Notes on Richardia Africana. 
" ERNEST WALKER. 
Of the many abnormal ‘flowers” of Richardia Africana 
which have come under the writer’s observation the most in- 
teresting departure from normal structure yet seen made its 
appearance a short time since in one of the green-houses 
among a lot of several hundred ‘‘callas.” 
In this monster the spathe and spadix while developing in 
© manner of an ordinary inflorescence were found at matur- 
ity to be independent, or disunited, and each on a stalk of 
its own. 
_ The spathe was somewhat larger than usual, more spread- 
ing, and not at all convolute at the throat. Its stock or peti- 
ole was sheath-like from the spathe down to the base and 
clasped the scape which supported the bractless spadix almost 
in the same manner that the petiole clasps an ordinary 
“flower” stalk. 
The white color and texture of the spathe extended for 
some distance down the free wavy margins of the petiole. 
os upward, but this involved only the posterior wall of 
while the anterior edges were free. 
; * self-analyzed inflorescence makes clear the morpholog- 
cai Structure of the Richardia flower and peduncle. One 
explained the scape as made up of ‘‘several leaf- 
wn together in a bundle,” but it now is evident that 
vs A seg leaf is involved. The spadix is at the summit of a 
rth aren elongated internode of rhizome, to which in the 
een inflorescence the sheathing leaf-stalk is adnate. 
ma Spadix itself there is complete suppression of. ope 
Eve ain the flowers are, however, theoretically axil ay 
sca a “ping this in view it is not necessary to regard the 
eg ‘volving a number of leaf-stalks in its structure 
very practlets existed they would more likely be stalkless 
th ndages rather than the free tips at the summits of long 
“oretica] petioles. 
