146 Transactions of the Society. 



This peculiar form would perhaps enable them to float longer, 

 and prevent them from sinking into the marsh. It could also 

 serve to attach them to aquatic plants, and to birds. 

 Seeds of this peculiar form also appear in Nepenthes. 

 Colchicum (C. autumnale). — What appears to be the flower- 

 stalk is really the tube of the corolla, and the ovary is under- 

 ground. Perhaps the advantage of this is that as the plant is an 

 autumn flower, and lives in northern and mountainous districts, 

 the seeds would not have time to ripen before the cold weather 

 sets in. The seed capsule remains, however, underground all the 

 winter, rising to the surface and ripening its seeds in the following 

 spring. 



The seeds have a comparatively large caruncle, which becomes 

 viscid when wet, and thus adheres to the feet of passing 

 quadrupeds. 



Juncace^e. — The fruit of this order also consists of three 

 carpels, and is either 1-celled or 3-celled according to the 

 degree of development of the septa. The seeds are in some 

 species few, in others numerous. The capsules dehisce in a 

 variety of ways, the most frequent being loculicidal, while some 

 are indehiscent. Our two British genera, the Eush (Juncus) and 

 the Wood-rush (Luzula) are very widely distributed on the earth's 

 surface, while the other genera are confined to the Southern 

 Hemisphere. 



About 200 species have been described. 



The seeds are ovoid, elliptic, or globose ; very rarely flattened. 

 Juncus (the Rush). — The fruit is a capsule, opening at the 

 summit, and from which the seeds are jerked. 

 The elasticity of the rigid stem assists in this 

 ^""iA considerably. 



k. The seeds differ considerably in size and 



:\] number. Another striking difference is that in 



w some species the testa is closely applied to the 



endosperm ; while in others it is produced into a 

 ty-XJ loose colourless tail at each end, which is con- 



tinuous with the funicle or seed stalk at the 



SeeToi' Juncus baSe - 



acutus. x % 15. ^ ne ^ rst g rou P includes J. conglomerate, J. 



ap, op, appendage ; ^US, J. glauCUS, J. balticus, J. filiformis, J. 

 R, raphe. squarrosus, J. compressus, J. articulatus, J. supi- 



nus, J. lamprocarpus, and J. bufonius. 



The testa is prolonged and colourless in J. acutus (fig. 26), 

 J. maritimus, J. triglumis, J. biglumis, J. trifidus, and J. castaneus. 

 This form reminds us of that in Narthecium ossifragum, and may 

 be an advantage for the same reason. 



The largest seeds are those of J. squarrosus, J. acutus and 

 J. supinus, while those of J. lamprocarpus, though the plant is 

 many times larger, are very small, but much more numerous. 



