318 Miscellaneous. 



vessels occupying the median and transverse portion of the bundles ; 

 rachis with a vascidar mass forming the inner side of the bundles ; 

 bractea-scales with a single axile bundle, which is dilated above ; 

 parenchyma with very numerous nuclei ; vessels never spiral. 



Lanffsdor^a. — Stem with bundles arranged in a circle, and with 

 a medulla not formed of sclerous cells ; scales with several (usually 

 seven) fibro-vascular bundles; nuclei and spiral vessels wanting or rare. 



Lophophytum. — Rhizome with the corticoid or external layer well 

 distinguished from the rest of the parenchyma by numerous sclerous 

 nuclei, &c., and with an internal parenchyma entirely formed of cells 

 with cellular walls ; stem and axes of the floral capitula also in part 

 composed of cellular cells ; scales of the rhizome without vessels ; 

 those of the stem with the petiole (?) alone vascular (little columns 

 of sclerous cells taking the place of the vascular bundles beneath the 

 little nervures of the blade) ; pericarp with its subepidermic layer 

 almost sclerous ; anthers with their fibrous membrane composed, 

 throughout the valves, of at least two layers of cells, the filaments of 

 which are arranged in a sort of spiral ; septa not fibrous, connective 

 variable ; spiral vessels entirely wanting. 



Ombrophxjtum. — This genus, which is morphologically very similar 

 ioLophophytum, with which it was long confounded, has two important 

 anatomical characters — namely, the deficiency of cells with cellular 

 walls, and the fibrous membrane of the anther-valves formed of cells 

 with the fibres radiated {en griff'e) instead of spiral, placed in a single 

 layer towards the extremities of the valves. Anatomy thus fully 

 justifies the separation of these two genera, originally proposed upon 

 external characters which might appear not to be of sufficient value. 



The species, like the order and the genera, are characterized 

 anatomically. I may cite particularly Lophophytum mirabile and L. 

 brasilianum, which are clearly distinguished merely by the structure 

 of the anthers, the former alone having the tissues of the connective 

 invaded by the fibrous cells of the fibrous membrane of the valves. 



The affinities of the Balanophorese with other orders of plants 

 find in their anatomy characters which either justify or invalidate the 

 views founded originally upon external attributes. And at the same 

 time that the true affinities obtain a more complete demonstration 

 from the concordance of some anatomical characters, the necessity 

 of keeping separate neighbouring orders is nevertheless made evident 

 by important differential characters. 



Thus the Cytineje differ from the Balanophorese by the arrange- 

 ment and general structure of the bundles of the stem and scales, by 

 the nature of the vessels, and the structure of the anthers ; the 

 Nepenthese and Aristolochiese differ still more by the wood of the 

 stem, the structure of the leaves and of the connective and valves of 

 the anther, the general arrangement of the vessels, the ready unrolling 

 of the spiral fibres, &c. 



The comparative investigation of the Rafflesiacese, a family which 

 has very intimate morphological relations with the Balanophorese, 

 will constitute the subject of a special memoir which I shall submit 

 to the Academy. — Comptes Rendus, July 11, 1864, p. 68. 



