ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY 



141 



1, pRiMULE^ distinguished by their herbaceous habit and capsular fruit, as at present. 



2. M.esej:, including Samolus, marked by their inferior ovary, and being partly composed 

 of herbaceous partly of woody plants, would form the transition to 



3* Mysine.e, woody, primulaceous plants with drupaceous fruiL 



4. ^GiCERE^, woody, with alveolate anthers, exalbuminous seed and follicular fruit. 



5. Theophraste^ with alternate sterile stamens and extrorse anthers— leading into Sapo- 



s circle. Many cases undoubtedly occur 



Myr 



think it ought to be, and this is one of them. 



b 



Character of the Order. Calyx 5-parted, imbricato-convolute to the left in a?stiva- 

 tion. Corolla 5-cleft, imbricato-convolute to the left in aestivation. Stamens 5, attaelied to tlir 

 base of the corolla ; filaments united at the base into a short tube; anthers versatile, S-lobcd^ 

 at the base, opening longitudinally, pollen lodged in a double row of cells or alveola?. Ovary 

 free, fusiform, 1-celIed ; central placenta ovoid, shortly stipitate ; style filiform, persistent ; 

 stigma acute. Ovules numerous, not immersed in the placenta, all except ], aborting, but 

 persistent ; the fertile ovule rapidly growing after the fall of the corolla, long-ellipsoid, exceed- 

 ing the dry compressed placenta. Shortly after the ovule begins to germinate at the base, the 

 elongation of the radicle stretches the stipe of the placenta, whichrfinally becomes the apparent, 

 but false funiculus, while the persistent placenta forms the hood covering the cotyledons at the 

 apex of the mature seed. Seed exalbuminous, curved ; embryo cylindrical, curved, thick ; radicle 

 inferior, sulcated. Pericarp elongated, arched, without nerve or suture, longitudinally striated, 

 somewhat fleshy within; punctuate with resinous matter, at length splitting lengthwise on one 

 or both sides. — Small trees or shrubs inhabiting salt marshes near the sea coast. Leaves alter- 

 nate, exstipulate, coriaceous, entire, obtuse, marked with minute depressed points. Flowers 

 usually umbelled, white, fragrant. 



Affinities. On this 



De Candolle observeei 



that they 



a 



Mysineaceas in their follicular fruit, want of 



ated almost anatropous seed, germinating within the sheath and, perhaps, from all other plants 

 y the great lengthening of the stipe of the central placenta during maturation ; and lastly by 

 the cells of the anthers transversely divided." In this last respect they do not seem to me 

 to differ materially from Rhizophora and Viscum^ in both of which the pollen is lodged in colls 

 or alveolae, the same as here. 



Properties akd Uses. 



Nothing known. 



Geographical Distribution. Widely distributed over the tropics in salt mai 

 the sea shore. Natives of both coasts of the Indian peninsula, the whole of the Mala} 

 pelago as far as Java, New Holland, New Guinea. But I find no notice of the genus 

 and a very doubtful one of its existence in America. 



EXPLANATION OP PLATE 146. 



Mg 



flowering branch, natural size. 



1. A young flower-bud showing the convolute assti- 

 vation, ^ 



2, 3. Flowers in different states of expansion. 



J- Corolla detached, and opened to show the filaments 

 cohering at the base. 



5. Anthers, back and front views. 

 ,."• Calyx opened to show tiie ovary and style after 

 the fall of the coroUa. 



a o '^^^^sverse and horircmtal sections of the ovary. 

 »• Ovary cut open shortly after the fall of the coroUa, 



showing the enlarged fertile ovule, and numerous abort- 

 ed ones on the placenta. 



10. The ovule more advanced, the elongation of the 

 stipe of the placenta commenced. 



11. Pull-grown seed. 



12. The seed cut transversely after germination has 

 commenced, the centre sublignious, the circumference 



corticose. 



13. Seed in sitti. 



14 Removed from the follicle. 



15. Calyptra detached, showing the cotyledons. 



U 



