2953] 



REVISION OF BRACHYOTUM 



353 



some flowers on an otherwise normal-flowered branch will have anthers variously 

 shriveled or shrunken and obviously non-functional. Lagerheim (1899) commented 

 on such abortions in B. ledifolium, as well as the floral adaptations for bird pol- 

 lination in this species. The only dimension cited for filaments and anthers in the 

 species descriptions is the length. 



The connective is unprolonged or prolonged ventrally immediately below the 

 anther into an appendage which curves along, and is for some distance adherent 

 to, the lower edge of the anther. The length of this basal prolongation has been 

 measured from the dorsal edge of the connective, where it bends inward at the 

 point of articulation with the filament, to the ventral (adaxial or inner) end of the 

 appendage; the length of the ventral portion of the connective which is free of the 

 anther has also been cited. The ventral end of the appendage is bilobed to vary- 

 ing degrees; sometimes the lobing extends back dorsally beyond the point of ad- 

 herence of the anther. The lobes may be rounded or irregularly lobulate; minute 

 apiculi occur sporadically on these lobes. The dorsal end of the connective at the 

 anther base frequently has a small nubbin where the curve of the dorsal edge of 

 the anther meets the straight line of the filament. This nubbin is usually antrorse, 

 rarely retrorse; it is of no taxonomic significance, being sporadically present or 

 absent on anthers of the same flower. 



Gynoecium. The style is usually exserted at anthesis and continues to in- 

 crease in length even after the corolla drops, but is persistent for only a short 

 time thereafter. Between the apical lobes of the ovary, it is slightly contracted; 

 apically, usually inconspicuously, it tapers to the punctiform stigma, which is 

 merely an inconspicuous grouping of glandular papulations at the tip of the style. 



The ovary is inserted at the base of the hypanthium, being completely sur- 

 rounded by but free from it. The apical portion of the ovary is always pubescent, 

 with eglandular or gland-tipped hairs. The tops of the carpels are extended for 

 varying distances above the tops of the locules. These "apical lobes" are some- 

 times not discernible, the distance cited in the specific description then being 

 merely the thickness (0.1-0.3 mm.) of the carpel wall. Placentation is axile, with 

 numerous ovules per locule. 



Fruit and Seeds. The hypanthium and sepals in fruit are about one and one- 

 half times as large as at anthesis. The dry capsule dehisces loculicidally. Usually 

 more than 50 per cent of the seeds are obviously aborted; fertile seeds are coch- 

 leate, 0.4-0.9 x 0.25*0.6 mm., and pitted, 3~5 pits per 0.1 mm. No qualitative dis- 

 tinguishing characters are apparent in the seeds and paucity of material prohibited 

 use, even if feasible, of size classes of seeds for specific differentiation. 



ARRANGEMENT OF SPECIFIC DESCRIPTIONS 



A standard order for the material embodied in the species descriptions has 

 been followed: type of trichomes, vegetative features (branchlets, petioles, leaf 

 blades), reproductive features (mery, inflorescence, hypanthium, sepals, petals, 

 stamens, pistil). Following the description are: 



1. Type collection and place of deposition of type material; type locality. 



2. Type photographs, usually those of the Chicago Museum of Natural History 



series (F ), or those taken by H. A. Gleason at various European herbaria. 



Such photographs were available from several herbaria (F, GH, NY, US). In addi- 

 tion to the cited photographs, a new set of photographs of many of the types ex- 

 amined during the course of this study are deposited at the New York Botanical 

 Garden. 



