84 Mr. W. H. Beeby on Sparganium neglectum, 



leaves ever show the shghtest approach to a floating or even 

 flaccid state. In both the branching of the inflorescence is 

 identical, there being in both a large and a small form, the large 

 form bearing 2-3 female heads on each branch, and the small 

 form but one on each branch, in each form the branch being 

 continued beyond the female head, and bearing numerous male 

 heads. The most marked diference between the two species is to 

 be found in the ripe fi'uit, which in nerihctum is obovate with a very 

 long beak, smooth, almost round in transverse section, or slightly 

 obtusangular by compression ; w^hile in ramosnm the h'uit is 

 obscurely conical or pj-ramidal, with a short beak, very angular, 

 and wrinkled between the angles, giving a very hregular trans- 

 verse section. This difference in the external appearance of the 

 fruit is due to the structm'e of the epicarp. 



Li the fruit of both plants the endocarp is hard and stony, but 

 a wide difierence is found in the structure of the epicarp, or 

 outer layer of the pericarp. In iS. imilectum this is much 

 thickened, and is composed of small dense cells which do not 

 shrink when the fi'uit ripens, but remain compact, and thus 

 conceal the angles of the endocarp. In S. ramosnm the epicarp 

 is thin, and composed of a few large loose cells, which in the 

 ripe fruit shrivel up into the furrows of the endocarp, allowing 

 the ridges of the latter to project, and thus giving to the fruit 

 its well-known angular and wrinkled appearance. 



These observations on the epicarp are not founded on a few 

 examples, but on a very large number of sections cut from fruits 

 collected in various localities. It should be stated that good 

 ripe fi'uit should be chosen for comparison, as unripe fruits that 

 have been di-ied, or abnormal and imperfect fruits (which are of 

 frequent occurrence), are liable to mislead unless the characters 

 afforded by the perfect fruit of each species are first well grasped. 

 As may be seen by the examples shown this evening, the leaves 

 of the two plants dry a very different colour. Those shown 

 were collected about the same time, and were diied under 

 precisely similar chcumstances, viz., side by side in a south 

 wmdow. The leaves of ramosnm dry a deep olive or blackish 

 green, while those of neylectum assume a pale yellowish green 

 tint. This difference is not always so striking as in the speci- 

 mens before you, and is probably partially due to soil, but there 

 is usually a decided difference to be observed. The leaves of 

 ramosum, and especially the bracts, are also usually of a more 

 leathery indiarubber-like texture, the leaves being but slightly 

 keeled above, while the bracts are mostly quite without a keel ; 

 on the other hand, m nei/lectum the texture of the leaves and 

 bracts is much more harsh, the keel being frequently distinct 

 even to the apex of the latter. Not having had any means of 

 recognising the plants apart while in flower, I have not been 



