l98 LINAllIA CYMBALAIUA. 



Fig. 5 is a drawing of the reproductive organs, and I must 

 remark upon the beautiful character of the unripened germen. In 

 its fresh condition it is of a rich claret colour, sofdy fading to a 

 bright pink tint towards the summit of the pistil. The latter has 

 upon its surface small papill?e-like organs, which probably aid in 

 receiving the pollen. The latter is very abundant, the anthers 

 being laden with its silvery granules. From the drawing the stig- 

 matic surface of the pistil appears to be button- or knob-shaped, 

 but if the pollen which adheres to it in such quantity be brushed 

 away, the summit of the pistil is found to be but slightly enlarged. 

 The drawing also does not give the true shape of the anthers, for, 

 although it was copied from a fresh flower-section, the anthers are 

 drawn in their usual position face to face. I have, therefore, 

 added another drawing (Fig. 6), to show the exact shape of the 

 several reproductive organs and a highly-magnified view of the 

 pollen-grains. There is no particular beauty in the latter — no 

 valves or sculptured surfaces. The pollen is rather difficult to 

 examine because of its minute character ; some of the grains 

 appear as if a slit extended over their surfaces. When moistened, 

 the shape becomes orbicular, and in what I suppose to be a side 

 view there appears to be a belt surrounding each grain. 



In the drawing (Fig. 6, d) they are magnified 300 diameters ; 

 the actual measurement of each grain is about the ^/5ooth part of 

 an inch. I spent an evening in the treatment of the pollen with 

 acids, etc., with the result shown in the drawing. The tubes 

 appeared almost instantly on the application of spirit. In glyce- 

 rine, .only two appeared in the space of about forty-eight hours. I 

 was not able to detect any particular orifice from which the tube 

 lengthened. It appeared to issue from any portion of the outer 

 membrane, and the rupture w^as attended with a violent jerk of 

 the pollen-grain. 



I now proceed to notice the seed-capsule and its contents. It 

 has been already remarked that the natural habit of the plant is to 

 grow in the crevices of old walls. It seems to flourish here in 

 such positions, although it freely grows upon the summits of old 

 walls. When springing from a perpendicular wall, it hangs in long 

 festoons, and some provision is therefore necessary to secure the 

 ripened seed from being scattered upon the ground at its base, to 



