763 
of Edinburgh, Session 1871-72. 
Monday , 3 d June 1872. 
Professor W. J. MACQUORN RANKINE, Vice-President, 
in the Chair. 
The following Communications were read :— 
1. On Dimorphic Flowers of Cephaelis Ipecacuanha , the 
Ipecacuan Plant. By Professor Balfour. 
I have reported already to the Society (p. 688) the results of the 
cultivatiou of the Ipecacuan plant in the Botanic Garden, and its 
successful propagation by Mr M‘Nab by root-cutting. By this 
means it has been sent in considerable quantity to Calcutta, under 
the direction of the Secretary of State for India. From the Garden 
at Kew, in 1863, a plant was sent out to Dr King, and of late he 
has been successful in propagating it by cuttings of the stem above 
ground. So that from both sources there seems to be every prospect 
of the plant being extensively cultivated in India, the climate of 
which in many places is favourable for its growth. The so-called 
root of the Ipecacuan may be said to be composed of a sort of under¬ 
ground stem capable of producing leaf-buds, as well as true roots. 
I have already stated that the plants in the Botanic Garden have 
been derived from two sources,—one from a plant sent by Sir Wm. 
Hooker more than 40 years ago, and which he had procured from 
Mr M‘Koy of Liege; the other is from plants sent from Rio 
Janeiro by Dr Gunning. There is an apparent difference in the 
characters of the plants from these two sources, but not such as to 
amount to a specific distinction. Hooker’s plant has flowered 
pretty freely, but never produced fruit until last year, when the 
pollen was artificially applied from one flower to another. All the 
plants from this source have long stamens and short styles. 
The plants sent by Dr Gunning have grown well, but it is only 
recently that they have flowered, and now there are several speci¬ 
mens in flower, and some are fruiting after artificial impregnation. 
In this series of plants there are evident dimorphic flowers. In 
some the stamens are long and the style is short; while in others 
the style is long, projecting much beyond the corolla, while the 
stamens are short. 
