366 Linnaan Society. 



species flowered at Farnham, as described by Sir James Edward 

 Smith in the 6th volume of the Linnean Transactions, a considerable 

 number of the same sex have flowered in this country. Five indivi- 

 duals might be mentioned, which are now in a flowering state. On 

 the other hand, only one male plant is known to have flowered in 

 our island. This was formerly at York, and is now in the Botanic 

 Garden at Sheffield. Its cone, or rather spike, nearly a metre in 

 length, is preserved in the museum of the Yorkshire Philosophical 

 Society, and exhibits in a very striking manner the affinity of this 

 genus to the rest of the Cycadete, whilst the female cone of Cycas 

 differs greatly from that of all the other genera. 



Genus Macrozamia. 



Macrozamia spiralis. — The genus Macrozamia, the scales of whose 

 cone, whether male or female, are distinguished by terminating in a 

 single spine, directed upwards, appears to be very closely allied to 

 the Dioon of Professor Lindley. It is difficult to distinguish the young 

 seedlings of these two genera. The only perceptible difference is, 

 that in Macrozamia the leaflets are contracted at the base, and are 

 more remote from one another than in Dioon. Also in both of these 

 genera the leaves of the young plants differ most remarkably from 

 those of the same plants in the adult state. Macrozamia, as well as 

 Dioon, approaches Cycas in the circumstance, that the leaflets are 

 decurrent, whereas in the remaining genera, Encephalartus , Zamia 

 and Ceratozamia, they are not at all decurrent, but are contracted at 

 the base and join the midrib of the leaf by a distinct articulation. 

 The decurrent leaflets of Macrozamia spiralis are especially apparent 

 in the young plants. 



Genus Encephalartus. 



Encephalartus brachyphyllus. — A male plant flowered last year at 

 Chatsworth. The cone appeared early in May, and was full-grown 

 in two months. 



Encephalartus Altensteinii. — There are at Chatsworth two splen- 

 did specimens of this species, which are labeled as such. Some of 

 their leaves are two metres long. One of these two specimens has 

 thrown out bulbs, producing offsets of considerable size. On com- 

 paring the leaves of the offsets with those of the parent plant, the 

 former are observed to be much more spinous and smaller than the 

 latter, the number of the leaflets also being much less. This indi- 

 vidual therefore affords a decisive proof that such diversities in the 

 leaves may depend upon the age of the plant, or upon other circum- 

 stances. Hence it may be inferred, that many individuals, which in 

 our conservatories are distinguished by other names, and especially 

 many of those called "Zamia pung ens," or " Encephalartus pungens," 

 belong to the Encephalartus Altensteinii of Lehmann and Miquel. 

 Lehmann assigned this name and made his description of the species 

 from the study of specimens directly imported from South Africa. 

 But if the view here taken be correct, the species was already com- 

 mon in Europe under other names. A plant called " Zamia pun- 



