3i DR. J. D. HOOKER ON THE GENERA AND SPECIES 



Besides these there are thick-walled pleurenchyma-cells. The celliilar system, which 

 forms by far the greater mass of the plant, consists of large polygonal utricles, with thin 

 transparent walls, full of starch and chlorophyll granules. 



The scales upon the upper part of the peduncle are broader than those at the base ; blunt, 

 often transversely oblong, peltately attached, and, on the capitulum, gradually assume the 

 character of peltate bracts. In the youngest specimens I have examined (Tab. I. A. fig. 1) 

 lono- before the flowers are discernible, except as lobed papillae, the appearance of aU the 

 scales from the base to the top of the plant is remarkably uniform ; they are broadly ovate, 

 acuminate, and imbricated at the fusiform swollen base, more scattered and broader, and 

 blunter or truncate, on the upper contracted portion of the peduncle, and again acute 

 and densely imbricated from the base to the summit of the capitulum, the sm'face of 

 which they wholly conceal. At this early period the scales are very obliquely peltate ; 

 in a vertical section each is seen to curve upwards and cover the lower part of the peltate 

 scale immediately above it, whilst the lower part is produced into a long incurved lobe. 

 The lower lobe presents a semi-lunar curve towards the capituliun, and arches over a 

 mamilla of the capitvdiun covered Avith nascent flowers. The concave upper surface of 

 the next scale below is closely applied to the dorsum of the lower lobe of that above it. 

 A strong vascular cord enters each scale, and is imited at a little distance from its base, 

 within the body of the capitulum, with an equally stout cord from the mamilla above it. 

 It will thus be seen that each scale forms the protecting organ to a defuiite mass of 

 flowers beloAv its point of insertion, but is connected by its vascular system with the 

 mamilla of flowers above it ; an arrangement similar to that which occurs in Lophophytum 

 and some Lycopodiacea, but which can in Cynomormm only be discovered at a very early 

 period. 



Owing to the much more rapid growth of the capitulum than of the scales, these even- 

 tually become scattered, at the same time losing their bracteal form, and becoming 

 broader and fleshy. These changes are precisely the same in their nature as occur in the 

 bracteal scales of Ilelosis and its allies. The palese which occur abimdantly amongst the 

 flowers, and vary extremely in form, consist of rudimentary flowers, both males and 

 females, and of perigonial leaves, removed from their flowers by unequal growth. There 

 is a disposition in some of the floral scales of larger size than the rest, to assume the 

 position of a bractlet under each flower, or group of flowers. 



The male and female flowers appear promiscuously in succession for a considerable 

 period : in this respect Cynomorium presents a remarkable contrast to Balanophora and 

 Selosis, &c. ; as in these the evolution of the sexes occm-s at different times : and it is 

 worthy of remark that this phsenomenon is perhaps confined to this genus, and is there- 

 fore peculiar to the only plant of the Order which exhibits a strong tendency to herm- 

 aphroditism. 



In AYebb's 'Flora of the Canary Islands' (iii. 431), I have described hermaphrodite 

 flowers of Cynoino7'mm ; which were pointed out to me by Mr. Brown in a drawing of 

 Bauer's: they were originally discovered by Linnaeus (Gen. Plant, ed. 5, 1754), and 

 described by him ; as indicated by Richard, who, however, failed to find them himself. 



The palea of Richard, surrounding and half enveloping the stamen of the male flower, 





