386 YOUNGKEN— ON THE MYRICACEAE 



of 3-6 stamens with distinct filaments bearing adnate yellow anthers. 

 The filaments are extremely short and are inserted in the axil of a red- 

 dish brown, broadly oval to sub cordate bract. 



The female catkins (Plate 84. Fig. 8) are ovoid oblong, obtuse, from 

 10-20 mm. long and 6 mm. wide at the time of maturation. Each 

 female flower consists of 2 carpels fused in their ovarian portions, each 

 being terminated by a style and stigma. The ovary is flanked by two 

 lateral bracteoles which develop into aeriferous floats upon its maturation. 



Comptonia asplenifolia, (L.) Alton 



The male catkins are cylindrical and at the time of flowering attain 

 a length of 20-25 mm. They are clustered at the ends of special branches 

 in numbers ranging from 5-10 on each branch. Each staminate 

 flower usually consists of four stamens (occasionally 5) whose fila- 

 ments are distinct and short and bear reddish puberulent anthers. 

 It is inserted in the axil of a bract which is not accompanied by brac- 

 teoles. The bracts along the catkin axis are oval to oval-lanceolate, 

 generally 3 mm. long, terminated at the summit by a long point, brown 

 and scarious, showing long white hairs along their margin and golden- 

 yellow glands and thin simple hairs below. 



The writer has observed the anthers in the pollen mother stage in 

 material collected at Clementon, N. J., November 10, 1913, in the tetrad 

 and mature pollen stage in material collected at the same place April 23, 

 1915. 



The female catkins are ovoid and much smaller than the male, 

 attaining a maximum length of 5 mm. at the time of flowering. They 

 are grouped toward the end of special branches on pistillate plants or 

 are frequently found below the staminate catkins on monoecious plants. 

 Each pistillate flower consists of two carpels fused in their ovarian por- 

 tion, and each terminated by a long red style and stigma. The ovary 

 is fllanked laterally by two bracteoles which develop at their base and 

 later along their margin small laciniate outgrowths. 



Comparative Morphology of the Fruits 



M. cerifera, L 

 Fruits small, spherical, bluish-white, from 2-3 mm. in diamter, cov- 

 ered almost to their summit by fleshy knob shaped glands which are 

 devoid of a covering of wax in their young condition, but later are en- 



