96 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



occupy a small inferior portion of the internal face of a thick and 

 elongated connective, and open by a short oblique cleft. At the 

 bottom of the flower, the receptacle rises in a short cone which 



Pcnica myrtifolia. 



Fig. 63. Dehiscing fruit. 



Fig. 60. Diagram. Fig. 62. Gynœeium (■•-). Fig. 65. Open seed. Fig. 66. Embryo. 



supports four free carpellary leaves alternate with those of the 

 perianth. 1 Each presents to our notice an inferior ovarian portion 

 enlarged, concave within and furnished with an internal median 

 ridge ; an attenuated stylary portion, and a stigmatiferous extremity 

 more or less dilated. At its edges, it is in contact with the neigh- 

 bouring carpellary leaves without effecting any adherence with them 

 at any age ; these four pistillar leaves are valvate with each other 

 in prefloration ; and, by their dilated ovarian portions, they thus 

 circumscribe four cells superposed to the leaves of the perianth and 

 consequently alternate with the divisions of the style. Near the 

 base of each carpellary leaf are inserted two ovules, separated from 

 each otber by the base of the prominence formed by the internal 

 longitudinal ridge ; and thus two ovules are found enclosed in each 

 of the cavities of the ovary. They are collateral, ascending, ana- 



sér. 2, iii. 314) ovoid, with six or eight longi- 

 tudinal furrows. In water it becomes spheri- 

 cal, with bands, three of which alternately 

 bear papillae. 



1 On the structure of the gynaocium and the 



mode of placentation, see H. Bn. ' Adansoma, xi. 

 228. The branches of the stylo correspond, 

 not to the cells, but to the incomplete ovarian 

 partitions. 



