Mr. Gardner on the Woodij Fibre of the Stems of Palms. 57 



1. L. diurna (Sibth.). Petals half bifid crowned, stem, leaves, 

 peduncles and calyces villose, leaves ovate-acute, flowers di- 

 chotomously panicled dioecious, teeth of the calyx triangular 

 short, capsule nearly globular with reflexed teeth. 



L. dioica, a.' Linn. Sp. PL 626. Sm. Eng. Fl. 2. 328. Eng. Bot. 

 t. 1579. 



L. diurna. Sibth. Oxon. 145. Koch. Syn. 107. 



L. sylvestris, " Hoppe" DeCand. Prod. 1. 386. 



Flowering in May and June. Flowers usually red ; rarely 

 nearly white. The length of the teeth of the calyx is variable, 

 but I believe the form to be constant. 



L. diurna, Sibth. L. vespertina, Sibth. 



2. L. vespertina (Sibth.). Petals half bifid crowned, leaves, pe- 

 duncles and calyces hairy, leaves ovate-lanceolate, flowers di- 

 chotomously panicled dioecious, teeth of the calyx linear-lan- 

 ceolate elongated, capsule conical with erect teeth. 



L. dioica, (d. Linn. 626. Sm. 328. Eng. Bot. 1580. 



L. vespertina. Sibth. 146. Koch. 107. 

 - L. dioica. DeCand. 386. 



Flowering from June to September ; not commencing so 

 soon, and continuing in flower much longer than the last. 

 Flowers usually white, but rarely reddish. In the figure in 

 Eng. Bot. the teeth of the calyx of the female flower appear 

 to me to be those of L. diurna, although the rest of the figure 

 agrees with L. vespertina. 



St. John's Coll. Cambridge, July 29, 1840. 



XI. — Some Observations on the Origin and Direction of the 

 Woody Fibre of the Stems of Palms. By George Gard- 

 ner, Esq., Surgeon*. 



The hidden remains of former worlds which the exertions of 

 geologists are daily bringing to light, are no less subjects of 

 wonder to the unlearned, than objects which give rise to spe- 

 * In a Letter addressed to J. E. Bowman, Esq. 



