384 YOUNGKEN— ON THE MYRICACEAE 



Comparative Morphology of the Inflorescences and Flowers. 



The characteristic inflorescence of the plants of the Myricaceae is 

 a catkin. For M. cerifera, M. Carolinensis and M. Macfarlanei, the 

 catkins are partly formed the year before flowering below the leaves 

 on last season's growing branches. For M. Gale and Comptonia aspleni- 

 folia they are formed on special branchlets, which, after the development 

 of the stamens on the male individuals and the fruits on the female 

 individuals, cease to grow, and, upon the descent of the pollen tube to 

 the egg, they soon die up to the node whereon the most inferior catkin 

 is inserted and often up to 2 or 3 nodes lower. Chevalier (7, p. 143) 

 separated M. Gale {Gale palustris, Chevaher) from the Myrica genus 

 because of this character and placed it in the genus Gale. The writer 

 feels that this character is insufficient to warrant the establishing of 

 a new genus. The special branchlets after their death are separated 

 from the living part of the stem by several thickenings of cells filled with 

 gummy Hgnin. No disarticulation of the dead part takes place. 



M. cerifera, M. Carolinensis, M. Macfarlanei and M. Gale have 

 staminate catkins which are borne on different plants from those which 

 bear the pistillate catkins. They are, therefore, dioecious. In regard 

 to Comptonia asplenifolia, this is frequently the case ; but it also frequently 

 happens that both staminate and pistillate catkins are found on the same 

 plant, even on the same branch, so that this species is both dioecious 

 and monoecious. On monoecious plants the pistillate catkins appear 

 below the staminate. 



Structure of Catkins and Flowers of Myrica cerifera, L 



The male catkins of M. cerifera are cylindric and unbranched and 

 vary from 6 to 18 mm. in length, and from 2.5 to 4 mm. in breadth. The 

 peduncle and rachis are yellowish-red and show a few thinly scattered 

 hairs as well as a scattering of orange-red and golden-yellow glands. 

 The staminate flowers are inserted in the axils of bracts which are ar- 

 ranged along the rachis in a 2/5 spiral. Each staminate flower consists 

 of 4-6 stamens. The filaments of these are coalescent in their lower 

 half, free above and bear extrorse anthers on their free ends. The 

 bracts are deciduous, reddish oval structures, rounded at the base and 

 sometimes attenuated. They are scarious, sHghtly thin hairy along 

 the margin and glandular hairy beneath. The bracteoles are caducous, 

 1 to 2 in number, sometimes absent, deciduous, and inserted on the 

 staminal column at different heights. The female catkins are short 



