Gnetum , with some Notes on the Structure of Inflorescence . 605 
‘Diandrum esse conjicio, filamento vasorum fasciculi 2 laterales adsunt, 
nec centrales ut in filamentis monandris et anthera vere didyma e loculis 
2 omnino discretis.’ 
Strasburger 1 gives a detailed account of the male inflorescence of 
G. Brunonianum . The cupule subtending each nodal ring of flowers 
represents two fused bracts. The internodes are short (1. c., Taf. xxi, Figs. 
1 and 2). In each ring the uppermost flowers are female (incomplete) ; 
below these there may be as many as sixty male flowers. The basipetal 
order of development of the flowers in each node is indicated in Figs. 2 and 5 
(1. c.). Each flower is surrounded by a number of filamentous hairs. The 
two anthers stand laterally on the summit of the axis, the two perianth 
leaves being placed antero-posteriorly. In the axis of the inflorescence the 
bundles are arranged in a ring from which the numerous leaf-traces arise ; 
these pass out direct to the leaf-cupule ; before entering the latter they 
give off branches which proceed upwards and outwards to supply the 
flowers. These latter form a somewhat indefinite ring lying outside the 
main cylinder and within the circle of leaf-traces. This median ring gives 
rise to small complexes of four or more bundles, each of which passes out 
to a flower. The complexes which supply the female (incomplete) flowers 
consist of somewhat larger bundles and their grouping occurs somewhat 
earlier than in the case of those which pass into the male. The spike 
commonly ends in a single terminal incomplete female flower. The two 
bundles in the axis of the male flower terminate each as a group of spiral 
elements immediately beneath the anthers. The perianth differs from that 
of Ephedra in that each of its two constituent leaves is traversed by 
1-3 vascular bundles ; these are reduced to a few spiral elements, but 
can nevertheless be followed to the upper edge of the leaf. The arrange- 
ment of the bundles thus described and figured 2 corresponds closely with 
that found in G. scandens (cf. Text-fig. 2). The anthers dehisce by trans- 
verse slits ; the structure of the anther wall is similar to that of Ephedra . 
The pollen is oval, often almost round ; the exine bears no protuberances, 
but contains definite thin areas or pores. The same author 3 later states, 
on the authority of Karsten, that there is no prothallial cell in the pollen- 
grain and that shortly before the opening of the anther there are present, 
in some two, in others three, nuclei. 
Karsten 4 in 1892 made some reference to the germination of the 
pollen-grain, but did not deal with the earlier stages until a year later. 5 
He then described the development of the anther and microspore from the 
study of material representing six Malayan species. The youngest node in 
the inflorescence bears no flowers. There are about nine incomplete female 
flowers at the top of each axillary ring. The male flowers are much 
1 Strasburger, E. (’72). 2 Strasburger, 1. c., Taf. xxi, Figs. 5 and 14. 
3 Strasburger (’80). 4 Karsten (’92). 5 Karsten (’93). 
