3U NA T UBA L HISTOR Y OF PLANTS. 



borne the perianth and androceum, wliile the carpels spring from 

 the bottom of its concavity. The perianth consists of a variable, 

 never lar«j^e, number of imbricated leaves, inserted in a sph-al 

 (tiijfs. ;300-3r)S), and becoming larger and more membranous as they 

 are more internal. The stamens are also indefinite in number, 

 inserted in a spiral making very close turns, and each consisting 

 of an anther with two introrse cells, each dehiscing by the rising up 

 of a valve, and of a filament with two lateral stipitate glands at its 

 base. A little lower down and more internally, the throat of the 

 receptacle bears a variable number of tongue-like appendages, which 

 are no doubt sterile stamens. The carpels are numerous, free, each 

 consisting of a one-celled ovary tapering towards the apex into a 

 slender papillose style. The ovary contains a single erect anatropous 

 ovule, whose micropyle looks downwards and outwards. The fruits 

 are achenes, and the seed-coats enclose an embryo surrounded by 

 oily, fleshy albumen. The style persists on the top of the achene, 

 covered with long silky hairs. All the achenes are enclosed in the 

 persistent receptacle, whose gourd-like form becomes more and more 

 marked. For some time this indusiuni remains entire ; but later on 

 it splits from the apex downwards into a small number of segments, 

 which separate to free the proper fruits (figs. 869, 370). 



Certain flowers are wholly female through all the stamens being 

 reduced to antherless tongues ; this is frequently the case in Z. 

 semperviretis. Others, again, are male, since all the carpels remain 

 rudimentary or are altogether absent from the base of the receptacle ; 

 in this case it loses much of its depth, which is not so great as its 

 breadth. 



Of tliis section of the genus Atherosperma two species are known, 

 the one from Chili, A. sempervirens,^ the other from New Zealand, 

 as indicated by its specific name, A. Novce Zelandits.' They are tall 

 aromatic trees, with thick coriaceous opposite leaves. The flowers 

 are collected into racemes, simple, ramified, or made up of axillary 

 or terminal cymes.'' 



' \l.Yiv.,AdanMnia,\ji.\\Q,.—Laureliasem- ^ A. NovcB-ZelandicB Rook. F., Ha7idb. of the 



percirens TrL., Mon., 416.— C. Gay, op. cit., N.-Zel. Fl., 24D.—Laurelia NovcB-ZealandicB 



355.— i. aromatica I'oiR., Bid., Supjtl., iii. 313. A. CuNN., Ann. of Nat. Hist., i. 381. — Hook. F., 



— L. serrala Bekt., Merc. Chilcn. (15 Jun. Fl. N.-Zel., loc. cit., t. 51. — Tul., op. cit., 417'. 



1829).—/,. creiifita I'oEi'P., Exs., iii. ii. 135, ex —A. DC, loc. cit., n. 2. 



A. DC, op. cit., 675, n. 1. — Favonia semper- 3 Zaicrelia is united by J. Hookee to .4/7; e- 



virens U. & Pav., Frodr., t. 28; Sysl., i. 253. rosperma, the only absolute distinction for which 



