140 ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 



XCVIL— ^GICERACE^. 



There is a group of sea-shore plants, the Mangroves (Rhi^ophorecE), whose seed have the 

 remarkable property of commencing germination before they quit the parent fruit. The species 

 of this family are like them, sea-shore plants and like them the large seed (fig. 11) is not com- 

 posed as nsual, of large cotyledons and small radicle but of very small cotyledons on the apex 

 of a greatly enlarged and germinating radicle. 



This circumstance led Linnaeus, on the authority of Rumphius, to suppose the species re- 

 presented in the accompanying plate, a true Mhixophora^ which he accordingly designated R. 

 cornicutata. Gartner afterwards partly corrected the error, but himself fell into another, 

 in mistaking the radicle for the cotyledons, which are concealed under the hood or calyptra 

 shown in figs. 13, 1 4" and 15. Konig (Annals of Botany I. 129) advanced our knowledge of the 

 peculiarities of this plant another step, by an excellent description and correct analysis of all 

 its parts. These Brown confirmed and at the same time refered the genus to his order 

 MyrsinecEj where most Botanists continue to place *it. 



In 1834 Blume (Annals des sciences) indicated it as forming the type of a distinct family, 

 which view has been more recently adopted, after a most elaborate examination of the whole 

 Mysineous group, by Alph. De CandoUe, whom again I follow in viewing this order as distinct 

 from MyrineacetE. 



The question may here be fairly mooted which of the two opinions is the right one. 

 Paradoxical as such language may appear, I think, I am safe in setting out from the proposition 

 that this is both an easy and a difficult question to answer. If we take enlarged views as 

 to what constitutes an order, and construct them all somewhat on the principles which have 

 guided Botanists, in the construction of such orders as Ranunculacege, Capparide*, Leguminosae, 

 Rosacea?, Rubiaceae, Euphobiaceae, &c. there can be then no question that ^giceracece can only 

 be viewed as a sub-order, but then FrimulacecB must be another. If Primulaceae is kept dis- 

 tmct mainly on account of habit, we are surely not merely justified, but required to separate 

 ifc^giceraceae m which we find distinctions drawn from both habit and structure. In regard to 

 Labit we hnd the one growing constantly in salt marshes, and germination commencing before 

 the seed drops from the plant, while the rest of the order are comparatively inland in their pre- 

 S ir; Tl ?rt '^'^,f ^'.^ *^^ fil^»"«"ts are united at the base, the anthers are alveolar 

 thP flnU Pf/";!' P T'^l^' ^l^^ *^^^ ^^ Rhizophora and Viscum, the placenta is not alveolate, 

 allmmpn Tn «!? ' f^ Embryo is erect not transverse, and finally the seeds are without, 

 DWn a>r Jp «f nT"^ ''^^"^'"^ ^'' *^PP°«^t« the lobes of the corolla and the 



be^eei nrenondll T "' ^^^'''"'' ^'^'''''^ ^'- ^^' S^^^^^^ for separation, it will then 



central fref- the p.wM \' ''?^^'"^.' "^^^'^^^^ «PP«^i^« the lobes of the corolla, placenta 

 n°.''*.'._ '^'' the essential character of the order and ricndlv 5.^.^^^ fn If Tn that case 



jEgice 



^gi 



ttfm as nTturai orS not "^' '\ ?°''°^^'^ ^'"^'^"^' ^^^^^ «^^^^« ^^^^^ ^^^^' "^^ 

 compl^nt of exLslel^I i T T^''^^'^ g^^^^a, and then we shall have fewer occasions for 



8it7the lobes ofXcrok^^r^^ ''"'i^f ^}'' ""'^'^ «" the broad basis of "stamens oppo- 

 together and kep there a^^ the whole is brought 



gr'oups for to:.K^.^^^^^ P-ts can be conveniently distributed m 



This 



■^giceraceee 



following 



diate this hT put ;„„'' Xm in onTT' k""' '° ^'' °"''™''^' ''"» »' t^" ^^"^ ""^ ^ '%' 



♦k j^__ °F^i^LUig bjsiem m our higher OTmma -la h^^-. 4.„j ^^^^ *« ;*«np(l( 



than advance 

 families. 



groups 



families. Assuming that this svnthpfU t^ ' apparently, insufficient grounds great naturae 

 together Ij the ahoVXlcrerr The" S'f.r.^^.'TP'o.? *", 'he grfup of /ant. brougW 



distributed into the followiner sub 



\ 



