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WILLIAM ALBERT SETCHELL.
present, it is simply to be placed among the "species imperfecte descriptae." The second species, Balanophora Esquirolii Lév., is also incompletely and imperfectly described but the author does say that the staminate flowers are trimerous, which may indicate that the plant is a Balania. The androecium, the all-important character, is not mentioned, however, and nothing is said of the character of the tubercle or rhizome. For the present, these two species may be referred, although doubtfully, to the assemblage centering around Balania Harlandii.
The Balanophora minor Hemsley (1894, p. 411, pl. 9, fig. 1), was also collected in Hupeh, China (Faug), and by A. Henry. Since only the pistillate plant is known, the exact relation to Balania is uncertain, although Its chief character it may be suspected (as Valeton, 1913, p. 130) has done.
is its "
very small dimensions," as Hemsley (1894, p. 411) expresses it. Among the Hong Kong specimens are a number of mature plants not over 1.5-2.5 inches in height. The capitulum of B. minor is proportionally more elongate than any in the Hong Kong series. Balanophora minor Hemsley may be interrogatively placed in the assemblage of Balania Harlandii (in the broader sense).
Returning to the plants designated by Makino as Balanophora tobiracola and B. Wright, a great difference is seen to exist between them and Bulania Harlandii. Balanophora tobiracola Makino differs from Balania Harlandii and all the other species of Balania and Bivolva, although having a very similar androecium, in having the staminate flowers distant from one another, without the conspicuous anastomosing bracts which form the char- acteristic alveolar hollows whence the staminate flowers arise, and surround- ing the staminate flowers are the pistillate flowers with their spadicels. Traces of this arrangement may be indicated for Balania involucrata by Hooker (1859, p. 44) in his statement:-"I never found male capitula to bear any but very rudimentary female flowers scattered along the edges of the alveoli in which the lower part of the male perianth is sunk."
Specimens determined as B. tobiracola, kindly provided by Professors Kimura and Yamada, indicate the absence of any large bracts and alveoli about the staminate flowers, but each scems denscly girt with pistils and spadicels. Large bracts are present, but scattered and never forming alveolate pits for the staminate flowers.
Balanophora tobiracola Makino well constitute a
may
second genus
of the Balania group (or tribe, Balanieac), for which the name Balancikon may be proposed, with diagnostic characters of staminate flowers with parts in threes and with horizontal triangulately arranged anthers adnate to the bases of the divisions of the calyx (as in Balania), staminate bracts absent, and with staminate flowers and pistillate flowers intermingled.
The genus Balaneikon will include two species (if these are distinct from one another) :-
Balaneikon tobiracola (Makino) comb, nov.
Balanophora tobiracola Makino, Bot. Mag. Tokyo, 24: 29; f. xviii, 1910.
The Hong Kong Naturalist.
The Hong Kong Naturalist Supplement.
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Plate 5.
No. 1.
841
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