Mesem'bryenthenun end some nev; penera sens re ted from it. 

 CJprd. ^Chron. HI. 70: 289. 1921." 

 (Continued from page 275.) 



2R9 IVirnin^ nor/ to the floral peculiarities, we find that there 

 is such a general resemblence of the flovrers to one another of 

 different srecies of this ~enus that it would at first appear 

 there is little to note. Iliis similarity is, hov;ever, more ap- 

 narent than real, an''', comparable with the ^aisy-like appearance 

 of the flowers o"'' npny peners of Gompositae that differ consider- 

 e.h'^j in structure; for the flowers of ^-esemhr^'-enthemum are also 

 found to differ very considerably in structure when carefully 

 examined. 'Hie cal^nc is sometimes produced into a tube above the 

 ovpr3'', sometimes lobed dovm to the ton of the ovary, and the num- 

 ber o'^ lobes soraetMnes vary in different groups. The pete Is are 

 usually ■^ree nearly or quite to the base, but in the ^phaeroids 

 are united into a distinct tube. 3om-e '^^erman botrnists consider 

 the retpls to be staminodes, and they have been described as such 

 ""■ut "^^e^e is no mo'^'e reason for calling the netals of a ^-^esembry- 

 anthemum stpminodes thpn for ar'^lying the same term to the petrls 

 o-*" a ^^ose, Buttercun, ''''allflower, or T^iir, for it is v.ell known 

 thpt stamens are convertible into petals as a flov/er becomes double, 

 and in the ''^atar Lily all stages from one to the other may be 

 seen, as is sometimes the case in ^-esembryanthemum. The stamens 

 var;"- nuc^^ in number and arrangement. In books the elongated stig- 

 p^ps pre termed styles, but this is incorrect, as thej?" are stigmstic 

 to their base. The Snhaeroids have a distinct style, in other 

 prouns it is absent, the stigmas arising from the top of the ovarj'', 

 and vary in form and character, and may be used for generic distin- 

 ction. 



In N. lapidiform.e the flov/ers are really axillary, arising 

 from the axils of the older lei:ves, one on ecch side of the new 

 terminal 

 290 growth and remain dormant for some time before developing. But I 

 think that in most if not all others the flowers are terminal, 

 even though they do not anr-ear to be so, as is not unfrecuently 

 the case. This is particularly v/ell seen in the case of the group 

 to which -'. linguiforme belongs, where the f lover arises from the 

 second or third pair of leaves behind the terminal pair. In 

 reality, I believe, the flower, when in bud, terminates the stem 

 >iearinp th:^t p?ir of leaves, but remains dormant, v/hile a bud in 

 the axil of one O"^ those leaves develops one or two pairs of 

 leaves; after these leaves are developed and the flov;er-bud pushes 

 its "'ay out from the leaf -sheath and develops. 



A peculiarity about the flowers of mtny species that I do not 

 remem.ber to have seen mentioned in books is that they increase in 

 size daily for a few days after tl.eir first expansion^ sometimes 

 attaining nearly twice the diameter they had on the first day. 



Another roint of interest is that they are excellent time- 

 keepers, for, T>rovided the temperature is sufficient, many snecies 

 oren anrl c^ose their flowers at certain tjeriods of the dajr v.'ith 

 pre-t remalaritv. ?or exam'^le, M, simulans begins to open its 

 lovely flo^"ers with me at about 4.30 p.m. and closes them ft about 

 5.30 T^.m. , 'Greenwich tim.e. I have a new species of which I have 

 as vet seen onl^'' one flovrer, which did not attempt to expand until 

 about 9 p.m., and several snhaeroids do no^ expand their flowers 

 until p.-f^ev 5 p.m. 



CJolour o'^ the flower does not seem to be of specific value, 



