169 



Mr. Smith found a short time before his departure from the 

 East Indies, a great number of specimens growing together of 

 which the flowers attracted his attention on account of tlieir 

 virescence and prolification. The material which he immersed 

 in alcohol as well as the dried specimens enabled us to make 

 the following observations. 



Already a preliminary survey showed that only the male 

 flower had been disturbed. Indeed of female flowers not even 

 a trace could be found, though of no less than 30 plants the 

 separate loose branches were gone through. For all that the 

 plant is monoecious '). For the sake of comparison we just 

 sum up the principal characters of the normal cf flower : calyx 

 5-lobate, corolla 5-partite, yellow. The lobes of the calyx as 

 well as of the corolla are somewhat unequal. Stamens 2^j.^ 

 (Maout et Decaisne, p. 485), 3 (Miquel), 5 (Eichler), i. e. there 

 are two big stamens each with a two-celled, undulate anther, 

 and one with a one-celled, also undulate, anther. Eichler holds 

 that each of the big stamens are double and in growing together 

 have gone tlirough a slight reduction, which makes the flower 

 somewhat irregular as has already been stated with respect 

 to calyx and corolla. 



We shall see further on that this opinion is acceptable from 

 the teratological point of view. There is no trace of a pistil, 

 although there is plenty of room for it inside the w^horl of 

 stamens on the concave receptacle. The virescence of the corolla 

 is perfect and accompanied with dialysis of both corolla and 

 calyx. The stamens of the virescent flowers are less developed 

 but notwithstanding show the normal shape (fig. 87). 



On closer examination it appears that the sepals are a little 

 longer and obtuse at top. Also the corolla shows deviations of 

 this sort, for the longest corolla-lobe, which in normal flowers 

 attains a maximum length of 8 niM., oscillates in the virescent 

 flowers between 6 and 16 mM. The dialytical petals alter tho- 

 roughly taking shape of lanceolate obovate leaves. 



1) MiQDEL, Flora van Nederlandsch Indie I p. 663. 



