592 PLANTS JAVANICiE RARIORES. 



inflected parts, or, as they are commonly called, placentae, 

 it not unfrequently appears to be bilocular. But this 

 cohesion only occurs when the production of ovula is con- 

 fined to the upper or inner surface of the carpel, which is 

 the case in the greater part of the genera with elongated 

 capsules ; for Avhere both surfaces are ovuliferous, as in the 

 baccate and most of the genera with included capsules, no 

 such cohesion can take place. The general direction of 

 the margins of the placenta of each component part of 

 ovarium and pericarpium may at first appear a deviation 

 from the ordinary structure, the general rule being that 

 the margins only unite to form a complete cell, wdiereas 

 the completion of the cell in that manner is incompatible 

 with the direction of these margins, which in each carpel 

 are turned from, not towards each other. This difference, 

 however, is more apparent than real, and the structure in 

 Cyrtandrece may be justly compared with that of such 

 genera of other families as have the placenta of a multi- 

 locular, or that of the single distinct, carpel projecting 

 considerably into the cavity. 



The great elongation of pericarpium in many of the 

 genera having capsular fruit, is the more remarkable in 

 Cyrtandrece, as there is no instance of similar elongation, 

 or any approach to it, in either of the two other tribes of 

 Gesneriacece. In this elongation of capsule, however, they 

 approach to Bignoniacece, where it is both more general 

 and exists in a still greater degree. 



In most of the Cyrtandrece with elongated capsules, the 

 valves, though membranaceous, are perfectly straight, but 

 in a few others they are spirally twisted, though nearly of 

 the same texture. The spiral torsion of the valves certainly 

 does not depend on the length of the capsule merely, the 

 greatest length being found conjoined with straight valves, 

 as in JEschynantliiis ; nor is it the consequence of drying, 

 for the twisting in all cases commences long before the 

 ripening of the fruit. The mechanism explaining these 

 ni] differences is, however, in general obvious. In the 

 twisted valve the endocarp consists of a stratum of vertically 

 elongated fibres, with an extremely thin or hardly manifest 



