102 MR. JOHN MIERS ON THE GENUS CRESCENTIA. 



The circumstances attendant on the growth of the ovary, and the manner in which 

 the fruit is developed, form a subject of much interest. As the ovary increases in size, 

 tlio placentae, which at an early stage appear solid and fleshy, gradually enlarge and 

 become divided by numerous minute fissures, thus forming as many salient points along 

 their surface, which as they expand become subdivided into very fine lamina?, between 

 which the attached ovules by degrees become immersed, and which with the accom- 

 panying network of nourishing-vessels, are spread in all directions ; and this process of 

 subdivision and agglutination of the membranes into a solid pulp, continues nearly up 

 to the period of the full-growth of the fruit. The main vessels, which at an early period 

 served for the nourishment of the placentae, remain almost in their original position, 

 and finally become converted into the ligneous cords mentioned in a previous page. 

 The same process of development takes place in fruits of a smaller size ; but the cords 



just alluded to, being much finer, do not separate from the membranes which line the 

 shell of the fruit. 



One of the most remarkable features in the species whose fruit is above described, and 

 Which I have named Grescentia plectantha, is the singular deep transverse downward 

 duplicate* upon the ventral side of the corolla, a little below its middle. This character 

 occurs in a less conspicuous degree in a few other species of the genus ; it is very different 

 from the upward ringent constriction below the lower lip in the tube of 0. obovata, Q. cu- 

 curbUma, and 0. conacea, and also from the circumambient throttling of the tube on the 

 level of the insertion of the stamens, as shown in the drawings of Jacquin and Hooker. 



Another characteristic feature observed in this species, and which may be supposed to 

 be usual in Crescentia, is the mode of aestivation of the corolla, which, before expansion, 

 is crumpled up into the smallest possible compass ; the longitudinal corrugated pic- 

 tures of the tube continued along the lobes, are, at that period, closely folded together, 

 while the lobes themselves are suddenly bent inwards and downwards Into the centre of 

 of the tube, the enspate margins fitting into one another, with the superior lobe upper- 

 s"en in 2T T° U - hithert ° Un(Wibed > - 1'ff-ent from anything I have 



bo der are n """r '■ T- ^ **** ^ ne9Wrt to * ; but there tbe lob - °f *•» 



z t orZrrr? y cated ' at the same time that the iobes > » »* «■ «- ** 



The mode ol t t^Tf" 1 '' ^ "" ** pli ° ated Wtudinally as in Crescentia. 

 llie mode of (estivation of Kigelia as shown in Delessort's • T™r,™ ■ ti,„ Le 



imperfect idea of its real aspect. ' theleforc ' couye y s on 



J^^Ztf^ T SPeCieS ' ° Wing t0 their im * M de-riptions, has every- 



en, le u to ;! ! *£"** ^ ° f *" tyP<! ^ dif&rellt authors ^ill freely 



name of O^^TT ^V^ were first *•*-** under Marcgraf s common 



Z d^Sl h T' er m 17 ° 3) ' Wh °' " hiS ' GenMa ' P" 23 ' 8™ * a '«* wards 

 n bll Tf r' ^ WhICh th6y may StiU be "^ though they have all 



I tnwr 5?* f l0ane ^ H27) deS ° ribed tWO W distinct plants 



Muscle IT a f + edltl ° n ° f hiS ' SpeCieS Planta ™ m ' ™™* - d k*«*ed 



P ml L2 ed , v T • yP1Cal ; PCCiCS - P - Br0TOC ^ "66) in his 'Hist. Jam .' 

 P **, descubed six species, four of which may be discriminated as belong to the 



