118 
Mr. Brown's Observations on the 
duced, which is the earliest notice I have yet found of this* 
organ in Composite, except in Batsch's Analysis Florum, pub¬ 
lished in 1790, where it is both described and figured in Coreopsis 
tripteris. The merit, however, of establishing its nearly univer¬ 
sal existence in the hermaphrodite florets of this extensive class 
belongs to M. Cassini. 
Both Von Rohr and Richard in their characters of Melananthera 
have described the anthers as shorter than the corolla, which is 
indeed the case in a particular state of the flower; immediately 
after its expansion, however, they project considerably, and 
again become inclosed in the more advanced stage. This fact 
has been noticed by Jacquin*, who considers the final inclo¬ 
sure of the anther® to be owing to the elongation of the corolla. 
But the actual increase in length of the corolla is very slight, 
and by no means sufficient to account for the appearance; the 
real cause of which is a considerable, and I believe a gradual, 
contraction of the filaments. This oeconomy is not unfrequent 
referred to it. The following characters, however, prove it to he sufficiently distinct. It 
may be named 
Lipotrichk. 
Involucrum duplici serie imbricatum, subaequale. Receptaculum convexum, paleis folia- 
ceis, distinctis. Capitulum radiatum. Ligulce (simplici serie) femineas. Flosculi her- 
maphroditi, stigmatilus appendice acuto hispidulo. Achenia subuniformia, turbinata ; 
Pappo setaceo, caduco. 
Herbae (Africae aequinoctialis) Folia opposita, indivisa. Pedunculi terminates, terni. Invo- 
lucra hrevia, foliacea. Paleae receptaculi carinatce, nervosce, acutce. Corollulae jlavce. 
Ligulae elongatce, 3-denf.atts. Antherae nigricantes, subinclusts, Iasi muticce. Acheniurn 
obtuse tetragonum. Pappus, in disco verticis depressi, brevis, e selulis simplici serie, 
numerosis (8—10), distinctis, denticulate, caducis vel deciduis. 
Melanantherae proximo accedit: affinis quoque Ecliptae Linn. Wedeliae Jacq. et Diome- 
deae Cassini (in Journ. de Phvs. tome lxxxii. p. 145.) sed ab his omnibus satis distincta 
videtur. 
* Collect, ii. p. 291. lc. Rar. iii. t. 583. 
Ill 
