M. warburgii] .. METROXYLON. 183 
backs and on the upper margins; the special bracteole of the female flower is 
relatively large, hairy on the upper margin, and has two wings on the side of 
the. male flower, by which that flower is in a great measure embraced; the other 
and more internal bract is cyathiform, also ciliate on the margin, and with the 
other and larger bract of the female flower forms a deep cup or calyculum. In 
the specimens seen the female flowers are just expanded and not one male flower 
is left on the spikes. The  female-hermaphrodite flowers are elongate, cylin- 
draceous, blunt. 11 mm. long, and 4 mm. wide; the calyx is coriaceous, cyathi- 
form, attenuate at the base, dull and not striately veined, parted nearly to the 
middle into 3 broad semi-ovate obtuse lobes; the corolla is nearly twice as long 
as the calyx, and for two-thirds of its length divided into 3 oblong-cymbiform 
thickly cartilaginous segments, smooth and obsoletely punctulate outside, even when 
seen under a strong lens; the lower undivided third part is campanulate-ventricose 
and includes the ovary; the stamens have the broadened bases of the filaments 
connate with the ventricose part of the corolla, and form a rather elongate entire 
collar above the throat of the corolla, becoming afterwards free, subulate 
and introflexed at the apex; anthers versatile, elongate-elliptical, 5 mm. long, 
equally narrowing and acute at both ends; the cells shortly disjunct at the base; 
ovary ovoid, narrowing into an elongately conical style, which attains only the 
base of the free part of the filaments. The mature fruit, if developed. freely, is 
obpyriform or obovoid, 10--12 cm. long, and 7—9 cm. across, narrows consider- 
ably to the base, is convex and slightly umbilicate on the top, and minutely 
beaked ; frequently however the fruits are more or less deformed by mutual 
pressure, and assume an obpyramidate shape with obtuse angles, flat faces and an 
almost explanate top; the scales are in 24 vertical series, relatively small, glossy, 
of a light chestnut-brown colour having the edges narrowly discoloured, and the 
extreme margins obsoletely erose-toothed; they are deeply grooved along the 
centre, and consequently distinctly bigibbous, have the apices short, triangular, 
bluntish, and very appressed ; the intermediate scales are 9—10 mm. long, and a 
little less broad. The pericarp is 5—6 mm. thick at the sides, and less above, 
but its lower half is filled with spongy tissue. The seed is in the broader upper 
part of the fruit, globular, about 5 cm. in diameter; its integument is 3—4 mm. 
thick; the chalazal cavity is large and suborbicular, and, as usual, the albumen is 
horse-shoe-shaped in vertical section; the embryo is basal. 
HanrrAr.— The New Hebrides. It was first made known to Prof. Heim by 
some fruits sent to the International Exhibition of Paris in 1900 as producing 
a kind of vegetable ivory, fit for button making. I afterwards recognized this 
species in some rather complete specimens forwarded by Mr. Perret to Prof. 
Martelli, in the year 1908, gathered in New Caledonia, on a plant introduced there 
from the New Hebrides. The specimens were accompanied with some not quite 
mature fruits, unmistakably however, referable to the species described by Prof. 
Heim. These fruits have all an obpyramidate trigonous form with very obtuse 
angles. To M. Warbwrgé I confidently refer also the specimens of a plant that 
flowered in the Botanic Garden at Singapore in the year 1891, which were dis- 
tributed by Mr. Ridley under No. 3171. These specimens have only female 
hermaphrodite flowers on the spikes, from which the male flowers have all fallen. 
