330 Groom . — On Thismia Aseroe ( Beccari ') 
tooth. The ovary is inferior, unilocular with three parietal 
placentae. The ovules have long filaments and develop very 
late. The style surmounted by three-segmented stigma is 
short, reaching up to the point of the terminal teeth of the con- 
nectives. The flower is proterandrous. It will be seen that 
both the pollen and nectaries are very completely hidden and 
protected. The structure of the flower suggests that it is cross- 
pollinated by means of small flies. I imagine that they crawl 
down the staminal tube, go on to the stigma as a landing place 
at which to turn round in order to crawl up to the nectaries. 
It seems probable that they then walk up the nectar-tunnels, 
and being unable to turn round continue up and emerge 
through one of the six windows in the top of the staminal 
tube, accidentally taking, en route, some pollen either from 
the pollen-sacs or from the hairs on the furrows. 
It is usually stated that the perianth-tube and the top of 
the ovary fall off together when the fruit is ripe. Such is 
not the case. The perianth wholly severs its connexion with 
the ovary before the fruit ripens, and subsequently the lid of 
the ovary separates as an operculum. (See Fig. 19.) 
Histology of the Inflorescence-axis. 
The inflorescence-axis at its base bears a few very small scale- 
leaves crowded together ; higher up the scales increase in size 
and are separated by distinct internodes till close under the 
terminal flower there is an involucre of three relatively large 
scales. 
The axis itself is not terete, but is more or less winged. 
At the growing-point a dermatogen is visible, but in mature 
parts there is no definite regular epidermis preserved ; a num- 
ber of the cells have peeled off. The superficial cells have 
only a very delicate cuticle on their outer walls. They are 
narrow and elongated longitudinally. Fungal hyphae run 
over the surface but do not penetrate. 
The cortex is composed of about ten layers of parenchy- 
matous cells with not very small intercellular spaces. Amongst 
these cells are some raphide-mucilage sacs. At the base 
