AIs^D ANATOMY OF THE GENUS MTSTEOPETALON. 145 



centre arises a filiform style. The ovary in both species is " ellipsoidal, attenuated at 

 the hase," and contains, in M. Thomii, "a fleshy mass (without distinction of ovules) " 

 and is surrounded by an arilloid *' torus." Harvey was thus unable to distinguish either 

 ovule, seed, or embryo, although he figures what is, apparently, intended to represent an 

 embryo in M. Folemanni. 



Griffith (Trans. Linn. Soe. xix. 1845, p. 337) gives a rather fuller description of 

 M. TJiomii from specimens sent him by Harvey. He states that there are three stamens 

 in the male flower, one (w^hen present) rudimentary attached to the anterior " sepal." He 

 also mentions the occurrence of tw^o abortive stamens in the female flower. The stvle is 

 described as trisulcate and the stigma as trilobcd. Griffith refers to a doubtful embryo 

 (the word is followed by a note of interrogation) centrally placed and separated from the 

 " epicarpium " by a spongy cellular tissue. Probably Gritfith did not sec the embryo 

 at all, for its position is apical, not central, and it is so small that it might well escape 

 notice unless investigated by means of serial microtome sections. Indeed, in his 

 appended observations he speaks of the "central tissue of the fruit" as "not separable 

 as one body, breaking up rather on the slightest pressure occasioned by attempts at 

 dissection." " In this respect," he adds, " it differs considerably from the embryo of 

 BalanopJiora and Fhceocordylisr Later on he speaks of it as a " sporuliferous mass." 

 He does not mention M. Polemanni at all. 



Hooker (Trans. Linn. Soc xxii. 1859, p. 31) draws attention to Harvey and Griffith's 

 failure to find the real embryo and describes it in M. Thomii " at the upper part of the 

 seed, lying quite loose in its axis, with the radicle pointed to the liilum and close to it." 

 The " sporuliferous mass" referred to by Griffith is, according to Hooker, "albumen." 

 In the ' Flora Capensis ' (vol. ii. p. 573), Harvey and Sonder apparently accept Hooker's 

 interpretation, for they describe the fruit as one-seeded with a " thin juicy epicarp and 

 a crustaceous endocarp," while the embryo is stated to be " very minute in the base of 

 easily friable albumen." Bentham and Hooker (Gen. PL iii. p. 235) state with greater 

 accuracy that the embryo is apical. Engler (Pflanzenf. III. i. p. 252) adds one item of 



mce to the structure of the ovary (under generic characters). He 

 ainin^ three ovules arising from a free placenta, each being reduced 



with refer 



describes it 

 to an embry 



Beyond brief references 



a few other systematic works, I know of 



further published accounts dealing with the subject of the present memou- 



The Rhizome and its Relation to tee Host Plant. 



No description of the morphological and anatomical features of the subterranean parts 

 of either species of Mystropetalon has, so far as I am aware, ever been published ; all 

 the authorities quoted, when they mention its rhizome at all, describe it as *' unknown." 

 The first time it was found was, as above stated, in 1907, but whether these specimens 



really those of M. Thomii or of the present plant, I am unable to say, althou 



K) 



probably, as they were seen by Pr. Marloth, they were of M. Thomii. If that be so, 



2 



