the Inflorescences and Flowers of Ephedra. 971 
antherophore away from the main axis of the strobilus, but borne some- 
what laterally and thus facing away from the axis of the antherophorc. 
Apparently this arrangement represents the original form of the anthero- 
phore from which the other more reduced forms are derived by fusion 
of the synangia. The fused synangia are often bilocular, quadrilocular, or 
irregular in form. In E. distachya the division of the antherophore into 
two extends occasionally almost to its base, 1 but in other cases it may 
be quite absent, the two uppermost synangia being thus brought almost 
into contact with one another. 
From this arrangement it is but a short step to the first stages of 
fusion and reduction in number of the synangia ; this has taken place in 
E . Torreyana (Text -fig. XVll) and E. aspera , in which the two uppermost 
synangia, one belonging to each half of the antherophore, are fused, giving 
rise to a single apical, commonly trilocular synangium (Text-fig. XV, c). There 
is often considerable variation within the limits of a single species, various 
stages of fusion occurring in the different antherophores even of the same 
Text-fig. xv. Diagram of antherophores of the various species, illustrating the reduction 
in number of the synangia by fusion. A = E. distachya ; B — E. distachya , nebrodensis , or fragilis ; 
c = E. aspera or E. Torreyana ; D = E. aspera or E. Torreyana ; E — E. Alte\ f = E. aspera or 
E. altissima ; G ~ E. altissima. 
strobilus. In E. Torreyana , for instance, cases occur in which the t wo inner 
synangia, like the uppermost pair, also fuse with one another (Text-fig. 
XV, D), so that there are two single median and two pairs of lateral 
synangia. 
In E. campylopoda 2 , a further fusion has occurred, the outer synangia 
of each half of the antherophore having fused with one another (Text-fig. 
XV, E), so that there are only four synangia, two median and two lateral. 
Next there are species in which the original eight synangia are represented 
only by three, one terminal and two lateral ( E . aspera , E. altissima, E. Alte 
(Stapf), Text-fig. XV, f), and finally in E. altissima the terminal synangium, 
which when present is generally trilocular, is commonly abortive, and the 
antherophore bears only two lateral synangia (Text-fig. xv, G; Figs. 6 a 
and 6 h, PL LXXXV). 
It is not intended to assert that these fusions here described are the 
only possible fusions among the synangia, all kinds of irregular fusions 
occur, distributed among the various species ; even in E. distachya and 
1 Also recorded by Stapf, 1889, p. 21. 2 Also in E. Alte , Stapf. 
3 S 2 
