176 ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY- 



CIX.— GROBANCHACE^- 



This is a. curious order of leafless, parasitic plants growing on, and drawing their nourish- 

 ment from, the roots of others, just as Loranfhacece grow on and obtain their nourishment from 

 the stems and branches of those to which they attach themselves. Its proper place in the 

 vegetable aystem is still undetermined; some Botanists viewing it as most nearly related to 



jfulai 



For myself I certainly coin- 



cide with those who consider it most nearly related to GesneriacecB^ as now limited by Endlicher 

 and Brown. Both orders havQ unsymmetrical, more or less perfectly personate flowers; didy- 

 namous stamens; one-celled ovaries with deeply-inflexed, carpillary, placentiferous margins; 

 anterior and posterior carpels ; and seed more or less albuminous. Gentianece^ while agreeing 

 in the general structure of the ovary and seed, differ in having regular, symmetrical, not per- 

 sonate flowers. The exact value of this last character may perhaps be disputed, but if it holds 

 good in one case it should in another^ and, if I do not mistake his meaning, Lindley separates, 



Scrofulariacew from 

 d placentation from Scrofulariacece 



They differ in the 



with strictly axile placentation. Influenced by these views, it appears to me that Or ohmichacece 

 naturally fall^ into this place, as having very nearly the ovarial structure of the Gentianecp, 

 M hile it coincides with Gesneriacece in the form of the flowers, structure of the ovary and, in 



part at least, in that of the seed. 



characters 



Vol. 11,), the last writer on the family, I shall introduce an extract, bearing on the subject, 

 from some remarks published in the 4th Vol. of my Icones, which, though drawn from a com- 

 paratively limited series of observations, may still, with the aid of analysis, be useful in assisting 



Lperfect 



made 



by habit than structure, namely, ^Herbaceous, leafless plants, growing parasitically on the 

 roots ot other species ; stems covered with brown or colourless scales.' Characters taken from 

 the flowers are variable or common to several other families, those taken from the stamens and 

 sty e are ot a conflicting kind, and so also are those obtained from the ovary and fruit, but it is 



on these last that T tlimt iho. nrrcof/icf ^^i:«..«« „ i i ._ i • _ . .. ^ . ' 



e species 



ated.. Calyx tubular, or, as in Orobanche 

 former by the bracteoles, and in the latter 



IZT.utr. rsf^ ""-/i! o"" ^^^M'-feguJf. tubular. Stamens didynamous, usually incluse? 

 sternTor luLJfl ""f ^ Pn'^"'^ polleniferous cells, or imperfect, one of the cells being 

 It Iv slltic?? ilZ'S f^ ^'f ^ '"P^"^""' ^-^«*^«^' «^ spuriously 2-celled or, rarely, per- 

 Sriartl th« TT' -'^ ^-ri ''',^"'' '"'•P^'^' usually placed, when two, anterior and 

 IcaZl alllTl r% ^J't *\" P>''"\f ''^^' ^"d ^'^' ^ «^"5^« ^ery numerous. Fruit 

 t\eX^ A^rLt^^^^^^^^ --^-"^^te ;V^ryo minute, at 



of the plants, wiU be found 



and has fiiraished 



d. 



constant. The placentation differs in the 

 owing division of the order into sections 



Ih covered w^^^^^ "^ ^^°°^ ^ ^« ^ prominent parietal lines, 



thrtylof trese^rPrTtr''^''^ Ia/'Adi|,^a ramo.a ^Rd^LathrJ squamaria\respect\ve\y 

 TJlF''""! \^T ^^«^^i*)^ the carpels coalesce at the points of junction; but the placentiferous 



free, and 



80 as to raZT:ht^^±.^y'^^ «»^ ^^ a^""'!^^ ^^ ^H side* .riA a^ule^/but in 



partition bet vreen the 



Hy(^mncke, the inflexed 



the placentiferous mardus stH rL^:; V '^%^^'«'>rmmg a spuriously 2-celled ovary, but 

 each cell." ^ ' '^'^^ '*"^'° ^^^"^ ^< ^emg reflexed, form 2 loose placenta in 



