1912-13.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 153 



we must infer that the failure is not due to a bad structure 

 or disease of the pollen. 



M. B. Chabaud, in a publication of 1882, 1 mentions a 

 specimen of A. Bidwillii growing in the garden of the 

 Duke of Vallambrosa at Cannes. The stem of this speci- 

 men had reached a height of 12 m. and a diameter of 

 OoO m. This plant bore fruits in that year, but these were 

 sterile. 



In the same year, 1882, a female specimen of this species 

 flowered in the Botanic Garden of Xaples. We keep in 

 our collection some cone-scales of this plant, but with 

 sterile seeds. 



Specimens of this species were subsequently observed to 

 be fruitful in 1884 at Palermo, at the villa of the Prince of 

 Trabia and Butera, 2 and about this time also in South 

 France and Algeria. 3 



The fruiting of another specimen of this species was 

 announced by Professor C. Naudin in the garden of the 

 Villa Thuret at Antibes in 1893, but here also the seeds 

 were sterile. 4 



In the Botanic Garden of Palermo this plant grows 

 perfectly and bears fecund fruits, which, according to 

 Professor Borzi, 5 ripen in fifteen months. Another plant 

 of this species is growing in the Botanic Garden of 

 Catania in Sicily. This specimen is monoecious and able 

 to bear fecund seeds, as appears from the " Index plan- 

 tarum quas Hortus bot. R. Universitatis catinensis pro 

 mutua commutatione otfert, 1898," where the fecund seeds 

 of this plant are quoted. 



The seeds of this species are also offered in the :< Index 

 seminum Horti botanici Universitatis olisiponensis anno 

 1911 collectorum " (p. 29), and I have asked for them, 

 but I have received only a sample with the kernel 

 completely perished and quite unable to germinate. 



1 Morren, Ed., "La Belgique horticole," 1882, p. 213. 



2 "Bull, della Societa toscana di Orticultura,"' 2 a ser., vol. i., 1886, 

 p. 241. 



3 Heckel, E., '• Sur le Bunya-bimya (A. Bidwilli, Hook.), et son 

 acclimatation en Algerie," etc. (" Revue Sc. nat. appL," 1891, 2 s6r., 

 38 annee, Paris, pp. 280-295). 



4 "Bull, della Societa toscana di Orticultura," 2 a ser., vol. viii., p. 316. 



5 Borzi, A., " Biologia della germinazione dell' A. Bidvrilli, Hook." 

 (" Contr. Biol, veg.," iii., 1895, pp. 355-373, tav. xvi.). 



