948 



" 7. Discs between the stamens and the ovary (the perigynium of 

 Link). Very frequent ; occurring in ahnost one half of Dicotyledons. 



" 8. Pistil-nectaries. Rare, in a few Euphorbiaceae. Linnaeus re- 

 ferred to this division the three glands at the apex of the ovary in 

 the hyacinth. 



" 9. Nectaries on the receptacle. These belong for the most part 

 to the preceding ; but with regard to this subject the scales in the 

 flowers of some Crassulaceae need investigation. There are, however, 

 many flowers which secrete a nectareous fluid, in which, nevertheless, 

 no special nectary can be discovered. The microscopic examination 

 of nectaries shows only cells of various kinds, often filled with sap, 

 but no spiral vessels : they may, however, be seen in Campanula Ra- 

 punculus, but we cannot be certain here that something has not been 

 cut off" from the receptacle. Under the section, ' On the Symmetry 

 of Nectaries,' the author describes their situation in various flowers. 

 He then distinguishes in each leaf of the ' andra3ceum ' four portions, 

 the ' support,' ' nectary,' ' anther,' and ' limb,' and applies this with 

 much ingenuity to individual plants: the greater number of nectaries 

 are parts which want anthers and limb. He applies this also to the 

 pistillary members, where the ovary is compared with the support, 

 the style with the nectary, and the stigma with the anther. He also 

 considers in the last place the leaves of the stem, in which, accord- 

 ing to our author, the base of the petiole, very often thickened, cor- 

 responds to the support ; the petiole, often covered with glands, to 

 the nectary, and the lamina to the anther. On the use of the secre- 

 tion of the nectary the author has but little to say ; he thinks that in 

 niany plants it becomes re-absorbed, and probably serves for the nu- 

 trition of the ovule. 



"The division into discus and nectary, according as they have a cir- 

 cular ai-rangement or not, is not much to the purpose, since there are 

 undoubted nectaries which stand in a circle, like the pits on the pe- 

 tals of Fritillaria imperialis, L., and many others. That which the 

 author also calls disc, includes parts so very various that they can- 

 not be well designated by one and the same term. I adhere to the 

 terminology which I formerly adopted, 'which is, at least, readily in- 

 telligible, where ' Paracorolla,' ' Parapetala,' ' Parastemones,' are rea- 

 dily distinguished as to their position and form. 'Perigynium' 

 expresses all the parts surrounding the pistil, whose variations are 

 readily announced by the use of an adjective : ' Perigynium discifor- 

 me ' is the great disc which in many flowers surrounds the pistil ; the 

 only form for which the word disc is applicable. The word 'glandulae' 



