THE MOXOCOTYLEDOXES 



2087 



shall not consider the family in detail here but will mention a few of its 

 more striking features. 



The Burmanniaceae are a small group of annual or perennial herbs, 

 chiefly saprophytic, which occur in tropical forests. There are about twenty 

 genera described which contain under 100 species (Fig. 2023). The largest 



Fig. 2023. — Burmanniaceae. A, Thismia mocabetisis. Flowering plant. B, Flower in 

 section. Apteria setacea. C, Flower in section. D, Flowering plant. {After 

 Engler.) 



genus is Burmatuiia with about twenty species. A few are green herbs 

 inhabiting damp sandy places, but the majority are leafless saprophytes 

 growing on humus on the forest floor. They are usually red, yellow or 

 white in colour, with scale-like leaves, and the stem ends in a raceme or a 

 one-sided cyme. The flowers are actinomorphic and the perianth cup- 

 shaped with all segments alike. A few are zygomorphic due to a great 

 development of the median outer perianth segment. There are usually two 

 whorls of three stamens and the ovary is surmounted by a trifid style. 'I'he 

 fruit is a capsule which may split in various ways, sometimes apically. The 

 genus Thismia contains about fifteen species which are saprophvtes in the 

 tropical forests of South America, Indo-Malaya and Africa (Fig. 2024). The 

 plants are among the most remarkable in the world in appearance as the 

 figure will indicate. 



It is generally considered that their wide distribution indicates that the 

 family, despite the high degree of specialization, is of ancient origin. The 

 chief centres of distribution are Brazil and Malaya. 



