The figure in Mr. Lindley’s work having been done from 
a dried sample, the slight failures in its general exactness, 
when compared with the living plant, are such only as are 
imputable to that circumstance. The peduncles and umbel 
are represented upright instead of reflexed, and the bractes 
and calyx as green and foliaceous instead of faintly coloured 
and membranous. We do not see however, even in the dried 
plant, why the involucre should have been described as. 
twofold, instead ofsimple with unequal leaflets, as it really 
is. We had no opportunity of inspecting a perfect flower ; 
but our draughtsman assured us that, in the umbel he 
drew from, no portion of the stigmas appeared above the 
anthers as in the native samples; a circumstance probably 
owing to want of force in the individual umbel, the last 
produced on the plant that season; others had blown 
nearly two months before. The petals seemed slightly 
rumpled, somewhat in the way of those of the Poppy. 
A copious flow of ropy limpid mucilage followed the 
cutting asunder of the flowerstalk, affording a striking 
exemplification of that part of the economy of the order. 
A miniature figure of the entire plant (said to grow to a 
large tree) is placed in our plate by the side of the inflo- 
rescence, and also one of the smallest leaves, each of its na- 
tural size. me 
« The subject of the article had been referred by Dr. Wallich originall 
« {9 PENTAPETES and subsequently to Domprya. To us it seems to dif- 
« fer much more from those two genera than they do from each other, not 
« only in general appearance, but in technical character. Not to mention 
« the great double involucre of AstRapmA, which is at least of as much 
« importance as the bractew, or outer calyx as they are usually termed, of 
“ many genera of this order, DomMBEYA and PENTAPETES have an outer 
« calyx of 3 leaves; AsTRAPa has none; but in its room one large bracte, 
«« which subtends the calyx properly so called; DomBrya and PENTAPETES 
«have an almost expanded corolla; ASTRAP#<A has its petals rolled toge- 
«ther like ACHANIA. There is a difference too in the number of stamens, 
« but this perhaps is not of so much consequence as the great length of their 
«tube, as compared with the shallow cup of Penrapreres and DoMBEYA. 
«« The same observations are applicable to PrERosPERMUM (PENTAPETES 
« of Jussieu), but that has neither bracte nor outer calyx; its flowers are 
« solitary and its whole habit very different. Whether the seeds of AsTra- 
« pmwA are winged or not we have no means of judging, except from the 
_ « ovules, which exhibit no trace of any appendage. The germen appears 
« to be that of a capsule of a thin rather than a woody nature.” Lindley loc. 
cit. 
! 
