Mr. J. Miers on some genera of the Icacinacese. 489 



true structure and development. The circumstances observed 

 in Pennantia Cunninghami, of possessing three distinct styles and 

 cells in the fertile ovarium (a character which, for aught we know 

 to the contrary, may be common to all the species), and of having 

 also a drupe containing an oval coriaceous putamen, might in- 

 duce some botanists to place this species in a genus distinct from 

 the other hard-nutted species, but it appears to me that such 

 differences are not sufficient to authorize their generic separa- 

 tion ; should it be thought otherwise, it might bear the name of 

 the section in which it is here placed. The following generic 

 character is almost wholly based upon my own observations. 



Pennantia, Forst. — Flores polygamo-dioici. Cahjx parvus, 

 crasso-discoideus, obsolete 5-dentatus, immutatus et persistens. 

 Petala 5, oblonga, carnosula, glabra, sestivatione valvata, apice 

 inflexa, sub anthesi paten tia. Stamina 5, petalis alterna, iis- 

 dem longiora, ad marginem disci extus affixa ; filamenta fili- 

 formia, sestivatione induplicata, in anthesi patentia : anthera 

 oblongse, 2-lob8e, e basi ad medium 2-fidse, lobis connectivo 

 angustissimo et tenuissimo nexis, sejunctis, parallelis, subru- 

 gosis, apice basique interdum glandulis piliformibus donatis, 

 singulatim 2-locellatis, valvulis e marginibus contiguis utrin- 

 que evolutis et hinc rima longitudinali late hiantibus : in flori- 

 bus foemineis poUine destitutis. Pollen sub-4-gonum, rarius 

 3-gonum. Ovarium brevissimum, conicum, glabrum, disco 

 pentagono suffultum ; in floribus masculis teres, subulatum, 

 carnosum, effoetum, stigmate capitato terminatum : in floribus 

 foemineis conicum, profunde 3-sulcatum, textura tenui, 3-locu- 

 lare, loculis 2 (rarius 1) effoetis : ovulum unicum (vel potius 

 gemellum ?) loculum implens, oblongum, funiculo sub-brevi 

 ex apice suspensum. Styli 3, loculis ovarii continui, iis di- 

 midio breviores, erecti, subulati, stigmata totidem compressa, 

 emarginato-spathulata, stylisque demum in discum sessilem 

 epigynum fructus coronantem mutata. Drupa baccata, ovalis, 

 monopyrena. Putamen osseum vel coriaceum, ovatum vel 

 insequaliter 3-gonum, apice ex angulo dorsali cristatum, summo 

 faciei veutralis angustioris subcavum, et hinc foramine par- 

 vulo perforatum, 1-loculare, loculo callo 2-lobo infra foramen 

 notato, monospermum. Semen medio strophiolse suspensum, 

 loculo conforme ; strophiola crassa, foramen percurrens, et ad 

 apicem chordse conspicuae per faciem externam putaminis ad 

 torum continuse adnexa : testa membranacea ; raphe a stro- 

 phiola apicali usque ad chalazam basalem latere dorsali pro- 

 ducta. Albumen carnosum, dorso propter raphen immersum 

 sulcatum : embryo isto dimidio brevior, apice inclusus, subteres, 

 cotyledonibus ovatis, carnosulis, parvulis, radicula supera 



Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 2. Vol. ix. 32 



