Contributions towards a Flora of Ceylon. 349 



Drupe obovate^ black, about the size of a small pea, bearing on its 

 anterior face the scar of the deciduous stamen, 1 -sided: putamen 

 thin fragile, ash-coloured. Seed pendulous, nearly round; testa mem- 

 branaceous. Embryo antitropous, small, included in the apex of 

 a copious fleshy albumen : radical inferior. 



Obser. I. — In every thing but the number and the struc- 

 ture of the stamens, this plant is a Chloranthus. There are, 

 however, such marked peculiarities in these organs, that I 

 have determined to keep it separate from that genus. I 

 have now before me recent specimens of what I believe to be 

 Chloranthus officinalis of Blume, and in them I find that 

 there are three stamens, which, according to all authors, 

 seem to be the normal number in the genus. These are 

 united at the base, and inserted on the anterior face of 

 the ovary, as in my plant. In place, however, of each 

 stamen consisting of a solid cylindrical oblong mass, with a 

 cell on each side of its inner face at the apex, which unite 

 above, but are separated below both behind and before by a 

 fleshy connective, I find those of Chloranthus officinalis to 

 be each an ovate hollow organ, with a longitudinal slit in 

 front, on the upper edge of each side of which there is the 

 single cell of an anther situated. This, remarkable differ- 

 ence in the organization of the anther, is too important not 

 to be considered as forming a distinct generic type. 



Obser. II. — Lindley and others describe the anthers of 

 Chloranthacece to be 1 -celled. This, however, I do not find 

 to be the case. In the plant which I have just described, 

 there can be no doubt that the two cells borne by each 

 filament belong to the same anther, as is evident from their 

 being united at the apex. A horizontal section, moreover, 

 of the filament only shows a single bundle of vascular tissue. 

 In Chloranthus officinalis it appears more probable, at first 

 sight, that each stamen is made up of two, each having a 

 single cell ; but here also the filament only shows one bun- 

 dle of vessels. The posterior wall of the hollow organ, which 



