218 Linnean Society. [June 18, 



and not as rudiments of stigmata ; and believes the anthers to be 

 unilocular. 



To his remarks on Cytinea Mr. Griffith appends an account of two 

 Asarineous plants, natives of Malacca, Thottea, Rottb., dcadi Asiphonia. 

 To the description of the former of these given by Rottboll from 

 Koenig's MSS. he adds several particulars. Of the latter, discovered 

 by himself, he gives the following generic character : — 



AsiPHONIA. 



Perianthium aequale, rotatum, tripartitum, tubo nuUo. Stamina 8 — 10, 



uniseriata; filamentis nullis. Stigma discoideum, sinuoso-lobatum. 



Pericarpium siliquffiforme, 4-locuIare, 4-valve, polyspermum. Semina 



trigona, rugoso-papillosa. 

 Frutex suhscandens, facie Piperis fruticosce cujusdam ; articuUs tumidis. 



Folia venatione melastoinaceo-piperoided. Corymbus terminalis ; spicis 



paucijloris ; floribus sursiim secundis hibracteolatis. 



AsiPHONIA PIPERIFORMIS. 



Hah. in Pi-ovincia Malacca, ad margines sylvarum piimaevarum, copiose 

 versiis Ayer Punnus Rhim. 



Mr. Griffith points out the near relationship of this genus to Bra- 

 gantia. Lour., from which it is chiefly distinguished by the absence 

 of any tube to the perianthium, its cordate sessile anthers, and dis- 

 coid sinuate stigma. He suggests, however, that it may possibly be 

 regarded as only a subordinate modification of that genus, and gives 

 an arrangement of the known species in conformity with that view. 



In connexion with these genera Mr. Griffith gives his views of the 

 nature and composition of the stigma, which are essentially similar 

 to those published by Mr. Brown in the second part of Dr. Horsfield's 

 ' Plantse Javanicse Rariores,' to which work Mr. Griffith refers in a 

 note stating that he did not become acquainted with it till several 

 months after his own observations were written. He defines the stigma 

 to be " the external communication of the conducting tissue, which 

 itself communicates with the placentae, and is in several cases at least 

 (as in Trewia nudiflora) manifestly a continuation from them." Of 

 its theoretical origin he desires to speak with caution, but notices 

 two distinct cases of monstrosities affecting two Leguminous plants, 

 in which the stigmatic surface is evidently a continuation of the pla- 

 cental margins of the carpellum. The ordinary relations may, he 

 thinks, be obscured by several causes ; such as separation of parts 

 usually cohering, cohesion of parts usually distinct, division of the 

 stigmatic part of the style, and division of the style of the simple 

 carpellum. The stigmata of each carpellum may be distinct from 

 each other or from those of the next carpellum ; or adhesion may 



