234 Miscellaneous. 



orti. Calyx liber, gamophyllus, persistens, 5-merus, v. varius, deciduus, 

 spathaceus, v. bipartitus. Corolla hypogyna, gamopetala, subcam- 

 panulata, infundibulifbrmis, v. hypocraterimorpha ; limbo 5-lobo, sub- 

 sequali v. subbilabiato ; Jobis per assrivationem duplicato-plicatis v. sub- 

 plicato-imbricatis. Stamina 4, cum rudimento quinti, corollae tubo 

 inserta, ejusdem laciniis alterna, exserta v. inclusa. Filamenta sim- 

 plicia. Anther ce biloculaves. Discus hypogynus glandulosus, ovarii 

 basin cingens, stepe obsoletus. Ovarium liberum, 1-, 2-, v. rarius 

 4- v. pluriloculare. Ovula indefinita. Stylus terminalis, simplex. 

 Stigma bilobum, v. bilamellatum, Fructus baccatus 1-, 2-, v. rarius 

 4- v. plurilocularis. Semina plurima, aptera. Albumen nullum. 

 Embryo rectus, v. subcurvatus. 



Crescent iacece thus denned inhabit chiefly the tropical and subtro- 

 pical regions of America and Africa : they are not found in Europe 

 or Australia, and only one species is met with in Asia. Several 

 species are cultivated, and have become naturalized in different 

 parts of the Old World ; none possess any poisonous qualities. As 

 far as at present known, the Order is composed of about thirty 

 species, distributed under nine genera. 



Dr. Seemann next adverts to the genus Oxycladus, described by 

 Mr. Miers in the twenty-first volume of the Society's 'Transactions' 

 and referred by that gentleman to Bignoniacece, of which he regards 

 Crescentiacece as one division, while he forms another division of the 

 genus Oxycladus. Dr. Seemann, however, states his opinion that 

 Oxycladus has nothing to do with Bignoniacece, even in the widest 

 sense, but belongs to Myoporacece, being allied to Stenochilus, R. Br., 

 and Bontia, L. 



In conclusion, the author states that he distributes the true Cres- 

 centiacece into two sectional subdivisions, as follows : — 



1. Tajslecie^e. Calyce persistente, regulari, 5-fido — Colea, Peri- 



blema, Phyllarthron, Tancecium, Tripinnaria, Sotor (?). 



2. CrescentiejE. Calyce deciduo, irregulari, spathaceo v. bipar- 



tite — Parmentiera, Crescentia, Kigeiia. 

 He adds that all the plants belonging to the Order have a tendency 

 to form winged petioli; and thinks it not improbable that the simple- 

 leaved species may hereafter be looked upon as plants with abortive 

 leaflets and highly-developed phyllodia. The ovary too, he remarks, 

 in all Crescentiacece, is unilocular, with a truly parietal placentation; 

 and it is only when the placentae meet, as they generally do when 

 the fruit approaches maturity, that the placentation appears to be 

 axile, and the fruit two- or more celled. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



On the D ev el optnent of Ccenurm cerebralis. By Prof. Van Beneden. 

 Extracts from letters to M. de Quatrefages. 



The following is the result of the experiments on Ccenurus. You 

 know that M. Kiichenmeister had a dog which had been fed with 

 Ccenuri at the beginning of March in the present year, and which 

 had been passing proglottides. This dog was killed on the 24th 



