384 Scientific Intelligence. 



perianth. In C} r noniorium, the only genus with hermaphrodite flowers, 

 the stamen is epigynous. Balanophors are epigynous calyciflorals, and 

 ought, according to Hooker, to be placed between Haloragese and Gun- 

 nera in a linear series. 



A Balanophora growing on the Maple roots in Tibet produces great 

 knots on the roots whence the Tibetans make cups. Cynomorium is an 

 extra-tropical genus, attaining latitude 41° in Europe. Mystropetala and 

 Sarcophyte inhabit South Africa. A species of Helosis is found in the 

 La Plata district, and species of Balanophora and Rhopalocnemis in 

 Northern India, Cynomorium coccineum ranges from the Canary 

 Islands to the mouths of the Nile through 3000 miles of longitude. 

 Rhopalocnemis is found in latitude 27° in East Nepal and Sikkim, on the 

 Khasya mountains of East Bengal, and in Java near the line. Bala- 

 nophora fungosa is found in East Australia and in Tanna, places sepa- 

 rated by 1500 miles of ocean. Langsdorffia hypogaea is found in Oaxaca 

 in Mexico, on the mountains of New Grenada, and at Rio Janeiro, a 

 range of 4000 miles. — (Jos. Hooker in Proc. of Lin. Soc, Feb. 1855). 



Wellingtonia gigantea. — Dr Torrey has recently had an opportunity 

 of counting the circles in a complete radius of the trunk of the famous 

 Wellingtonia, now exhibited at New York, and he finds that they are 

 1120 in number. From the data furnished by Dr Torrey, we find that, 

 on the radius examined — 



Inches. Inches . 



First 100 circles occupy a \ -, ^ ; Seventh 10© circles occupy a ) ^ 



breadth of J ' 2 j breadth of J ' 4 



Second do. ... 14 Eighth do. ... 11 



Third do. ... 12* Ninth do. ... 10 



Fourth do. ... 13" Tenth do. ... 11 



Fifth do. ... 16i Eleventh do. ... 11 J 



Sixth do. ... 8f The remaining 20 layers, 1 



There are 1120 circles in a semi-diameter of 135 inches, or 11 ft. 3 inches. 

 The facts show that the tree lacks about three centuries of being half as 

 old as it was said to be. Its enormous size is owing rather to its con- 

 tinued rapid growth. Gray thinks that there is no adequate specific dif- 

 ference between Wellingtonia and Sesquoia, and that the tree must 

 henceforth be called Sesquoia gigantea. — (Silliman's American Journal, 

 vol. xviii. p. 286.) 



Medicinal and Economical Plants of Victoria. — " The inestimable 

 truth, that we may safely deduct the closest affinities of the medicinal 

 properties of plants from their natural alliances — a truth which achieved 

 the most complete triumph of the natural system over all artificial classi- 

 fications — has generally guided me in tracing out which plants might be 

 administered in medicine. By this guidance I observed, that our Pimeleas 

 are pervaded with that acridity for which the bark of Daphne Mezereum 

 is employed ; that our Polygala veronicea, the only described Australian 

 species of a large genus, and in close relation to one lately discovered in 

 the Chinese empire, not only agrees, like some kinds of Comesperma, 

 with the Austrian Polygala amara, in those qualities for whicli that plant 

 has been administered in consumption, but also participates in the me- 

 dicinal virtue of Polygala Senega, from North America. Gratiola lati- 

 folia and Gratiola pubescens, Convolvulus erubescens, and the various 

 kinds of Mentha, are not inferior to similar European species. The bark 

 of Tasmania aromatica appears to me to possess the medicinal power of 

 the Winter's bark, gathered from a similar tree in Tierra del Fuego ; 

 and its fruit is allied to that of the North American Magnoliae used in 

 cases of rheumatism and intermittent fever. The whole natural order of 



