II 



Ml'. J. Miers on some genera of the Icacinacese. 37 



dens, foliis lanceolato- vel ovato-oblongis, cuspidatis, imo ro- 

 tuudatis, apice longe acuminatis vel cuspidatis, cyma oppo- 

 sitifolia, apice umbellatim ramosa, ovarii stylo brevi, stig- 

 mate obtuso. — Africa tropica; Chama, fl. St. Jago. — Folia 

 6 poll, longa, 2 poll, lata, petiolus 1-pollicaris: inflorescentia 

 2-pollicaris, ramis4-5-umbellatis, floribus apice agglomeratis. 



13. Stemonurus coriaceus. Gomphandra coriacea, Wight, III. 

 Ind. Bot. i. 103 ; — dioicus, foliis coriaceis, ovalibus, utrinque 

 attenuatis vel obovato-cuneatis, floribus 4-andris, cjonis cJ axil- 

 laribus, 4 floris ; ? floribus solitariis vel 2-3, racemosis, fruc- 

 tibus oblongis, cylindraceis. — Ind. Oriental. 



13. Stemonurus polymorphus. Gomphandra polymorpha, Wight, 

 III. Ind. Bot. i. 103; Icon. PI. tab. 953-954;— glaber, foliis 

 oblongis vel obovato-lanceolatis, acuminatis, membranaceis, 

 subtus glaucis, breviter petiolatis; cymis axillaribus solitariis 

 vel geminis petiolum sequantibus, masculis plurifloris, foemineis 

 2-5-fioris, calyce integro minute 4-5-dentatis, petalis 4-5, gla- 

 bris, staminibus exsertis, cristato-pilosis, fructibus ovoideis. — 

 India orientalis. 



Var. a. acuminata, /3. ohlongifolia, <y. angustifolia, 8. longifolia, 

 €. ovalifolia. 



This species is described as being commonly diffused over the 

 whole Peninsula of India, and subject to many varieties of form, 

 but I suspect that if these were more carefully examined, several 

 specific differences would be found to exist among them. I have 

 copied the character from Dr. Wight^s description, omitting how- 

 ever three features, viz. "dioicus" — "petalis basi in corollam 

 tubulosam coalitis " — and " antheris minute cristato-pilosis.'' 

 I find in all cases the petals are quite free, although strongly 

 agglutinated by their edges, and that they do not open even at 

 the summits until some time after impregnation, and then they 

 gradually become separated at their edges to the base, after 

 which, in time, they fall off. There seems to have been a general 

 conviction among botanists, that in Gomphandra the anthers are 

 pilose ; this is so stated by Endlicher and Wight, but in every 

 instance I have found the clavate hairs that form a hooded crest 

 over the anthers all spring from the filaments. Dr. Wight, in 

 his ' Icones,^ represents the male plant in this species as having 

 beardless stamens (see figs. 1 & 4. tab. 953), and it is worthy of 

 note that the ovarium is here depicted as being ovuligerous 

 (see fig. 6) : the female plant in plate 95 1< has bearded stamens 

 with a fertile ovarium, the progress of the development of which, 

 to the state of ripened fruit, is here shown : it has hence been 

 inferred by that distinguished botanist, that the occurrence of 

 bearded or beardless stamens constitutes a true sexual distinc- 



