Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/268

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VOYAGE IN SEARCH
[1793.

to the corolla by small fine threads, nearly of the same length with the antheræ.

The ovarium is at the top, of a roundish form, and surmounted by a style, of which the stigma is of a simple form.

The capsule is composed of six cells, each containing a number of seeds, most of which are unproductive.

I ought to observe, that one of the parts of fructification is often wanting.

I have given this plant the name of dracophyllum verticillatum, its flowers being disposed in rings.

These leaves are rough, and slightly dentated, or notched, on the edges. They leave their impression on the stalk as they separate from it, as is the case with all sorts of dracæna, with which that plant has a great analogy, even in the texture of the wood it produces. It is therefore of the division of minocotyledon, although it has a calyx and a corolla, and naturally takes the next place to the species of asparagus.

Explanation of the Figures, Plate XL.

Fig. 1. The plant.

Fig. 2. Blossom.

Fig. 3. The corolla magnified and cut obliquely, to shew the stamina.

Fig. 4. The capsule.

In