280 GENERAL REVIEW. 



ripened, but after the seeds have lain in the moist earth for 

 some weeks it becomes evident. Is it so with the seeds of 

 Cycads ? 



Macrozamia corallipes (see ' Bot. Mag./ t. 5943) has borne 

 fruit in Mr W. Bull's Chelsea Nursery. Owing to the precocity 

 of the male or pollen-bearing plant, its pollen was not made 

 available for fertilising the cones on the female or seed- 

 bearing plant, so in this case the pollen of M. spiralis was 

 dusted over the ovules, and apparently fertile seeds were the 

 result. These seeds are the size of thrushes' eggs, and of a 

 warm brown colour. In the ' Florist ' I find the following 

 note : " The fertilisation and fructification of Encephalartos 

 Lehmannii have taken place under interesting circumstances 

 in the nursery of M. Jean Verschaffelt, of Ghent. The fertile 

 cones of this plant resemble in form and size a large Pine- 

 apple. M. Verschaffelt recently imported from the Cape a 

 number of trunks in a dormant state, and deprived of their 

 leaves. When placed in heat some began to produce fronds, 

 and others inflorescence, male and female. The pollen from 

 the stamen-bearing catkins was dusted over the female cones 

 in the ordinary way, and the result was the production of 

 numerous fertile seeds." 



THE SEDGE OR PAPYRUS FAMILY (Cyperacea). 



A rather large and variable group of grass-like plants, with 

 solid and generally triquetrous or three-cornered stems. The 

 flowers are sometimes hermaphrodite, sometimes unisexual, 

 the anthers being fixed to the filaments by the base (not ver- 

 satile as in Grasses). They are marsh plants, of little economic 

 value when compared with true Grasses, and are principally 

 natives of barren marshy tracts in northern countries. The 

 Papyrus of the Egyptians (Papyrus antiquoruni) is one of the 

 most interesting species. They are principally grown in 

 gardens as foliage-plants, and are readily propagated by seeds 

 or offsets. The tassel-like tufts of the Papyrus grow readily 

 if cut off and thrown into the water of a warm tank. Cyperus 

 laxus, C. alternifolius, and its variegated variety, are readily 

 propagated by cutting off the umbrella-like tuft of leaves at the 

 apices of the flowering stems, as these throw out numerous 

 offsets or young plants, if pegged down on pans of moist 

 sand, or if floated in a tank of tepid water. Carex and 

 Isolepis are readily multiplied by division. 



