60 NEILGHERRY PLANTS. 
OROBANCHACEE, 
This is a curious order of parasitic plants, growing on the roots of others, just as 
Loranths grow on the branches. Though thus corresponding in the peculiar property or 
power of appropriating to their own nourishment, the juices of other plants, these two 
families are as widely distinct, in all other respects, as are their respective stations on 
the plant that fosters them. 
The Loranths are woody plants, with green leaves; the Orobanchs have soft herbace- 
ous stems, and, for the most part, brownish white, or yellowish leayes, or rather scales, for 
they never acquire the development of leaves; in both families there is a tendency to 
the accumulation of a mass of vegetable matter, just above the union with the supporting 
plant, as indicated by the large woody masses, occasionally observed on the branches 
of trees, at the point of union between the parasite and stock. In like manner when 
Orobanchs are dug up along with their nourishing plant, it is very often found that the 
supporting root, is not much thicker than a pack-thread, while the base of the attached 
parasite is as large as a man’s fist or larger, with several shoots springing from its surface. 
This family, as regards the structure of its ovary, and botanical relations, has given 
rise to much difference of opinion, Mr. Brown and, I believe, most Botanists, being of 
opinion that it is strictly in accordance with that of other dicarpellary families, in bearing 
the placentas on the margins of the carpels, and opening along the middle of the valves, 
while Dr. Lindley advances the opinion, that the placentas do not appertain to the mar- 
gins, but spring from the middle of the valves, the line of dehiscence being along the 
margins. The discussion, in a purely botanical point of view, is a very interesting one, and 
has been fully entered into in my Illustrations of Indian Botany, but does not seem to me 
to require being gone into here, beyond simply remarking that for myself I adopt Mr. 
Brown's views, and in accordance with them, place this order between Gentianacee and 
Cyrtandracee, as agreeing in the structure of the seed with the former, and in the ovary 
and flowers with the latter. With Scrophulariacee it also corresponds in the structure of 
the seed, but differs in that of the ovary. In practice it is easily recognized by its habit, 
as being made up of “herbaceous, leafless plants, growing parasitically on the roots of 
other species, having the stems covered with brown or colourless scales.” Characters taken 
from the flowers are variable. Some, as for example that shown in the accompanying 
plate, have a perfect calyx and corolla, but in others the calyx is obsolete or wanting. The 
corolla is generally irregular, personate. The stamens are didynamous, usually within the 
tube, but the anthers vary, being sometimes all perfect, consisting of 2 parallel polleniferous 
cells, in others, as the accompanying species, one of the cells of each anther is imperfect, 
and, in place of containing pollen, is reduced to the form of a long pointed spur, while in 
others it is altogether wanting. The ovary is superior, but, as seen in a cross section, pre- 
sents considerable differences. For the purpose of acertaining these differences, the best 
method. of, proceeding is, to allow the flower to wither or even become quite dry, but 
without pressure, by which the thick spongy placenta becomes shrivelled. If it be then 
moistened, so as to become so soft and pliable as to eut without crumbling, the structure 
is very easily made out. This plan was unfortunately not practised when preparing the 
accompanying drawing, which therefore does not show the structure, so well as it might 
have been exhibited. In this genus the inflexed placentiferous margins of the valves 
