256 LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



a character perhaps unique in the order — and in the singular 

 pistiL It further differs fi-om that genus in the extraordinary 

 minuteness of the flowers, which are scarcely one-eighth of an inch 

 in length, whilst the ovules have a diameter of l-200th of an inch. 

 These latter organs are succeeded by fruits of immensely large 

 dimensions for the order. — Mr. W. T. T. Dyer read a paper "On 

 the Caoutchouc -yielding ApucynacecB of Malaya and Tropical 

 Africa." After giving a general sketch of the structural and phy- 

 siological conditions of the occurrence of caoutchouc in plants, the 

 author pointed out that the plants which appeared to yield it in 

 commercial quantity in three widely separated regions all belonged 

 to one tribe of Ajiuci/micccc, the CarissecE. In the East Indies the 

 " Gutta Soosoo " of Borneo was the produce of a new species of 

 W illnghheia [W. Burhichjei). Many other species of this and allied 

 genera also seemed to produce caoutchouc in quantity worth 

 collecting. In Central Africa LanduljJda, which was closely aUied 

 to Willufjhheia but differed in possessing terminal instead of axillary 

 flowers, was the most important source. On the East Coast 

 caoutchouc was yielded by L. uwariensis and. L. jiorida, the latter 

 a very ornamental plant. As the rubber exuded fi-om the cut 

 stems it was plastered on the breast and arms, and the thick layer 

 when peeled off and cut up into squares was called "thimble 

 rubber." On the west coast the most important species was L. 

 Kirkii, the rubber of which could be wound off into balls on small 

 rolls fi-om the cut stems, like silk from a cocoon ; this species was 

 called " Matere." L. Jiorida also occurred, and was called 

 " M'bungu " : its rubber was worked up into balls, but was inferior 

 in value. The rubber of L. Petersiania was of little importance. 

 In South America Hancuniia speciosa yielded what was called 

 " illaugabina " rubber. — A series of dried flowers, fruits, and 

 specimens of rubber, &c., were exhibited, in illustration of the two 

 foregoing papers. — Under the title of " List of Fungi from Bris- 

 bane, Queensland, with Descriptions of New Species, by the Kev. 

 M. J. Berkeley and Mr. 0. E. Broome," a paper was read of con- 

 siderable importance. It contained information regarding collec- 

 tions of fungi received since 1878. The examples of Phalioidei 

 are most interesting, and the occurrence of the Himalayan Mitro- 

 viyces riridis is curious ; there are other species worthy of con- 

 sideration from the standpoint of botanical geography. — A paj)er 

 was read "On a Collection of Ferns made by the Kev. E. B. 

 Comins in the Solomon Islands," by Mr. J. G. Baker. The series 

 contained upwards of sixty species and varieties, a few being new 

 and of special interest, while others were representative of widely- 

 spread Polynesian and Tropical Asiatic types. — The last botanical 

 paper read was " On two new and one wrongly-referred Cyrt- 

 undredi,'" by Mr. H. 0. Forbes. The plants in question are Boea 

 Trcubii (which possibly may be representative of a new genus), 

 DidyiuoccuiJiis Schejf'eri, also from Borneo, and D. minahassm, evi- 

 dently in error put under Boea by Mr. C. B. Clarke. 



