260 On Azolla and Salvinia. 



The character framed by Mr. Brown, leaves as usual, little 

 or nothing to be desired. He considers the capsule con- 

 taining the yellow sac, etc., to be the male : the other capsule, 

 i. e. that containing the pedicelled sphaerical secondary cap- 

 sules, the female. Of the two cited characters, if I may pre- 

 sume to judge, I prefer that of the Prodromus. That of the 

 Appendix to Flinders presents some modifications, the most 

 important of which appears to be the substitution of " In- 

 volucrum interius" for " Capsula communis," which latter 

 term is, I think, very happy. Another regards the substi- 

 tution of " corpuscula" for " Antherae ?" unaccompanied how- 

 ever by any increased doubt of their being the male organs. 

 For this alteration may perhaps be taken as indicating, that 

 though sexes may be present, yet the male must not ne- 

 cessarily be an antheriform body, which some writers would 

 seem to have insisted on.* 



By Martius the pedicellate sphasrical secondary capsules 

 are called " sporangia," their contents " grana," and the cap- 

 sules themselves "indusia,"f these he considers doubt- 

 fully the females. The others which he considers with 

 equal doubt to be the males, he describes to consist of a 

 " calyptra," subsequently circumcised, containing a " vesi- 

 cula," on which is placed a three-legged axis bearing semi- 

 immersed "corpuscula," and adhering to the apex of the 

 calyptra. The "grana" or contents of the sphaerical se- 

 condary capsules are stated to be furnished with hairs,J but 

 this appears only to apply to the American species. 



The principal aim of M. Meyen's account is to establish 

 a generic difference between the American and Asiatic spe- 

 cies, but the genus Rhizosperma, intended to contain the 



• LindJ. Introd. Nat. Ord. p. 407, extr. Mem. Wern. Soc. 

 t His synonym " involucrum, R. Br." should have been " involucrum in- 

 terius ;" it has no application to the character in the Prodromus. 

 \ See t. 75, f. 1*, 18, 19. 



