COLONEL MUNRO'S MONOGRAPH OF THE BAMBUSACE.E. 5 



which contains the seed of Carex. In the young state this is so closely attached to the 

 style that it is almost impossible to separate it ; in advancing to maturity it increases 

 in various ways. In Melocaxna bambutoides it becomes very fleshy, and the fruit 



attains the size of a largish pear, whilst the seed remains comparatively small. This is the 



case, to a less extent, in Beesha of Rheede, whilst in some of the other genera it forms a 

 very thin covering to the seed, which is often, at maturity, inwardly quite free, and 





easily detached, as in Pseudost.xciiyum, figured at Tab. 1\\, Schizostachyum acuti- 



Jlorum, and perhaps in other species; for, unfortunately, perfect seeds are very rare. 

 The scutellum is concealed by the envelope referred to above, and is not visible exter- 

 nally, except, perhaps, in some of the species of I) ENDBOC ALAMUS ; whereas in true 

 Bamboos the seed is very generally like Oats or "Wheat, linear or oblong linear, with a 

 distinct furrow down one side, with the scutellum very visible below; and the style 

 articulated at the top of the fruit, and never persistent. In Schizostachyum acutiflorum 

 above referred to, a very curious bundle of hairs is to be found at the scutellum ; and the 

 pericarp in this instance is quite loose and rugose, and the fruit oblong. I have not 

 seen perfect fruit in any other species of Schizostac/ij/imi, which I often cannot help 

 thinking is an imperfect state of Jfelocamia, or some allied genus. 



The fruit of Pseudostaohyl m is in form exactly like the seed of Anagallis arven&is, 

 and the whole plant is very curious in appearance. In Beesha, Teinostachyum and 

 Cephalostachyum the fruit is long-beaked, and in' the two latter genera tapering at the 

 base. Beesha of Rheede (Ochlandra of Thwaites) is distinguished by its numerous 

 stamens, frequently 20 and upwards, dimorphous spiculoe, the fertile one being very 

 frequently sessile near the main axis. One species of this genus is remarkably well 

 figured by Rheede in plate lx. vol. v. of the 'Hortus Malabaricus.' Teinostachyum has 

 very long spiculae, containing several perfect flowers, whereas in Cephalostachyum there 

 is only one perfect flower in the spiculae, a number of which are collected together in 

 dense heads. Dinochloa has a very small, rounded, beaked fruit, and has smaller 

 flowers than perhaps any other species of the whole family, but has a large branching 

 panicle. It approaches very closely to some species of Chusquea, from which genus it is 

 very easily distinguished at first sight, by having 6 stamens and a trifid style. In the 

 remaining genus, Dendkocalamus, perhaps most readily distinguishable from jBanihusa 

 by its very long, Blender style, and the absence of true squamulse, the fruit is of two 

 forms; and I might probably have been justified in forming some of the species into 

 another genus, but I have been very anxious to avoid the multiplication of genera as far 

 as possible. 



In D. strictus and its allies the fruit is very smooth, as if polished, on the surface, 

 except at the extreme top, suddenly pointed into a short, sharp, and rather hairy per- 

 sistent beak. In D. gigantens and its allies the beak is very soon caducous ; the fruit 

 is hairy at the upper end, and not at all polished, and the scutellum is outwardly visible 

 below on one side. 



Having given full descriptions of the genera and species in the following pages, I will 

 not enter into further details here. 



I have not, with the exception of J?latonla i included in Bambusacea? any genus which 



