81 
A male bud, 12 eM. across, possesses 5 small scales coming 
out from the margin otf the cupula and 22 bracts. The disc of 
the column carries 51 processus, which generally are of a rosy 
colour but white on their tops. The processus carry no hairs at 
all. At the underside of the disc in the infradiscoidal, coronal 
furrow, are situated 39 anthers, nearly ballshaped, provided 
with an anthervalve, directed towards the column. In the aper- 
ture of the diaphragm part of the innermost lobe and a faint 
trace of the next one are showing. The lobes are of a rosy 
colour; the small excrescenses on their surface are almost, white. 
On the inner side of the perigoneal tube small ramenta are 
visible. The parenchyma of the disc and of the column, when 
exposed to the air, take very quickly a saffron shade, whereas 
that of the perigony becomes chocolate coloured. 
This discolouration of the Rafflesia tissues, when exposed to 
the air or when put into alcohol, is a feature very annoying 
to the collector, who sees every section of the plant in less 
than half an hour lose its beautiful white splendor and succes- 
sively turn black. The same is happening in the living flowers, 
which after the second day lose their fine, pure colours, appa- 
rently through brown pigments forming and impregnating all 
the tissues. The progress of this physiological discolouration can 
easily be followed on the white patches on the underside of 
the diaphragm; on the third day small, brown stains appear 
upon the brilliant white, steadily growing and spreading and 
soon giving the patches a dirty and unpleasant look. The dis- 
colouration can, at least partly, be prevented through quickly 
putting the specimens into boiling water (advised by Heinri- 
cher); but according to my experience the boiling process has 
to be rather thorough and of not too short duration. 
Under this boiling process purple-brown matter will be ex- 
tracted from the tissues, matter that probably contains tannic 
acid, the presence of which is proved by a very strong reac- 
tion, when a bud or flower is cut through with a knife. The 
decoction of the Rafflesia tissues has a very irritating effect 
upon the human skin, as Ixproyed once, when by a kind of 
accident I-took a prolonged footbath in it. Around my leg at 
