162 cruger's organographtcal observations 



shoots, like that of the flowers, begins at the stem side and ad- 

 vances towards the oldest leaf. With regard to the arrangement 

 of the parts of the flower, it is sufficient to remark that one of 

 the sepals stands outside, i,e. neither next the main axis nor 

 the leaf, and consequently two stand where, if there were branches 

 here instead of flowers, the axis of the branch must stand. The 

 anther stands between these two last sepals, and on the outside of 

 that one of these which stands beside the main axis, is observed 

 the bract above mentioned. In this species, as well as in others 

 with analogous inflorescence, the true bract, belonging to each 

 branch, is suppressed in the youngest flowers, and indeed sup- 

 pression of involucral bracts (deck-bldttern) appears to be a fre- 

 quent occurrence in this family generally. The primordial leaf 

 {vorblatt), however, is always present. Since there can be no 

 mistake about the import of the latter, as its position testifies to 

 its analogy with this organ in many other Endogens, this inflo- 

 rescence may be regarded as a series of successive branches 

 apparently arising from the same point. The two flowers 

 standing side by side are moreover to be regarded as two other 

 branches which also arise from the same point, but whose un- 

 folding at different times proves that they must have originally 

 stood alternately upon their branch. The bract of each flower 

 is suppressed, the little lateral bract appears to belong again to 

 another absent flower, and demonstrates the branch-nature of 

 the flower. The arrangement of the flower may therefore be 

 explained here as distichously alternate, just as occurs fre- 

 quently in nearly allied genera, such as Thalia and Maranta, 



The young flower-bud first appears here as a simple gela- 

 tinous nodule, which likewise becomes somewhat excavated on 

 its upper surface before the separate parts show themselves di- 

 stinctly. The outer parts of the flower next become evident, and 

 then the second circle, which some authors call the outer circle 

 of the corolla. Not until both are perfectly evident, and have 

 even assumed the leafy or scale-like form, do we see the parts 

 surrounding the style appear, which they do simultaneously, 

 although the anther is noticed almost first, since it is found even 

 from nearly the beginning considerably larger than the rest of 

 the internal floral organs. The anther stands in front of one of 



