IN CEYLON. 83 



condition is where each flower has ten or more stamens, 

 each with a perfect anther and occasionally a central pistil 

 which ripens into fruit. 



It is obvious that a distinct correlation can be established 

 in the number and position of the members of the flowers 

 borne on trees of this class, and since the occurrence is so 

 irregular and the stages established include the male, herma- 

 phrodite, and female conditions, some light may be thrown 

 on the evolution of sex in this genus. 



In considering the relations between the members of the 

 flowers on trees of the third class we may at once eliminate 

 the calyx and corolla, since in all the flowers the variation 

 is only one of size, the maximum and minimum dimensions 

 being in the female and male flowers respectively. 



The staminal whorl in the male flowers, whether these 

 form a separate cluster or part of a monoecious or polygamous 

 group, consists usually of ten stamens arranged as five pairs, 

 alternating with the corolla segments. In some male flowers 

 there may be only eight stamens arranged as three pairs 

 and two separate individuals, and in others I have met with 

 an irregular epipetalous group of stamens. In the female 

 flowers, no matter where they occur, the staminal whorl is 

 represented by five epipetalous staminodes disposed so as to 

 be alternate with the corolla lobes. The position of the 

 members of the staminal whorl in male and female flowers 

 is approximately the same, and the five single staminodes of 

 the female can be connected with the five groups of stamens 

 usually existing in the male flowers. Since the staminode 

 is really a stamen having a barren anther, we therefore see 

 that the difference between the male and female flowers can 

 be easily accounted for, assuming there has been abortion of 

 sporogenous tissue. 



In the gyncecium the number of loculi in the ovary and 

 the number and position of the ovules and seeds is the same, 

 whether the pistil is part of a hermaphrodite or female 

 flower. 



