320 
CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY. 
tioral parts, with six stipitated ovaries, in the $ flower. The only 
difference consists in the stamens ; for in Sychnosepalum the outer 
tilaments, always shorter, are free almost to the base, while the 
three inner ones, for nearly their whole length, are united into 
a central column, and at other times all the stamens are equally 
and more or less partially agglutinated together in two series ; 
the anthers are 2-celled, the cells being introrse, oval, dorsally 
affixed on the apex of a narrower fllament, collateral at their 
summit, but very divaricated at their base, and bursting by an 
obliquely longitudinal fissure. On the other hand, in Chondro- 
dendron the stamens are free to the base, and, though connately 
erect in two series, they are all firmly agglutinated to the androe- 
cium ; the filaments are thickened clavately at the summit, 
which is incurved, the anther-cells being lateral, widely separated 
and partially imbedded in the thick connective, which terminates 
in a long, salient apical point, these points of the stamens being 
connivent in the centre. Notwithstanding the great identity of 
characters before mentioned, I consider this difference in the 
structure of the stamens to be a feature of considerable import- 
ance, and consequently I do not hesitate to acknowledge Sych- 
nosepalum upon the same ground that I formerly urged in the 
instances of Anelasma and Elissarrhena. But in these latter 
cases Dr. Eichler has refused to acknowledge the validity of this 
distinction ; and as long as he persists in that determination, 
he should consistently relinquish his claim for the distinctness 
of Sychnosepalum, and merge it into Chondrodendron — a course 
which I do not recommend. Dr. Eichler describes three species, 
two of which are recognized below j but his third species be- 
longs to a very different genus, one which I formed many years 
ago upon two Brazilian plants of Blanchet’s collection : one of 
these, Eetandra ovata, nob., is the Sychnosepalum microphyllum, 
Eiehl. The fruit is not yet known; but, from the singular 
resemblanee of the ovaria of its $ flowers, and in the relation of 
its floral parts, to those of Chondrodendron, we may anticipate a 
similar seminal structure : I have therefore placed Sychnosepalum 
following the genus last mentioned. 
Sychnosepalum, Eichl. — Flores dioici. Masc. Sepala 15-24, 
ordine ternario dense imbricata, exteriora gradatim minora, 
oblonga, acuta, extus valde pilosa, rigidiuscula, erecta, 6 in- 
teriora majora, elliptico-oblonga, subsequalia. Petala 6, se- 
])alis dimidio breviora, oblonga, apice paulo truncata, imo 
gradatim angustiora, concava, lateribus a summo ad basin 
utrinque inflexis, carnosula, extus pilosa. Stamina 6, biseriata, 
petalis opposita, a basi plus minusve monadelpha; filamenta 
erecta, 3 exteriora paulo breviora, fere ad basin libera, teretia, 
