Miscellaneous. 291 



flower which was repeated three times on the same axis, each time ex- 

 hibiting sepals, petals (coloured and scented), perfect stamens with 

 pollen, and imperfect semi-leafy carpels. The stem expanded into its 

 usual rounded receptacle, fringed by the free portion of the calyx of 

 its general character, and supporting on its discoid margin the petals, 

 and within these numerous stamens. Some of the innermost petals 

 were not well-coloured, nor well-developed, but small and greenish. 



From the sides of the cup-hke receptacle sprang several hairy 

 styles crowned by their stigmas, of much the usual form, but still 

 not well-formed ; and along with these imperfect carpels of a green 

 colour, and having the form of narrow leaves folded longitudinally 

 on themselves, and many of them terminating in a fringed process or 

 awn. Neither the normal styles nor the leafy carpels had ovules. 

 The centre of the cup exhibited a larger carpellary leaf so folded as to 

 enclose one or more similar though more dehcate leaves and a grow- 

 ing point, representing a continuation of the stem. This point gra- 

 dually elongated, developed towards one side two lanceolate decurreut 

 leaves or bracts, which, hke itself, assumed a reddish colour. Having 

 acquired about an inch in length, it shot out five ovate-lanceolate, 

 acuminate sepals, confluent at their base and decurrent, not on th& 

 same plane but spirally arranged, and also tinged red. Thus a second 

 flower grew in all respects hke the first, except that it had a verv 

 indistinct receptacle. During the development of the second, the 

 first flower withered, its petals falling away. The axis of the second 

 inflorescence, endued with the like powers of growth, extended itself, 

 produced a sheathing bract, then swelled into a half-globular recep- 

 tacle, with five sepals as in the last, but here set in a regular whorl 

 on the same plane, and having two bracts, like themselves, imme- 

 diately external to them. 



The petals of this third flower were numerous, small indeed, but 

 sweet-scented : the stamens numerous, containing pollen ; whilst a few 

 very rudimentary, slender, carpellary leaves and styles surromided a 

 larger involuted one containing a growmg point along with two or 

 three pistils terminated by stigmas. 



In this terminal mflorescence (examined whilst actually flowering) 

 the carpellary leaves were smallest, and the leaf-like character most 

 lost ; whilst many styles, hairy and dehcate, occupied the concavity 

 of the receptacle, and apparently had perfect carpels at their base. 



The production of these three flowers m sequence occupied two 

 months. 



On a longitudmal section the growing point in each flower was seen 

 not to have proceeded from the exact centre or actual axis of the 

 receptacle, but rather from one side. Hence both the irregular pe- 

 duncles curved so as to maintain the flower in the same line with the 

 original stem. 



In another monstrosity, in which two flowers were produced on 

 the same continuous axis, the sepals exhibited a tendency to be com- 

 pound by developing imperfect leaflets. 



In a third example the sepals had grown into large compound 

 leaves, having two leaflets on each side the petiole, and a verv large 



20* 



