LAURACEJE. 



427 



The receptacle forms a pretty deep cup, on whose edges are inserted 

 a perigynous perianth and androceum, and which contains the 

 gynseceum in its cavity. The perianth is double : the three outer 

 leaves or sepals are free and equal, coloured, and valvate in the bud. 

 The three inner leaves, alternate with these, form a regular verticil, 



Cinnamomum zeylanwum. 



Fig. 241. 

 Flower (f ). 



Fig. 242. 

 Diagram. 



Fig. 243. 

 Long, section of flower. 



which must be considered a corolla, 1 also of valvate prrefloration (fig. 

 242). The androceum consists of four verticils also trimerous, 

 counting as follows from without inwards : first three oppositisepalous 

 stamens, each consisting of a free filament flattened at the base, and 

 dilated above into a compressed connective which bears on its inner 

 face two pairs of cells, one above the other. Each cell opens by a 

 valve that rises to set free the pollen 2 (figs. 241, 243). Next come 

 three stamens similar to these and alternating with them ; then 

 three more differing from the preceding, in that their anther-cells are 

 extrorse or submarginal, while on either side of the base of the 

 filament is a large stipitate gland ; and fourthly come three sterile 



Meissn., Prodr., n. 10. — Cinnamomum Burm,, 

 Zeyl., 62, t. 27. — C. zeylanicum vulgare Hayne, 

 Arzn., 12, t. 20. — C. zeylanicum cordifolium 

 Hayne, loc. cit., t. 21. — Cassia cinnamomea 

 Heem., Lmgd.-Bat., 129, t. 655, 656. — Cassia 

 lignea Herm., loc. cit. — Laurus Cinnamomum 

 L., Spec, 528. — L. Cassia Burm., Fl. hid., 91. 

 — L. Malabathrum Wall., Cat., n. 2583 A 

 (part.). — Persea Cinnamomum Spreng., Syst., 

 ii. 567. 



1 Because they appear simultaneously in the 

 bud, not one after another, like the leaves of the 

 outer whorl. Here their consistency and colour 



can decide nothing. Payer (Organog. Comp., 

 471, t. 96) observes this : — " Their simultaneous 

 appearance on the receptacle shows clearly that 

 they are petals, not sepals as A. L. de Jussiett 

 thought. Adanson, who so clearly recognised 

 (Fam. des PL, ii. 426) the axile nature of the 

 rim of the cup that bears the sepals, also de- 

 scribes this inner whorl of the floral envelopes as 

 a corolla." 



2 The pollen of the truo Lauracea- usually 

 consists of large spherical grains free from 

 pores and folds. 



