Helen M. Armour. 
54 
of an ancestry with more complete flowers can only be decided oil 
wide comparative grounds. Compared with the ovule in the 
Piperaceae and Saururaceae, that of Chlorantlius is more bulky. 
The sporogenous tissue in it consists of a number of cells, and the 
embryo-sac mother-cell is apparent only at a comparatively late 
stage. The embryo-sac mother-cell undergoes a division in whose 
course presumably reduction takes place. 
These are all points of similarity to other Archichlamydeae 
usually regarded as primitive. The ovule of Saururus is intermediate 
between Chlorantlius and the Piperacem, since in it the mother¬ 
cell of the 'embryo-sac undergoes division, while the subsequent 
development of the seed resembles Piper. In Chlorantlius the 
mature embryo-sac and the later stages of development present 
no peculiar features. This tends to support Johnson’s conclusion 
that “the peculiarities of the embryo-sac o I'^Pcperomia have been 
secondarily acquired.” 1 The most probable conclusion from the 
floral structure appears to be that the Chloranthaceae is a group of 
the Piperales presenting in some points, and especially in the 
structure of the ovule, primitive characters in common with the 
majority of the Archichlamydeae, while in other respects special 
modifications of the flower are shown. 
1 Johnson. Bot. Gaz., Vol. XXX., 1900, p. 9. 
DESCRIPTION OF PLATES. 
Plate III. 
Fig. 1. Sketch of part of a spike of C. cliinensis showing position of the 
flowers, br., bract; st., staminal scale. 
Fig. 2. Flower of C. cliinensis seen from the adaxial side, showing the ovary, 
and the three-lobed staminal scale with its pollen sacs, ov., ovary; st., 
staminal scale. 
Fig. 3. Median longitudinal section of youngest flower of C. cliinensis. x 55. 
The ovule has not yet developed, br., bract; st., staminal scale; ov., ovary. 
Fig. 4. Median longitudinal section of mature ovary of C. cliinensis. x 40. 
The position of the ovule is shown. The outer and inner integuments 
enclose the nucellus in which is the large embryo-sac ready for fertilisation. 
st., staminal scale ; ov., ovary; x., so-called perianth. 
Fig. 5. Transverse section of staminal scale of C. cliinensis, showing the 
position of the vascular bundles and anther lobes, x 15. v.b., vascular 
bundle. 
Fig. 6. Median longitudinal section of young flower of C. brachystachys. 
x 15. st., staminal scale ; br., bract ; ov., ovary. 
Fig. 7. Sketch of staminal scale of C. brachystachys seen from below, p.s., 
pollen sacs. 
