* 
366 Dr. WavkEn-AnNorr on Samara læta, Linn. 
Linnean sterile one. In the Banksian plants the petals are of a thicker texture 
than in either of the others, particularly their lower half towards the margins, 
as if the margin had been inflexed and become adnate to the inner surface 
of the petal: there is also a conspicuous canal behind the filament, and to 
which the latter is applied: the petals are of a much darker colour than in the 
Linnean sterile one, and agree better in that respect with the Linnean fertile 
ones. The dots or glands on the petals are oblong and very obscure; inall - 
the three Linnean specimens these are round, and in the sterile plant are very 
conspicuous. In the Linnean fertile plant the petals exhibit a small lobeat — 
the base folded up against the face of the petal, and more or less agglutinated 
with it, although occasionally I find it free: the Space between these lobes 
forms the *fossula" of Linnzus. In the sterile specimen there was a similar — 
structure. 
À question now arises whether there be one, two, or even three distinct spe- 
cies. They all agree, as I have said, in several particulars; on the other hand, 
the bark of the fertile specimen exhibits numerous small, prominent, but con- 
spicuous tubercles or lenticellze, which are either wanting or much less con- 
spicuous on the Linnean sterile one: I am inclined however to consider this — 
difference as connected with the portions of the shrub from which the specimens 4 
have been taken, as I find similar differences on specimens of what I consider | 
to be Choripetalum aurantiacum, Alph. DeCandolle. The principal distinc- 
tions lie between the sterile plants, those in the Banksian herbarium having | 
short but perfect stamens, while in the Linnean one the stamens are elongated ; 
and as the three in the Banksian collection agree with each other, although 
collected by different individuals and at different times, I can scarcely attri- 
bute the shortness of the filaments to the flowers not being sufficiently deve- 
loped, although I consider that is the reason for only one flower on the Linnean 
Specimen having long stamens. As to there being three species confused, I 
see no reason for such an hypothesis, the differences between the Banksian 
specimens and the Linnean fertile ones being scarcely greater than might be 
expected in flowers of différent sexes, The principal difficulty lies in the Lin- 
nean sterile specimen ; but, on the other hand, it agrees better, in the petals 
having their inflected portion confined to the base, with the fertile plants, than 
with the Banksian specimens, TE 
