as separate flowers. ‘FEMALE FLOWERS scattered over that portion of 
the lower part of the spadix which does not adhere to the spathe; 
each composed of three, or (by abortion) of two or one, abortive 
white stamens (or staminodia) more or less united at their base, 
so as to surround with an annulus a green and nearly globular 
ovary, crowned by a bright yellow glutinous discoid stigma. The 
ovaries are one-celled, with a single ovule attached laterally to 
a parietal but nearly basilary placenta, with somewhat the char- 
acter of a gelatinous arillus half surrounding the ovule. OvuLe 
top-shaped with the apex inclining downwards, being attached about 
the middle by a short funicular chord. [N.B.—The ovary has been 
described as two-celled, with several ovules in each cell; apparently 
from mistaking the single ovule for a dissepiment, and the arillus-like 
lobes of the placenta for ovules. The ovule, also, is stated to be 
orthotropous, and with respect to its position in the ovule it is “ erect,” 
but with respect to its lateral attachment it would rather be “ hemi- 
tropous,” the axis lying transverse to the hilum.] The embryo was 
not yet formed, but a section of the ovule showed a nucleus in the 
axis, with two lobes at the upper end or near the base, which had a 
striking resemblance to a dicotyledonous embryo. J.S. Henstow. 
Porputar AND GeoGrRaPHicaL Norice. This plant is abundant 
in the West Indies, and in cool situations in various parts of tropical 
America. It has always appeared to us to possess a particular inte- 
rest, from its so clearly affording a link in the chain of evidence by 
which the true structure of the flowers of the genus Arum, and others of 
the same family, have been determined. It will also be seen by our 
description of the specimen here figured, how completely a slight 
monstrosity among one of the staminiferous flowers near the middle of 
the spadix exposes the true nature of the staminodia in the fertile 
flowers lower down. The Genus Dieffenbachia has been separated 
from Caladium both on account of its being furnished with these 
staminodia, and also from having the lower half of the spadix attached 
on one side to the spathe. The singularly curious microscopic organs — 
named “Biforines” by Mons. Turpin, their discoverer, have been — 
hitherto observed only in the leaves of various species of the old genus 
Caladium. One of these, from a leaf of the present plant, is repre- 
sented in our figure 6. Upon scraping a little of the parenchyma 
from a leaf, especially from its under surface, and placing it on 
glass,in a drop of water, the biforines are readily detected with a lens 
