398 Mr. J . Miers on the Styracese, 



much symmetry in the number of its parts : in H. tetraptera the 

 calyx is 4-toothed, the petals four in numbei*, and the stamens 

 eight or twelve ; in H. diptera the same numbers prevail, the 

 stamens not exceeding eight ; but in the latter species there are 

 sometimes five teeth in the calyx, and in such case there are 

 five, rarely six petals, and the number of stamens is diminished 

 to seven or six ; but these are probably only exceptional occur- 

 rences. The style is conical and hollow at its base for about a 

 quarter of its length upwards, the three or four paiietal nervures 

 continued from the inner surface of the ovary extending along 

 the sides of this hollow cavity. The structure of the ovary, and 

 the singular mode of its development and growth, have been 

 minutely described in a preceding page (137). From these 

 observations, which are in great part novel, I have drawn up the 

 following character of the genus. 



Halesia, Ellis. — Flores hermaphroditi. Calyx parvus, turbi- 

 natus, ovario adnatus, margine libero hinc breviter 4-5-denti- 

 culatus, dentibus acutis, erectis, nervis medianis cum carinis 

 totidem decurrentibus continuis. Petala 4-5, dentibus caly- 

 einis alterna, ampla, lata, cuneato-oblonga, tenuiter membra- 

 nacea, adhsesione staminum imo brevissime agglutinata, sesti- 

 vatione valde imbricata. Stamina 8 vel 12, ssepe 10, uni- 

 seriata, subsequalia, petalis paullo breviora ; filamenta com- 

 pressa, loriformia, imo cum petalis laxe agglutinata, interdum 

 libera ', antherie introrsse, summis filamentorum omnino ad- 

 natse, et iis 5-plo breviores, 2-loba3, lobis discretis, parallelis, 

 linearibus, rima longitudinali dehiscentibus. Pollen 3-gonum, 

 angulis bulla signatum. Ovarium turbinatum, semisuperum, 

 dimidium inferius calyci adnatum, hinc post anthesin cito 

 elongatum et valde auctum ; dimidium superius non auges- 

 cens, hinc conicum, liberum, stylo continuum, immutatum, 

 et fructu coronante persistens ; 1-loculare, imo septuhs 4-5 

 brevibus radiantibus ad placentam centralem e basi ortam 

 nexis, et cum carinis totidem internis prominulis parietalibus 

 intra stylum percurrentibus continuis, hoc modo breviter 

 4-5-locellatum, locellis superne apertis et lobis calycinis oppo- 

 sitis : ovula oblonga, 4 ad 8 in quoque locello, ad placentam 

 biseriatim funiculis brevibus affixa, superiora erecta, inferiora 

 pendula, fere omnia abortientia ; (exinde prolatione fundi ovarii 

 obtingit ut locelli spurii 3 (unico evanido) jampridem basi- 

 lares, mox parietales eveniunt; isti in principio aperti, dein 

 membrana clausi, ssepe cum pericarpio osseo indurescant). 

 Stylus filiformis, imo incrassatus et cavus, stamina paullo 

 superans, inte2;er, aut apice 3-fidus. Stigma simplex, fere 

 obsoletura. Fructus oblongus, siccus, indehiscens, apice 



