56 



The third envelop arises inside of the second and it must be 

 noted that it develops outside of the indentation which formed 

 it but inside of the one which formed the second envelop (Becc. 

 fig. 5); we will see later on that this is a point of great 

 importance. 



The inner envelop grows more rapidly than the middle one, 

 it soon protrudes cone-shaped above the middle one (Becc. fig. 

 7(5) and after that the tip narrows to a tube, the kind of 

 which is plainly bilobed (Becc. fig. 8. 9). He considers (without 

 proof) this inner envelop also to be originated from two ap- 

 pendices theoretically alternating with those of the first whirl. 

 The tip of this integument later on spreads out in a larger 

 number of laciniae. At first the second envelop forms a cup 

 at the base of the third (internal) one, but afterwards it grows 

 upwards in such a way that its top surrounds the base of the 

 tube formed by the inner one. 



We consequently get in the order here given the develop- 

 ment of the different parts for the complete female flowers: 



1. An external involucrum, green, herbaceous, fleshy. 



2. Another involucrum more delicate, not green, which does 

 not reach up to the aperture of the first involucrum and 

 which surrounds: 



3. A flaskshaped involucrum , which in form of a tube pro- 

 trudes above the two outer ones. 



4. A nucleus which fills completely the cavity of the 3'' in- 

 volucrum. 



5. The Embryosac. 



At the time of pollination, one finds on the tubular tip of 

 the inner involucrum a drop of some liquid, which receives 

 the pollen, brought to it by the wind, at the same time the 

 embryosac develops. No trace of an embryosac was seen by 

 Beccari in the female flowers of the pseudo androgynous spikes. 



Beccari resumes his results as follows '). 



Gnetum Gnemon has two kinds of female flowers: 



1) For a german Referat see: Bot. Ztg. 1877. p. 342. 



