230 



in this interesting region to future additions in botanical discovery, as 

 is evident from the little I have done myself in that distant land, hav- 

 ing brought home forty new species, some of which T now exhibit. 

 In my herbarium of ferns, is one rather interesting to the student of 

 this department of botany. No. 6(37 may be considered a variety of 

 Stegania (Lomaria) nuda, R. Br. ; it has the fructification of Lomaria, 

 but the venation of Blechnum in parts of the frond, but not in all. 

 Sir William Hooker and Mr. J. Smith have observed it before, and 

 do not agree with Mr. Brown entirely in his discrimination of the two 

 genera : for example, Mr. Smith considers the Lomaria Spicant of 

 Mr. Brown as a Blechnum, and this variety of Lomaria nuda, Br.^ 

 tends merely to show, according to him, that it too is truly a Blech- 

 num, not a Lomaria." 



Dr. Balfour made some remarks on the glandular stipules of Cin- 

 chonacege. Mr. Weddell states that on the inner surface of the base 

 of the stipules of Cinchona and allied genera, he had observed nu- 

 merous small glands which secreted a gummy fluid. In Cinchonas 

 the secretion is transparent and fluid, while in several other genera it 

 is solid and opaque, and seems to glue the stipules to the bud which 

 they embrace ; this is particularly the case in Pimentelia glomerata. 

 In Rondeletia the secretion is soft, like wax, and of a beautiful green 

 colour. The inhabitants of Peru give it the name of Aceite-Maria or 

 oil of Mary ; they collect it carefully, and use it as an external appli- 

 cation in various diseases. The stipular glands have an oval or lan- 

 ceolate form, and are somewhat pointed. The axis of the gland is in 

 the form of an elongated cone ; it is composed of elongated and dense 

 cellular tissue. Dr. Balfour, with the aid of his pupil, Mr. Matthews, 

 examined these glands in many Cinchouacese, and they detected them 

 in fresh specimens of the following : — Cinchona Calisaya, Burchellia 

 capensis, Cephaelis Ipecacuanha, Coff'ea arabica, Ixora javanica, 

 Mussaenda frondosa, Rondeletia speciosa, Pavetta indica, Luculia 

 gratissiraa and Pinceana, Pentas carnea. Gardenia Stanleyana, and 

 other species. In some the secretion was beautifully coloured. 

 Specimens were shown under the microscopes, as well as magnified 

 drawings of the glands. 



Dr. Balfour stated that he had recently received a letter from Dr. 

 Walker- Arnott, in which he remarks, that in preparing spiral vessels 

 to show them fresh, he finds the most easy plan is to take the petiole 

 or peduncle of Pinguicula vulgaris and squeeze it between two glass 

 slides, so that it may become thin and transparent. In this way a 



