12 



J. M. Macfarlane. — Cephalotaceae. 



fragaceae etc. in being four-sided or lobed and in having 4 pollen-tube orifices al 

 the angles. 



Between the stamens and the carpels the receptacle is expanded into a wide floor, 

 that is closely covered by scores of columnar papillae which the writer first described 

 thus (Ann. of Bot. VII. 445) "each is a stout hollow upbulging of the epidermis of the 

 receptacle, which rarely may bifurcate, but in all cases ends in a flat top composed 

 of an outer circle of cells with 2 central semilunar cells showing what is apparently 

 a stomatic orifice between them. I have tried to learn, by study of living flowers, what 

 these secrete, but have got no satisfactory result. They may exude something to 

 tempt insects amongst the stamens and carpels for pollination purposes, but their 

 appearance suggests rather that they are stalked stomata". Schweiger inclines to the 

 view that they are water stomata, but we are still ignorant as to their exact function. 

 The six distinct carpels of the pistil occupy the centre of the receptacular floor 

 and alternate with the inner stamens and with the sepals (Fig. \ C). Each ovarian 

 wall is nearly straight ventrally, but is swollen dorsally, and at time of flowering 

 shows only slight indications of epidermal swellings over its upper area, that later 

 lengthen greatly into deflexed hairs of the fruit. The style is nearly straight and 

 along its superior ventral face is covered with minute stigmatic papillae. Each carpel 

 encloses one rarely two erect anatropous ovules, that are narrow elongated and 

 normal in structure. 



The blooming period extends over January and early February. No information 

 is yet to hand as to the mode of pollination, but since glands like those of the 

 pitcher exterior are abundant over the flower stalk and bracts, it seems likely that, 

 as in Sarracenioids and Nepenthes, these primitively were developed as attractive 

 structures for insect visitors, and that the insectivorous habit was acquired later. But 

 it may be that — as in species of Silene 1 Lychnis etc. — the stalk and bracteal 

 glands secreted a viscid juice, to ward off small insects from the flowers. The writer 



still strongly adheres to the 

 view that the receptacular 

 pillars or papillae served to 

 attract insects, alike from their 

 position, structure and abund- 

 ance. But studies in the native 

 haunts of the plant can alone 

 decide such questions for the 

 future. 



Fruit and Seed (Frucht 

 und Samen). The fruits are 

 ripe for dissemination by the 

 end of February or in March. 

 During maturation the sepals 

 and stamens remain attached, 

 while epidermal swellings grow 

 out into fine deflexed villous 

 hairs (Fig. 4 C) that cover each 

 Fig. 4. A stamen of Cephafotus dorsal view. — B ventral mature fruit. The style also 

 view. — G Fruit follicle, st.p stigmatic papillae. (Origin.) lengthens considerably and be- 



comes reflexed, almost hooked 

 (Fig. \D). The six mature fruit follicles are of a brownish yellow color and project 

 somewhat beyond the sepals. As to their later behavior and dissemination Schweiger 

 states that the receptacular floor undergoes changes thus. »Es schwillt dieser Teil be- 

 trächtlich an, indem die unter der Epidermis liegenden Zellen sich in der Richtung 

 der Blütenachse strecken ; dann folgt eine lebhafte Teilung des inneren Gewebes, die 



