^ 
THE FLOWERS. 29 
base very small bractecles of its own which may be taken as representing the 
rudiments of a second involucre., The involucre of the female flower, as has been 
already pointed out, is evidently fornted by the coalescence of two appendicular organs 
or bracteoles, Proof of this origin of the involucre is derived from the disposition 
and direction of its nerves, which converge to two opposite points on the margin and 
precisely to the two small horns or teeth of the areola mentioned above. Moreover, 
the nerve, which ought to correspond to the mesial costa of the bract, is often 
prominent and forms a keel so that the floral involucre besides being bidentate is 
often even 2-keeled on the side next to the axis. 
In some few instances two fertile flowers originate from each spathel, as in 
C. fertilis, C. didymocarpus, C. pachystachys, C. siamensis and occasionally also in 
€. deerratus, In C. fertilis at each spathel a single involucrophore bears two cupular 
involueres of equal size and similar shape (PraArE 230, fig. 5), and each involucre 
bears its own sterile flower; the same condition occurs occasionally in C, didymocarpus 
(Prats II, fig. 3). In the other species mentioned the second fertile flower arises 
from what ought to have been the areola of the neuter flower and in this case the 
areola itself is larger, deeper and subcupzlar. 
In the female spikelets each female flower is accompanied by a sterile one; when, 
therefore, as in ©, tenuis this is highly developed, the spikelets, immediately prior 
to the opening of the flowers, display two distinct series of fertile and two of sterile 
flowers, or four series in all. (C. siamensis, which has two fertile flowers to each 
spathel, has therefore four series of fertile flowers, and as each pair of fertile flowers 
is accompanied by one rather distinct neuter flower, the total number of series of 
flowers is six. Finally in O. fertilis, where each of the two flowers belonging to 
each spathel is accompanied by a sterile one the total number of series of flowers 
is eight. | 
XV.—The Flowers, i 
I have already explained how in the male spikelets the flowers arise from or 
near the azil of every spathel and how they are arranged right and left in two 
longitudinal series, these being in one plane or being more or less assurgent. 
I have also pointed out that in the male spikelets the flowers are solitary on 
each spikelet, and that in only a few cases ( C. viminalis, C. pseudo-tenuis ) in place of 
a single flower there is a glomerule of flowers representing a contracted secondary 
spikelet, | 
The bifarious arrangement of the flowers on one plane is the most usual, and 
in this case the spikelets are broad, flat and straight or slightly curved; in several 
species however the spikelets assume a scorpioid tendency, because the two series of 
flowers are assurgent and point upwards and are secundly arranged as in the 
Scorpioid cyme of a Heliotropium; this arrangement obtains in species of the groups 
of O. exilis, of C, heteracanthus and of OC. Huegelianus. 
In the female spikelets also a solitary female flower usually arises from each 
spathel, but this is accompanied by a neuter flower. If this be of large size and 
long persistent, the spikelets appear to have four series of flowers, as in C. tenuis, 
0. javensis, etc.; but when the neuter flowers are very small, and after the neuter 
flowers fall, the female spikelets also appear to have biseriate flowers, For the 
Ann. Roy, Bor. Garp. CarcurrA Vor. Xi. 
