200 
Seeds of Cycnoches chlorochilon.—In March, 1896, a seed capsule 
of Cyenoches chlorochilon, Klotzsch, was obtained from Messrs. 
Hugh Low and Co. for preservation. It was fully developed, and 
had been cut from a recently imported plant. rawing was 
made, after which the capsule was cut longitudinally for convenience 
of drying, and the number of seeds proved so enormous that the 
were submitted to Dr. Scott, then Honorary Keeper of the Jodrell 
Laboratory with a view of ascertaining their approximate number. 
The report was as follows :— 
“I find the number of seeds in the capsule of Cyenoches chloro~ 
chilon to be about 32 millions. 
“The result was arrived at as follows : 
Total weight of seeds in paper So ... 18°60 grammes 
Total weight of paper alone ... ies veo BAD ame 
Total weight of seeds... ave ees soe TESS 93 
aa en IE 
Weight of two coverslips with about 300 seeds 0'2275 ,, 
Weight of two coverslips alone iby we 226465 
Weight of about 300 seeds... Soe woe O01 Oy 
“ Thus we get a proportion sum : 
wWeid-> 15'Sb 2: 300: x, 
3 13°85 x 300 — €100 _ 41560000... imately. 
%. i ano 3,770,000 approx y 
“ This is itself only a rough approximation and as you said some 
seeds had been lost in opening the capsule you might take the total 
number at about four millions. In other words the progeny of this 
single flower, if all the seeds came up, would be about equal to the 
population of London. 
“The weight of each seed works out to the very minute figure of 
0000036 grammes. — About 300,000 seeds to the gramme (very 
roughly)”, 
The sexes are separate and the 
male flowers so far as known are solitary, but the males are borne 
several together in a raceme. 
8 A.B 
