Mr. J. Miers on the Menispermaceae. 329 



point of their attachment on the same side above the base ; the 

 putamen is rcniformly globose, thin and testaceous in texture, 

 marked on the dorsal side by three slight carinal ridges, and by 

 a small sinus in the middle of the ventral side : the condyle is 

 small, and intrudes a short way into the cell at the point of the 

 sinus, and there the integument of the seed is attached to it. 

 The seed, which nearly fills the space of the cell, is exalbumi- 

 nous, and is corrugated over its surface, into the shallow clefts 

 of which the integument is insinuated. Mr. Bentham states 

 that the embryo consists of two cotyledons so closely conferru- 

 minated together that the radicle is not distinguishable : on a 

 slight examination it certainly bears this appearance ; but if it 

 be kept soaked in water a sufficient length of time, the seed 

 swells to its full size, all the corrugations become obliterated, 

 and the real structure becomes very apparent : the radicle is 

 now seen to be of extraordinary dimensions, being half the size 

 of the whole embryo; it is solid, fleshy, conical, somewhat 

 attenuated at its extremity, where it is contracted into a small 

 point which is suddenly inflected and directed towards the place 

 of the persistent style, thus assuming the appearance of a small 

 inflected radicle : the cotyledons, which occupy the lower moiety 

 of the seed, are not at all agglutinated together ; they are semi- 

 oval in their transverse section, lunately curved, with their ex- 

 tremity turned upwards, so as nearly to touch the bottom of the 

 radicle, thus leaving a cleft between them, where the integu- 

 ment is attached to the intruding condyle. This form of em- 

 bryo is quite unique in the Menispej-macea. 



Triclisia, Benth. — Flores dioici. Masc, Sepala 12-18, in or- 

 dine ternario disposita, plerumque alternatim imbricata, ex- 

 terne gradatim minora, carnosula, orbiculari-acuta, extus 

 pilosa, 3 interiora sestivatione valvata, reliquis aut vix majora, 

 suborbicularia et concava, vel 3-plo longiora, cuneato-oblonga 

 et subacuta. Petala rarius nulla, aut 3 vel ssepius 6, stamini- 

 bus opposita, iis multoties breviora, squamiformia, carnosula, 

 cuneato-oblonga vel orbiculata. Stamina 3 aut ssepius 6, 

 libera, longitudine sepalorum, subbiseriata, alternatim paulo 

 minora; ftamenta intus sulcata, sursum gradatim valde in- 

 crassata, erecta vel arcuatim incurva, circa andrcecium paulo 

 elevatum fasciculo piloruni staminum longitudine munitum 

 enata; anthera 2-\ohddf lobis discretis, imo divaricatis, con- 

 nectivo lateraliter subintrorsus semiimmersis, utrinque rima 

 obliqua hiantibus, connectivo sapius longe excurrente apicu- 

 latse. — Fcem. Sepala 9, suborbicularia, concava, extus pilosa, 

 quorum 3 interiora paulo majora, aestivatione valvata. Petala 

 nulla. Stamina desunt. Ovaria perplurima, gibboso-ovata, 



