272 VEGETABLE ORGANOGRAPHY. 



little cup ; this is found from time to time in Vicia. 

 I have seen a sub-variety of Cabbage, the large nerves 

 of which were prolonged beyond the limb, and were 

 spread out into well developed cups. 



The Nepenthes presents an organization analogous to 

 the two preceding, but more remarkable than either; 

 its petiole is sheathing at the base, afterwards it con- 

 tracts into a nearly semi-cylindrical body, then it 

 spreads out into a foliaceous expansion, which may be 

 considered either as the border of the petiole, or as the 

 limb of the leaf; whichever it be, the petiole (if it be a 

 border) or the middle nerve (if it be a limb) is pro- 

 longed beyond this foliaceous expansion, under the 

 appearance of a short and thick tendril, which spreads 

 out at its apex into a long hollow cup, closed at the 

 sides, and with a nearly circular opening at its ex- 

 tremity ; on the side of this orifice, which corresponds 

 to the base of the petiole, is a flat orbicular disc, 

 capable of closing the cup when it is depressed, and 

 of opening it when raised up ; the interior of the cup 

 secretes, it is said, a peculiar liquid, and the orifice is a 

 hard rim of the inner surface. 



I am inclined to believe that the disc forming the lid 

 is the true limb of the leaf, and all the rest of the appa- 

 ratus is a dilatation of the petiole. I ought to confess, 

 however, that until something intermediate has been 

 discovered between this extraordinary structure and the 

 ordinary form of leaves, it will be difficult to form very- 

 decided opinions in this respect. 



The cups of Cephalotus folUcularis are perhaps more 

 extraordinary than the preceding, and more difficult to 

 refer to any known form. This plant, from New Holland, 

 presents, in fact, two kinds of leaves, the one flat, oval- 

 oblong, and which do not present any thing remarkable ; 

 the others, situated a little below the preceding, are 



