The late Mr. Griffith's Investigations. 371 



ovule Gnetum Brunonianum, copied from an unpublished drawing 

 by Mr. Griffith. So that this sort of ovule has three distinct inte- 

 guments, clear of the nucleus. It is to Mr. Griffith that I owe the 

 knowledge of the true nature of these plants. In a most elaborate 

 unpublished Memoir on the structure of Gnetum, he shows that in 

 reality the whole of the apparatus belongs to the ovulum. In that 

 Memoir (dated August 4th 1835), which unfortunately did not reach 

 me till after the publication of the last edition of this work, there is 

 the following description of the development of the parts of this 

 extraordinary structure : 



" At a period long before the exsertion of the anthers, the ovules, 

 which lie upon the male flowers, are generally of an oblong form, 

 and consist of a central cellular solid body, inclosed in two envelopes. 

 The outermost of these is fibro-cellular, and divided longitudinally 

 on the upper face, or that nearest the axis ; the fissure extending 

 nearly to the base of the ovule,* the inner or second envelope is 

 cellular, and is divided irregularly towards its apex. 



" This envelope does not, at this period, entirely inclose the 

 nucleus : the points of some of the lacineae or divisions project oc- 

 casionally beyond the apex of the outer envelope. The nucleus is an 

 oval or oblong cellular body, rounded off at its apex, which is 

 composed of lax cellular tissue. 



" The next change consists in the commencement of the obliteration 

 of the longitudinal fissure, existing along the posterior face of each 

 outer envelope, and of an extension of the inner coat over the nucleus, 

 the apex of which becomes more or less depressed : the centre of the 

 depression, however, projecting in the form of a cone of a very slight 

 elevation. At the time of flowering, or of the exsertion and dehis- 

 cence of the anthers, the fissure originally existing along the upper 

 face of the outer coat has disappeared ; with the exception of a 

 small portion at the apex of the ovule, which remains unclosed 

 throughout. The ovules are at this period in some species oblique. 

 The inner envelope is generally entirely enclosed within the outer ; 

 the points of its lacinese reach, however, to the opening existing in 

 the apex of this latter, and occasionally, but by no means univer- 



* * This division is perhaps similar to that which Brown states to take 

 place in Dacrydium." 



