M0NIMIACE2E. 



Cal^canthus pracox L." (figs. 314-817) has a similar organization. 

 Its flowers also have a receptacle formed by a little branch, whose 

 swollen apex has been puslied in so as to make it like a club with 



Chimonanthus prc^cox. 



Pig. 314. 

 Flowering branch. 



a concave end. On the whole surface of this are echelonned in 

 order, from below upwards, first of all little brownish, scarious, dry 

 bracts, the lowermost decussate, the upper ones in a spiraL' Next 



' L., Spec, 718. — Ait., Sort. Keiv., ed. 1, ii. 

 220, t. 10.— Curt., Bot. Mag., t. 466.— Lamk., 

 III., t. 445, fig. 2.— TuRP., Dicl. des Sc. Nat., 

 t. 235.— Roxn., Fl. Ind., ii. 072. 



^ There are more of these decussate bracts tlian 

 in Calycanthus proper, but tliey are similarly 

 arranged, representing undeveloped leaves, and 

 we might here consider the flowers as terminal to 

 a small axillary branch with rudimentary ap- 



pendages. L. F. Bravais has demonstrated [loc. 

 cit.) the presence of from 12 to 18 of these de- 

 cussate scales, '• From the last of these," says 

 he, " there starts a spiral, which includes 20 or 

 T2 leaves, very regularly arranged, and gradually 

 increasing in depth of colour ; and then from 5 

 to 7 stamens, of which the two first are larger 

 than the rest, while the last stamen is inner- 

 most." 



