Decembers1'}        Botany  and  Materia  Medica.  6n 
rapidly  germinating  seeds,  or  in  other  structures  where  rapid  solu- 
tion of  reserve  material  is  desired,  the  grains  are  small,  and  easily 
fissured. 
Mr.  R.  A.  Rolfe  has  monographed  the  genus 
Vanillas  of       Vanilla,  and  the  Kew  Bulletin  for  August,  p. 
Commerce.        169,  abstracts  the  historical  and  descriptive 
account  of  the  species  yielding  the  commer- 
cial fruits.    Four  species  appear  to  yield  all  the  vanillas  of  com- 
merce, and  two  other  species  are  indicated  as  worthy  of  experi- 
mentation in  this  connection. 
Vanilla  planifolia?  Andr.,  Bot.  Rep.,  viii  (1808),  t.  538. — A  tall 
climber,  with  very  long,  somewhat  flexuose,  succulent,  green  stems, 
and  slender,  flexuose  ©r  twining,  white,  aerial  roots,  opposite  to  the 
leaves.  Leaves  subsessile,  oblong,  acute  or  shortly  acuminate,  suc- 
culent, bright  green,  4  to  9  inches  long,  \  y2  to  2j4  inches  broad. 
Racemes  axillary,  2  to  3  inches  long.  Bracts  numerous,  spirally 
arranged,  oblong,  sub-acute  or  obtuse,  concave  or  conduplicate,  2  to 
6  lines  long,  gradually  diminishing  upwards.  Pedicels,  1  y2  to  2 
inches  long ;  green.  Sepals  and  petals  linear,  oblong  and  obtuse  ;  2 
lines  long;  light,  glaucous  green.  Lip  trumpet-shaped,  a  little 
shorter  than  the  sepals  and  petals,  of  the  same  color,  united  to  the 
sides  of  the  column  to  near  its  apex,  and  then  convolute  around  it ; 
apex  three-lobed,  mid-lobe  longer  and  retuse,  margin  revolute  and 
denticulate,  nerves  carinate,  and  those  in  front  densely  crenulate, 
verruculose,  buff  yellow;  disc  with  a  tuft  of  retrorse  hairs  about  the 
middle.  Column  clavate ;  1  y$  to  l%  inches  long;  hairy  on  the 
face.  Capsule  elongated  linear,  obscurely  trigonous ;  6  to  9  inches 
long ;  6  to  7  lines  broad. 
3  As  Salisbury's  name,  Myobroma  fragrans,  antedates  that  of  Andrews,  it  is 
apparent  that,  if  the  law  of  priority  be  here  applied,  the  correct  binomial  would 
be  Vanilla  fragrans  (Salisb.).  There  were  at  least  four  binomials  applied  by 
earlier  authors;  but  as  several  species  were  in  each  case  confounded  under  the 
same  name,  it  is  difficult  to  decide  positively  which  of  these  yet  older  names 
should  be  retained  for  this  species.  If,  however,  we  accept  the  determinations 
of  Rolfe,  that  these  names  in  part  referred  to  this  species,  and  adhere  to  the 
priority  rule,  the  synonomy  would  appear  to  be  : 
Vanilla  Vanilla  (L.),  1753. 
Vanilla  Mexicana  (Mill.),  1761. 
Vanilla  aromatica  (Su.),  1799. 
Vanilla  fragrans  (Salisb.),  1807. 
Vanilla  planifolia  (Andr.),  1808.  G.  M.  B, 
