101 



fruits in a whorl, ovate-conical, 6 — 10 cm. long. In both, main 

 fruit and basal ones, the crowns have been reduced to a few 

 inconspicuous, little leaves. 



Pines of this description are not rare, they seem to belong 

 to a special variety. 



PALMAE. 



Cocos nucifera L. 



Coll. J. J. S. Buitenzorg in a private garden. 



Habitat tropical regions. 



The branches of the inflorescence of the Cocostree bear at 

 the base one female flower flanked by two smaller male ones, 

 higher up many pairs of male flowers and j^/inj//^ a great number 

 of male flowers solitary. 



In the garden of a Chinaman at Buitenzorg Dr. Smith 

 examined a specimen on which each pair of male flowers had been 

 apparently replaced by one female flower. Smith supposes that 

 normally between the male flowers of each pair there is a 

 rudiment of a female flower and that by way of exception this 

 latent flower has developed and the male ones have been alto- 

 gether suppressed. The fruits could not duly develop on account 

 of the limited space and produced through being crammed ab- 

 normal shapes which among the Javanese population gave rise 

 to odd conceptions and excessive tales. 



Smith published in the magazine Teysmannia an illustrated 

 paper on this case. 



ZINGIBERACEAE. 



Alpinia Schumanniana Val. 



Coll. Dr. J. J. S. in hort. bog. 



Habitat Formosa. 



It is well known that the Zingiberaceae have only one - 

 very broad — stamen standing in front of one of the petals. 

 These two constitute the upper part of the flower. Opposite 

 the stamen we find the labellum which is equivalent to 5, 



