92 THE PELIOSANTHES OF 
wers solitary or more rarely two or three together in each bract. 
Petals and sepals lanceolate, usually similar, spreading or in- 
curved. Stamens six, usually forming a fleshy ring, the broad 
filaments being connate, but sometimes free, anthers very small 
introrse. Pistil adnate to the staminal ring, or partly or 
entirely free fromit; style short conical, with three small re- 
curved stigmas. Ovary superior or inferior, rarely half inferior, 
three celled. Fruit capsular, splitting at the top when very 
young. Seeds one to three developed, pushing through the 
top of the capsule when quite young “and developing outside 
it, oblong and pale blue when ripe, with a thick fleshy outer 
coat. 
The most striking peculiarities in the structure of the 
flowers are those of the staminal ring and the fruit. 
In the allied genera the stamens are all separate, and in 
P. stellaris they are almost separate, that is to say they can be 
easily separated without tearing. Inthe other species however 
the filaments are joined into a thick fleshy ring. This ring is 
also joined to the lower part of the perianth and often tothe 
lower part of the ovary. The point at which the staminal ring 
and ovary join forms really the best way of separating the 
different species. Thus in P. violacea, one of the commonest 
species, a longitudinal section through the flower shows that 
the ovules are above the point at which the staminal ring 
joins, so that in this plant the ovary is superior. In P. stedl- 
aris on the other hand, the ovules are below the junction, 
and the ovary is inferior. 
The peculiar way in which the seeds develop has been 
described in the account of the genus. It is almost unique in 
the vegetable kingdom. However many ovules there may be 
in the ovary, only one, less often two, and more rarely three de- 
velop, the others withering up. The seed grows in the ovary, 
but soon getting too large pushes its way through the top of 
the ovary and ring of stamens and projects as an oblong body 
at first of a peculiar deep green colour, then when ripe of a 
bright azure blue. This blue part is the testa or seedcoat which 
is fleshy and apparently eaten by birds or mice. Within this is 
a hard globular endosperm enclosing the embryo. ‘The whole 
arrangement is destined to aid in the dispersal of the plant. The 
conspicuous blue outer coat serves to attract the birds, which 
