472 Contributions towards a Flora of Ceylon. 



exception ; Sarmienta in Gesneriacece, agreeing with Cyr- 

 tandracece in having only its two anterior or lower stamina 

 antheriferous ; and in this latter family Aikinia or Epithe- 

 ma, which, as in the greater part of diandrous Gesneriacece t 

 has its two posterior or upper stamina perfect. 



" There is, indeed, another, and that a very remarkable 

 distinction, noticed in the position of the lobes of the stigma, 

 which in Gesneriacece, according to Von Martius, are placed 

 right and left in relation to the parts of the flower, and con- 

 sequently opposite to the lateral parietal placentae ; while in 

 Cyrtandracece the lips of the stigma, — for so it is necessary to 

 express the fact in this family, — are anterior and posterior, and 

 therefore alternate with the lateral placentae ; the latter being 

 the ordinary relation in unilocular ovaria, where the placentae 

 and lobes, or rather lips, of stigma correspond in number. This 

 difference, however, even were it fully established, would 

 hardly be available here as a technical distinction, several 

 genera in each family having an undivided stigma ; unless in 

 such cases the position of the confluent parts could be de- 

 termined by that of the two vascular cords generally observ- 

 able in the style, and continued into the axes of the lobes 

 of a regularly bifid stigma, when belonging to an ovarium 

 composed of two carpels. But even if this distinguishing 

 character should be admitted to be general, it is certainly 

 not without exception ; and in the only cases that I have 

 examined in Gesneriacoe, where the lateral position of the 

 lobes of the stigma may be supposed to exist, the apparent 

 position arises from the extreme breadth and manifest divi- 

 sion of the lips, the two vascular cords of the style being 

 still anterior and posterior. 



" The only point of difference remaining, therefore, is 

 the existence of albumen in Gesneriacece, and its absence in 

 Cyrtandracece. This character, however, is not absolutely 

 constant, there being cases in Cyrtandracece where the re- 

 mains of albumen are visible in the apparently ripe seed ; 



