IN CEYLON. 78 



Male Flowers. 



In every Ceylon species the male flowers occur in clusters 

 of three or more individuals ; in D. attenuata and D. oppositi- 

 folia they may also occur solitary in the axil of the younger 

 leaves. Sometimes the cluster of flowers is inconspicuous, 

 as in D. attenuate, but at other times, particularly with D. 

 sylvatica, D. quaesita, and D. Tpposia, a single inflorescence 

 may have a height of 50 mm. 



The peduncle or the central flower of an inflorescence 

 arises in the axil of a young leaf, which may be of the 

 normal type or greatly reduced ; similarly with each lateral 

 flower or its pedicel. When the individual flowers of a 

 cluster are sessile there is often a great deal of abortion, and 

 the remaining flowers therefore appear surrounded with very 

 many bracts, so that a rudimentary involucre is formed. 



The types of male inflorescences are three in number. 

 In the first class we have the primary peduncle and the 

 pedicel of each lateral flower so small as to be undistinguish- 

 able to the naked eye, and the inflorescence may therefore 

 be described as a sessile cluster, as in ID. ovalifolia. D. hirsute, 

 JD. Moonii, D. insignis, D. Thwaitesii, D. oppositifolia, D. 

 attenuate, D. acute, and D. Gardneri. In the second class we 

 have each flower disposed on a very short pedicel from 1 

 to 5 mm. in length, as in D. oocarpa and D. sylvatica. 

 In the third class we have the remaining nine species, in each 

 of which the flowers are supported on very long pedicels 

 often considerably over 10 mm. in length. 



Development of the Male Inflorescence. It will be better to 

 first detail the developmental phases of an inflorescence 

 of the third type, and no better species can be chosen than 

 J). Embryjopteris. In the earliest stages the inflorescence 

 appears as a globular apiculate axillary structure, supported 

 on a short stout peduncle and covered by a varying number 

 (two to five) of regularly arranged bracts. As the inflores- 

 cence gradually opens, the first pair of bracts are seen to be 

 opposite or subopposite and disposed one on either side, at 



8(1)4 (10) 



