295 



in Arundo Phragmites, Campulosus, and some other genera, in which the 

 outer flower is also imperfect ; but as all of these have more than two flowers 

 in their locusta, they are still readily distinguished from Panicese." Brown in 

 Flinders, 580. 



According to this view, in a locusta of several florets, the scales at its 

 base, or glumes, are bractesp, and each floret consists of a calyx formed of 

 one sepal remote from the rachis, and two cohering by their margins and next 

 the rachis ; the little hypogynous scales are the rudiments of two petals, and 

 the stamens alternate with these in the normal manner. This may be ren- 

 dered more clear by the following diagram. 



in which the triangle ABB represents the outer series, or palese, or calyx, 

 A being the inferior valve, and B B the superior, formed of two sepals united 

 by their contiguous margins at x. If the triangle C D D be understood to 

 represent the next series, the position of the parts will be at the three an- 

 gles ; and in reality the two scales that are usually developed do occupy the 

 places D D ; while the third, whenever it is superadded, is stationed at C. 

 The triangle E E F indicates by its angles the normal position of the first 

 series of stamens, which are actually so situated, the stamen F which is 

 opposite the sepal A alternating with the rudimentary petals D D. 



The principal objection to this is, that the parts of the supposed calyx 

 or paleee are not inserted upon the same plane, or truly verticillate, and 

 consequently do not answer exactly to what is required in a floral envelope ; 

 and it is on this account that M. Turpin rejects Mr. Brown's opinion, giving 

 the paleae the name of spathelle, and considering them bractese of a second 

 order. But after all, this is a question of words rather than of facts ; for 

 what are sepals but bractese of a second order ? and what difficulty is there 

 in identifying bractese having the near approach to a verticillate state, and the 

 perfect symmetry of position that those of Grasses possess, with a kind of 

 dislocated calyx ? 



I know, however, from conversation with my friend M. Kunth, that he 

 entertains a different view of the nature of the floral envelopes, considering 

 the hypogynous scales to be analogous to the ligula, and the normal state of 

 Grasses to be hexandrous ; but as I unfortunately cannot discover the place 

 in which he has explained this theory more fully, I refrain from dwelling 

 upon it. 



M. Raspail, in a memoir upon the structure of Graminese, hazards 

 a strange theory, that the midrib of the bractese of Grasses is an axis of 

 developement in cohesion with the bracteaj, and that when it separates, 

 as in Phleum, Bronius, or Corynephorus, it is attempting to revert to 



