WRIGHT : THB SBNTJS DIOSPTROS 
It mast here be stated that the female flowers of D. acuta, 
D. sylvatica, and D. Ebenum may occur in the solitary or 
een the parts of a solitary 
r and the members of a female inflorescence. 
Development of the Female Flowers in D. Gardneri , D. 
Bmbryopteris , and others .—In D. Gardneri the pubescent 
flower bud arises in the axil of a new or old foliage leaf. 
The peduncle is very short and rarely exceeds 0*4 em. in 
length, but very soon two small leaves appear at right angles 
to the antero-posterior axis. In addition to these a third leaf 
may appear between the normal foliage leaf and the anterior 
side of the flower, and this may be followed by a fourth on 
the opposite side between the axis and the posterior side of 
the flower. Under ordinary circumstances, and even if the 
flowers be cut away so as not to greatly disturb surrounding 
organs, no development takes place in either of the bracts 
numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4. If, however, we now study the 
development of the female inflorescence in D. Embryopteris, 
we find exactly the same sequence of events, but in addition 
a flower bud appears in the axil of each of the small leaves 
on the primary peduncle (pL IX., figs. 7-10). Similarly 
with the female inflorescences of other species. It is further 
to be noted that when the female inflorescence forms a 
sessile duster the appearance of each flower is always pre- 
eed^ by .hat .£ the small leaf, and in many of them a 
considerable amount of abortion occurs. 
l ’f lwaito8li «»>» is a solitary f ema Ie flower 
surrounded at the base by an involucre of bracts, abortion 
since the lateral flowers in th ft 7 ° f eTolation ’ 
i-« D - Embr " 
