NOTES ON ALABAMA PLANTS 115 
comparative study. Nuttall (2) has a statement on fruit, but 
this becomes worthless because appended by a question-mark. 
It reads: “Capsule 5-celled?” It is copied by Don (4) and De 
Candole (5) has adopted it with reserve, placing the responsi- 
bility on Nuttall. Some of the later authors describe only the 
fruit as a 5-celled capsule (6), (9), (18) ; others mention also 
a 5-celled ovary (10), (11), (12). How far the statements 
of the respective authors are based on personal observations, 
I am unable to decide, for those on fruit as well as those on 
ovary are very uniform. It seems best, therefore, to rely on 
Gray’s authority, as he was very much interested in the genus. 
Furthermore, as late as 1884 he established the species Mono- 
tropsis Reynoldsiae (7) of which he had at his disposal, 
besides other material, “A full series of freshly gathered 
specimens.” In the Synoptical Flora (8) Monotropsis is 
classed with the tribe Eumonotropeae which is based on 
“Ovary 5-celled, or sometimes 4-celled; the placentae projec- 
ting from a thick central columella.” The fruit character for 
the whole subfamily Monotropeae is specified as ‘Capsule 
loculicidal.”’ 
In the Alabama plant, on the contrary, the ovary is 1-celled, 
5-pouched, only at the base, and the placentae are parietal; 
the fruit is indehiscent and baccate. Because of these essen- 
tial differences the Alabama plant is to constitute a distinct 
genus, which becomes: 
CRYPTOPHILA gen. nov. 
Inflorescentia terminalis recemosa. Flores bractati et 
2-bracteolati normaliter pentamerosi. Calyx 5-sepali persis- 
tens; sepala libera, aestivatio imbricata. Corolla sympetala 
persistens; limbus 5-fidus, aestivatio imbricata. Discus mani- 
festus. Stamina decem; antherae adnatae, transversae 2-sac- 
catae; sacci introrsi horizontales in alabastro verticales in 
anthesi, confluentes, 2-porosae dehiscentes. Pistillum uni- 
cum; germen in basi 5-loculare; placentae parietales. Fructus 
baccatus. 
