H. \V. KING ON THI'] ['HYSIOLOGY OF MONSTEKA DKI.ICIOSA. 131 



The pistils grow in a perfect spiral, close together round the 

 spadix, and — according to the pressure of growth against one 

 another — become more or less hexagonal in form and taper 

 to the base or point of attachment to the spadix. The stigma 

 is the exposed broad, flat expansion, pierced in the centre with 

 an elongated aperture leading to the ovary. The ovary and 

 stigma are the only parts to be distinguished during its 

 inflorescence, and its microscopic structure shows no demar- 

 cation between these parts. But when the fruit has arrived at 

 maturity, the cellular structure throughout has become greatly 

 enlarged, and, at a certain stage, the fluid supply to about the 

 upper-fourth of the pistil appears to cease, the result being 

 that that portion becomes of a dry, spongy nature, and having 

 served the two-fold purposes of a conductor to the ovary and 

 a shield to the germ, which it helps to enclose, is thrown off as 

 a shell from the whole spadix. This cast-off portion is probably 

 analogous to the style and stigma, that remaining being the 

 fruit that is destined to nourish and protect the seed developing 

 in the ovary. 



The stamens are arranged against the sides formed by the 

 contiguous pistils, and are usually (but this is liable to 

 variation) two to each side of each pistil, making twelve 

 stamens round each segment. The stamens are not seen when 

 the spathe first opens, but by a peculiar growth the spadix and 

 the pistils elongate at the same time, without the pistils 

 becoming larger in diameter, the result being that a vacancy 

 is caused between each side of the pistils, sufficient to enable 

 the stamens to grow beyond the stigma and expand. 



The stamens have bilobed anthers supported upon a very 

 broad, flat filament attached to the base of the pistil, in every 

 way well-adaj)ted to their position of growth. 



When the stamens first appear above the pistils, the anthers 

 are in a line with one another, but, as development proceeds, 

 the bases of the anthers separate and diverge, and the upper 

 portion bulges as if by a pressure from within, ultimately 

 rupturing with a broad, elongated aperture, out of which the 

 pollen gradually streams. The development of the pollen 

 continues for some time after the first-formed has passed the 

 rupture of the anther, and forces outward until the pollen 

 hangs from each anther of the spadix like miniature catkins, of 



