42 ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 



Sksuviaceae.— Calyx5 parted, petaloid within. Corolla none. Ovary one (by abortion ?) 

 or several celled, placenta in tbe axis of the cells, or when one celled, cohering to the side: 

 ovules several, superposed, attached by longisii podosperms. Capsule usually becoming one-cell- 

 ed by the obliteration of the partitions, or, spuriously, transversely 2 celled, circumscissile (de- 

 hiscing transversely) little above the base,— Succulent herbaceous plants. Trianihema, Se- 



sitvium 



Paronicheaceae.— Sepals 5, more or less cohering at the base, persistent : petals 5, shorter 



than the calyx, inconspicuous, or somewhat imperfect, marcescent . stamens .5, or three, by 

 abortion, shorter than the calyx : capsule I -celled, 3-valved : placenta central in the base of the 

 cell with numerous seed attached by distinct podosperms to the base. Pohjcarpea, Hapalosea, 

 Drymaria. 



MoLLUGiNEAE. — Scpals peisistent : corolla wanting or imperfect, the petals resembling ste- 

 rile stamens : stamens 5 lU sometimes 3 by abortion : ovary free 3-5-celled, placenta in the axis 

 of the cells, extending their whole length; ovules numerous superposed : capsule 3-5celled 

 dehiscence loculicidal. Mollugo, GlinuSy f Orygia. 



To this last genus our Glinus trianthemoides belongs. Tt is referred to this section by 

 Endlicher and Meisner, but having a perfect corolla may possibly yet find a more suitable sta- 

 tion, though for the present I can propose no better place. 



In this distribution I have excluded the name Ficoideae, which has especial reference to 

 Mesembryanthemum — the Fig marigold— a Cape genus of great extent and diiFering, in appear- 

 ance, most widely from all the rest of the tribe, not only in its flowers, which are curious, much 

 resembling a radiate composita, but in its fruit, which is very remarkable, but with the struc- 

 ture of which, Botanists, though the plants are now cultivated in every green house in Europe, 



seem imperfectly acquainted. 



} 



as 1 am aware, who has described its appearance, with sufficient accuracy to lead to the suspici- 

 on that it presents any marked peculiarity. DeCandolle describes the ovary as from 4 to 20- 

 celled adnate within the substance of the calyx, f Ovarium calyci adnatum intus pluriloculare 

 f^-2QJ saepim 5-loculareJ the capsule as many celled adnate to the calyx and dehiscing in a 

 star-like manner at the summit. No one would suspect from this any peculiarity. Endlicher 

 however takes a different view. He describes the ovary as composed of from 4 to 20-carpels, 

 horizontally verticelled round a thick central axis, with the margins of the carpels, forming the 

 ventral suture free above, or valvately connate, or introflexed forming a more or less perfect 

 spurious partition. Placentas linear, adnate to the middle nerve of the carpel, occupying the 

 bottom of the cell."* 



According to this description the usual position of the placenta and consequently of the 

 Whole carpel IS reversed. The normal structure of a carpel is, for the ventral seclure to be 

 placed in the axis and there bear the placenta. Dehiscence, when loculicidal then takes place 

 along the dorsum, or middle nerve, on the side most remote from the axis. Here, according to 

 the above description, we find matters wholely reversed, the dehiscence is loculicidal, but in the 

 L r f aT"""^ sphtting to give passage to the seed, the ventral suture, which in other plants 



L Tn n r f r •' '^f' ' 1 f ''^u° ^' ^''^ ^"^ *° °P^" ^« «i^« ^^^^ P«««age J while the placen- 

 tpnpr.f?r^' 1 ! T^""""'^ ^'^ *^'r,""^°" ^^ themarginsof the carpellary leaves, is said to be 

 generated by the midribs or cost^ Can such an inversion really happen ?^ 1 certainly think not, 



and therefore suspect the learned author has fallen into error in supposing Ue ventral suture 



ltrr/rtsbrtredort"f"*' 7t'' ^^^^ '^^^ ^PP^- tome,atEed'toa b oadgynobase, 

 Which, by raising the dorsal face of the carpel from the horizontal to the vertical asnect produces 



w t^cSTrlbfeSrcetf ''" "^^-^f ^^^ ^^^«^^'"«^ *« ^^^^ view, ^S Xe'el^ I offer 

 frorthe examinatif of^^^^^ .^ acquaintance with the fruit of this genus is altogether derived 

 irom the examination of dried specimens of three or four species, the flowers are not epigynous, 



em crassani sub- 



constitueutibuB valva- 



medis 



