ON PAPAYA VULGARIS, 81 
Aster leucanthemus, Desf. One root from 1860 to 1865, near 
Thimble-bridge, Thames Ditton, Surrey, where it will likely be soon 
lost by building changes. H. C. Watson. 
Phyteuma spicatum. A single root of the blue-flowered variety, on 
a railway embankment near Hill Wootton, Warwick. H. Bromwich. 
Echinospermum Lappula. In the same station as the Neslia and 
Saponaria Vaccaria mentioned above. 
Plantago arenaria. Southend, Essex ; a few plants on the beach east 
of the gasworks. J. T. Boswell Syme 
Amaranthus retroflexus, Waste ground near Gloucester. Dr. St. 
y. 
y 
Thirsk, January 24, 1866. 
ON PAPAYA VULGARIS, De Cand. 
By A. Ernst, Esq. 
In a letter dated October 14th, 1865, Dr. B. Seemann drew my 
attention to the estivation of the male flowers of Papaya vulgaris, 
asking whether it was always dextrorsal and sinistrorsal in the same 
raceme, as he had found it in his Vitian specimens. It was only 
within the last few days that I had material enough for answering this 
question satisfactorily. I examined 875 flowers, 626 of which (or 
71°5 per cent.) had a dextrorsal, 249 (or 28:5 per cent.) a sinistrorsal 
æstivation, both forms really occurring in the same raceme. 
At the same time I made some other observations on this imper- 
fectly-known plant, which I may here briefly state. 
apaya has three different kinds of flowers,—staminiferous, pistil- 
liferous, and hermaphrodite. The latter two are found on the same 
tree, whereas the stamen-bearing flowers grow exclusively on distinct 
individuals, which in this country is called “ Lechoso macho" (i.e. 
m 
£). 
Alph. de Candolle's description of the male flowers of Papayacee 
(Prod. 15. ii. 412) agrees very well with our species. Nevertheless 
there are two additions to be made. The difference of sestivation is 
already mentioned. In all the male flowers I examined, the anthers 
had no appendix at all, but a very small mucro, ems marks the 
upper end of the longitudinal slit by which the anther open. The — 
VOL. iv. [MARCH 1, 1866.] — zo: : 
