronds or spadices increased rapidly and vigorously. They expanded 

 and remained open three days, so that the young drupes, also covered 

 with down and nearly the size and form of horse-beans, were easily 

 discernible. They then closed again, and the whole spheroid be- 

 came as compact and solid as before. It was conjectured that this 

 temporary disclosure of the drupes, supposing it to be the habit of 

 the plant, might be a provision for their fecundation, admitting of 

 the access of the pollen. The fronds, which are crimson shaded by 

 their thin covering of yellow down, are now spread in all directions and 

 have attained their full development, except that the drupes, perhaps 

 in consequence of the cold, wet, and dull season, fall without having 

 come to perfection. It is also to be observed, that these fronds, 

 about 110 in number, are closely set and spirally arranged upon a 

 very short axis. The distance between them and the fronds of 1845 

 is about 8 inches or 20 centimetres, showing an elongation of the 

 trunk of 1 inch for each year. 



Miquel mentions only one male plant, viz. that at St. Petersburg ; 

 and in this country it cannot be ascertained that more than two 

 males have produced cones, to wit, those in the Botanic Garden at 



