CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY. 
83 
between them will be discussed when we come to consider that 
genus. I propose to unite with them a species which I had placed 
in Stemonurus, under the name of S. laxijiorus (Cuming, no. 189, 
from the Philippine Islands), and also Dr. Wight’s variety of 
S. polymorpha, figured in plate 953 of his leones.’ 
The structure of the putamen bears much analogy to that of 
Pennantia : it is covered with a very small quantity of pulp, and 
is strongly ribbed by several longitudinal irregular lines : it is 
more coriaceous than osseous, and is of an oblong form, somewhat 
flatter upon the ventral face, on which side, a little below the 
summit, is seen a caruncular prominenee, beneath which is a 
foramen communicating with the interior of the cell. On the 
same side near the base is another foramen ; this however does 
not penetrate into the cell, but it pierces the substance of the 
shell obliquely by a hole which comes out in the point of its at- 
tachment to the calyx. Between these foramina is a deep groove 
filled with a thick chord of fibres : this chord, issuing from the 
interior of the nut, out of the upper perforation, descends through 
the basal passage just described, and terminates in the torus of 
the persistent calyx. By making a careful incision through each 
side of the shell, the cell is seen filled i\fith an oblong seed, which 
is suspended from a thick funicular support, continuous with the 
raphe on one hand and with the chord before mentioned on the 
other : in Pennantia these parts are attached to one another, but 
here the bundle of fibres is eontinuous with the raphe, as well as 
with the external chord, that terminates in the basal torus. The 
raphe does not descend along the centre of the dorsal face of 
the seed, as in Pennantia, but takes a somewhat lateral course 
towards nearly the bottom, when it makes a sudden tm-n, and 
curving in a hippocrepical form ascends the opposite side of the 
same face, terminating in a caruncular prominence upon the apex 
of the seed. The thin integumental covering apparently con- 
sists of two adherent membranes, in which the raphe is imbedded ; 
but there is no thickening of these membranes at the base, nor 
any appearance of a chalaza, unless the caruncular swelhng at 
the apex can he so considered. The albumen is fleshy, and its 
embryo almost divides into two nearly equal portions, interposing 
a vacant space between them, and leaving on the edges only a 
very narrow solid rim of its albuminous substance to connect 
them •, the embryo entirely lines this space, and consists of two 
extremely thin, almost pellicular cotyledons, which are oblong, 
nearly the size of the albumen, cordate at the summit, with a 
short terete radicle in its sinus. I have had an opportunity of 
examining only a single seed, and I can affirm with confidence 
that its structure was that above described. A result so greatly 
at variance with other recorded observations will naturally create 
M 2 
