84 



In this hairfilt the young flowers are imbedded. The youngest 

 female flower I have seen is pictured in fig. 13 PI. IV. The two 

 excrescences A and B, which we see here and of which a is 

 the smaller one can to judge from a longitudinal section arise 

 in two ways : they may form parts of an uninterrupted ringwall 

 growing up at the periphery of the young flower or they may 

 owe their origin to two, on cross section half circular, ringwalls. 

 That the latter is the case is shown by fig. 18 PI. V, where 

 hairs have penetrated from the sides between these two half- 

 ringwalls even pressing them more or less apart, a proceeding 

 which would of course be impossible if the two lips we observe 

 formed part of one uninterrupted ringwall. The growing-up 

 envelop exists in reality of at least two pieces. While in fig. 13 

 PI. IV, the one piece {a) is smaller than the other {h) they 

 have both attained the same size in fig. 14 PI. IV. Here the 

 two shell-shaped pieces touch in the median line. At this stage 

 we consequently find an envelop; anticipating we can state it 

 to be the gynaeceum, a gynaeceum then, which arises by the 

 fusion of two lateral pieces and inside of which the ovarial 

 cavity can be seen, the greater part of which is occupied by 

 a free central placenta. The tips of the carpellae remain free 

 over by far their greatest distance and give rise to long thread 

 shaped styles each showing at the end a somewhat swollen 

 stigma. The number of styles consequently indicates the number 

 of carpellae which form the gynaeceum. Rhopalocnemis has 

 flowers with two (fig. 3, 4, 5 PI. Ill) three (fig. 6 PI. Ill) four 

 (fig. 7 PI. Ill) or jive (fig. 8 PI. Ill) carpellae. 



Bn resume we may state that the female flower of Rhopalocnemis 

 has been reduced to a mere gynaeceum coiisistmg of 2, 3, 4 or 5 

 carpellae, two being the most frequent number. 



That the female flowers are very small indeed becomes clear 

 by a glance at fig. 5, 6, 7, 8 PI. Ill, all showing adult flowers 

 17 times enlarged. 



How are the organs for reproduction formed on the placenta % 

 In the most simple manner: a subepidermal epicarpellar cell 

 increases in size and transforms without further division to an 



