Mr. J. Miers on the Meiiispermacese. 258 



and three ovaries of equal length, oblong, ventricose, 1 -celled, 

 with a single appended ovule, and terminated by a subulate 

 style ; in the other case the flower has six petals, six stamens, 

 four minute gibbously oval ovaries in the centre, with an obso- 

 lete style, and these are 1 -celled, with a regular ovule. Rox- 

 burgh, who is the only authority, states that the female flower 

 has sepals and petals similar to those of the male ; but he men- 

 tions no stamens : he adds that it has twelve ovaries in a single 

 whorl, each terminated by a subulate style, thus agreeing with 

 those I have described ; of these twelve ovaries as many as eight 

 or ten often come to perfection, but sometimes four, or even 

 fewer, are matured : they are all borne on the summit of a cylin- 

 drical gynaecium, which increases in length and thickness with 

 age, and on its summit are seen the cicatrices of the abortive 

 ovaries, while all those that have been fertilized are carried up, 

 each on a separate elongated ligneous fork, which grows out of 

 the gynaecium, the fruits as they ripen being articulated on 

 them : these radiating carpophori are solid emanations from the 

 gynaecium itself, and form no part of the ovarial increment. 

 This is a very remarkable feature in Tiliacora, being analogous 

 to a similar growth which I have described in Anamirta and 

 Sciadottpnia. It is probable that in different species of Tiliacora 

 the number of ovaries may vary ; but hitherto we have no evi- 

 dence on tjie subject. In the development of the ovary, the 

 growth is almost entirely on the dorsal side, and is so extremely 

 cxcentric that, at maturity, the styles all connive towards the 

 centre, in close proximity to the basal points of attachment of 

 the drupes, which radiate horizontally round the gynaecium. It 

 is not necessary to repeat here the peculiar features connected 

 with the development of the putamen and seed, as they have 

 been sufficiently explained ; it remains, therefore, only to give a 

 more full diagnosis of the genus. 



Tiliacora, Coleb. — Flares dioici vel interdum polygami. Masc, 

 Scpala 9-12, in ordine ternario alternatim disposita ; extcriora 

 gradatim minora et bracteiformia ; 3 interiora multo majora, 

 obovata, subcarnosa, aestivatione valvata. Petala 6, minima, 

 carnosula, cuneato-oblonga, subbiseriata. Stamina 6, sub- 

 scqualia, petalis 3-4-plo longiora et opposita, libera; Jila- 

 menta gracilia, apice incrassata; antherce 2-lobae, introrsae, 

 lobis oblongis, dorsaliter semi-immersis, apice contiguis, imo 

 paulo divaricatis, rima obliqua longitudinaliter dehiscentibus. 

 — Fl. hermaphr. Sepala et petala maris. Stamina 3, petalis 

 alternis opposita, mole maris, poUinifera. Ovaria 3, gynaecio 

 insita, erccta, oblonga, imo tenuiter stipitata, dorso ventricosa, 

 1-locularia, ovule unico (an fertili ?) ad faciem ventralem medio 



