Monotropa.] monotropace*. 299 



difficult to accomplish. Stems solitary or clustered,* from about 4 or 6 to 12 or 

 16 inches higli, simple, or, it is said, sometimes slightly branched, erect or incli- 

 ning, straight or flexuose, solid, rounded, obscurely angular and furrowed, brittle 

 and glabrous, tapering at base to a rather narrow point of attachment at the root, 

 pale and colourless in their lower under-ground portion, which is closely covered 

 with pale or blackish, imbricating, diaphanous and membranaceous scales, that 

 are unequal, ovate, ovato-lanceolate or oblong, pointed or obtuse, more distant on 

 the superior emerged part of the stem, which, together with the entire flowers, is 

 of a dilute brownish yellow or tan-colour, varying to straw-yellow or waxy white. 

 Raceme terminal, being simply a continuation of the stem, and with the summit 

 of the latter at length more or less strongly decurved so as to appear drooping, 

 convolute or almost circinnate, at length erect ; short and dense, but as the 

 flowering advances elongating and becoming laxer or more open. Flowers nume- 

 rous, crowded, erect and appressed, concolorous with the stem, between bell- and 

 pitcher-shaped, ventricose at base, 5 or 6 lines in length, on very short pedicels or 

 nearly sessile. Bracts one or several, similar to the cauline scales, but attenuated 

 at base, often eroso-dentate, concave, embracing the flower. Perianth-segments in 

 the terminal flower 10, in the lateral blossom 8, caducous, the 4 or 5 exteriorf 

 (calycine) very similar to the bracts, oblong or narrowly wedge-shaped, a little 

 hairy within, gibbous or almost spurred at base, which is formed into a small nec- 

 tariferous sac or hood and thickened ; their tips erose, obtuse, a little spreading ; 

 inner {coralline) segments like the outer but more attenuated downwards, not 

 hooded, strongly erose, often overlapping the others. Stamens in the terminal 

 and lateral flowers respectively 10 and 8, about as long as the gynecium, inserted 

 close at the base of the ovary in two whorls, with a yellowish oblong-obtuse and 

 reflexed gland -like process between each stamen; filaments whitish, slightly 

 Betoso-pilose or glabrous, a little flattened, curved over the germen, those of the 

 inner verticil somewhat the longest ; anthers of 1 cell, bursting transversely by 

 two lip-like valves, the lower lip much the largest, round and spreading horizon- 

 tally ; juotten white, globose, angular? sometimes enveloped in woolly filaments. 

 Style very short and stout, columnar ; stigma large, fleshy, peltate-orbicular, 5 — 10 

 lobed, with a funnel-shaped radiately grooved cavity ; quite glabrous. Ovary 

 glabrous, elliptico-globose, faintly lobed and furrowed. Capsules the size of peas, 

 quite erect, deep rusty biown, globose or slightly elliptical, 4 or 5 lobed by a cen- 

 tral furrow along each valve at the back of the dissepiment, puckered and 

 sprinkled with a few warly points, crowned with the style. Valves 4 or 5 (the ter- 

 minal capsule 5-valved), separating at their inflexed summits, the dissepiments 

 contrary to the sutures, fitting between the folds of the placenta and united to a 

 common axis below the latter, thereby, as Dr. Darlington remarks of ihe Ame- 

 rican species, preventing the valves from expanding. Seeds very numerous and 

 minute, scobiform (seldom perfect. Hook.), appearing as a pellucid yellow globule 

 in the centre of a collapsed, membranous, reticulated arilla, which is tubular and 

 open at both ends, and fixed to both surfaces of the double placentae, which at 

 length separate by curving outwards in the middle, remaining attached at top and 

 bottom. 



The entire plant has a strong earthy smell, which has been compared to various 

 and very dissimilar substances, as primroses, bees'-wax and vanilla. To myself 

 the odour is far from agreeable, reminding me more of moistened rhubarb than 

 of anything else. 



Our Isle-of. Wight plant is quite glabrous, and appears to be the M. Hypophegea 

 of Wallroth, adopted as a distinct species by some writers. 



* The root seems always to form several stems, though these are not constantly 

 emitted from their under-ground hybernacula simultaneously. 



-f The 8 or 10 perianth-segments seem to be inserted nearly, if not quite, in the 

 same plane; hence the distinction betwixt calyx and corolla, as made by some 

 authors, is more imaginary than real ; besides, the fact of the so-called petals 

 actually overlapping the supposed sepals is adverse to the idea of a double floral 

 envelope. 



