138 
WALTER P. THOMPSON 
Of course the individual trees do not flower continuously but may 
begin to flower at any time. Between the appearance of the strobili 
and the formation of young green fruit a period of two or three months 
elapses. In the males as in so many tropical trees there are several 
flowering periods. One crop of inflorescences appears, matures and 
falls within a few weeks and within another few weeks another crop 
appears. The remaining species have more definite flowering seasons. 
Most of them begin about February in Java but the height of the 
season is reached in May. Individual specimens may not flower 
until long after this. Consequently in May and June one may obtain 
at the same time on different specimens many stages in the life history. 
When a specimen of G. ula begins to flower in February, young fruit 
with a large endosperm and suspensors will be present in May. 
4. Inflorescences 
I. Normal, (a) Staminate. — The staminate inflorescences usually 
appear in the axils of leaves, often in the old axils from which the 
leaves have fallen. As in the case of vegetative branches, it appears 
that new inflorescences may develop year after year in the same axil. 
Often two inflorescences will appear in the same axil at the same time. 
Frequently they are terminal. Frequently, too, they occur on the 
old wood of stout stems particularly on the naked parts of the stems 
of climbing species. 
In some species each inflorescence consists of a single strobilus 
{G. moluccense) . In others three strobili form a ternately divided 
inflorescence although the two lateral ones may be suppressed (G. 
gnemon). In others again the whole inflorescence may be profusely 
branched or paniculate {G. sp. jj). The strobilus itself, as is well 
known, normally consists of an axis bearing a series of collars (connate 
bracts) in which the flowers are borne attached to the axis. The 
constituent bracts of the lowermost collar are often distinct. The 
flowers are numerous and occur massed together in a low spiral above 
each collar. Invariably above each set of staminate flowers are 
abortive ovulate ones normally arranged in a single ring. The in- 
variable occurrence of these abortive ovulate flowers in staminate 
strobili is a fact not sufficiently appreciated. Certain abnormal 
staminate strobili which appear to have considerable significance are 
described in connection with similar ovulate ones which are commoner 
and more easily interpreted. 
