645 
subterranea (at least in its broad-leaved states), is con- 
siderable and the two have actually been confused, it may 
be useful to point out the following differences; 
Kerstingiella geocarpa. 
Flowers subsessile in the 
axils of. the leaves, paired 
or solitary without a dis- 
tinct common peduncle. 
Calyx deeply divided, with 
narrow, linear , subequal seg- 
ment s . 
Style glabrous . 
Stigma terminal , capitate . 
Stipes of pistil lengthen- 
ing considerably after fer- 
tilization. 
Seeds oblong - ellipsoid, 
6-7 mm. by 5 mm. 
Voandzeia subterranea. 
Flowers usually in pairs 
on a common, more or less 
hairy, peduncle terminating 
with a callous swelling. 
Calyx with short, broad 
and uneven teeth. 
Style hairy on the inner 
side upwards. 
Stigma lateral , below the 
pointed apex of the style. 
Pistil without a stipes. 
Seeds globose-ellipsoid. 
1-1.5 cm. by 0.9-1.05 cm. 
"The mechanism by which the pods of Kerstingiella 
become buried in the ground is very singular and almost 
unique in Leguminosae. When the flowers, which seem to be 
chasmogamous , are fully developed, they are close to the 
ground. After fertilization the solid base or stipes of 
the pistil, which in the flower is very short, lengthens 
into a carpopodium and at the same time turns towards the 
ground; then the corolla and the style are thrown off. The 
ovary, still very small, is pushed out of the calyx, and by 
the root-like carpopodium gradually driven into the ground, 
wha^e finally the growth and the maturation of the ovary 
into the seed-bearing pod takes place." (From the Bulletin 
of Miscellaneous Information, No. 5, 1912, of the Royal 
Botanic Gardens, Kew, England.) For distribution later. 
LICANIA PLATYPUS. (Rosaceae.) 34915. Seeds of the 
sonzapote from San Jose, Costa Rica. Presented by the 
Department of Agriculture. "It grows in the form of a 
tree, rather scarce on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, but 
more common in other parts of Central America, where it is 
