ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 



191 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE 164, 



1. BarUria involucraia^ flowering branch. 



2. Corolla split open, stamens in situ. 



3. Back and front views of the large anther. 



4. Calyx and ovary. 



5. Detached ovary. 



6. and 7. Cut transversely and longitudinally. 

 8. A half-grown capsule. 



9. 10. Cut transversely and longitudinally, showing 

 two of the young seed in situ. 



IL A full-grown capsule with the persistent calyx, 

 19. The same detached. 



13. In the state of dehiscence. 



14. A detached seed with its retinaculum. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE 164-b. 



1. Thunbergieae. Meyenia Hautayniana. (Nees.) 



9. Nelsonieae. Ebermaiera glauca, (Nees.) 



3. Hygrophileae. Hemtadephis polysperma. (Nees.) 



4. Ruellieae. Endopogon versicolor (R. W.), and Slro- 

 bilanthits sessilis. (Nees.) 



5. Barlerieae. Lepidagaihis cristaia, (Willd.) 



6. Acanthess. Blepharis Boerhctavi/olia. (Juss.) 



7. Aphelandreae. Crossandra azUIaris' (Nees.) 



8. Gendarusseae. Gendanissa TVanqmharensts, (Nees.) 



9. Eranthemeae Rhinacanthus communis. (Nees.) 



10. Dicliptereae. Didipiera bivalvis. (Juss.) 



11. Andrographideas. ^ndrographis lobelioides* (R.W. 

 Erianthera lobelioides. Nees.) 



CXIV.— SCROPHULARIACEiE. 



r 4 



This is an order of great extent, including about 180 genera and 2000 species of plants. 

 It was first indicated by Jussteu, but divided by him into two orders, Scrophularieoe and Pedicnla- 

 res, orders which, at their extreme points, seem sufficiently distinct, but which, when compared 

 throughout, are found to interblend at so many points as to render separation unadvisable ; hence 

 nearly all Botanists are now agreed on the propriety of uniting them. 



The essential characteristics of the order are, corolla monopetalous, usually more or less 

 irregular: stamens two or 4, didynamous: ovary free, 2-celled with axile placentae: capsule 

 2-valved : seed numerous, minute, albuminous. In an order of such vast extent there must of 

 course be various exceptions to these marks, but I fancy it may be safely stated that no plant in 

 which they meet, belongs to any other order. Two others, however, do occasionally become so far 

 interblended, at certain points, as to render their discrimination difficult ; though in reality the 

 three orders are all essentially distinct, and for the most part easily distinguishable : the two to 

 which I allude are OrobanchacecB and Solanaceoe. 



The former is distinguished by its one-celled ovary and parietal, inflexed placentae, aided 

 by the very remarkable habit of the plants ; the latter by its regular, plicate corolla, and 5 

 fertile stamens. Boundaries so fine as these are of course easily overstepped ; hence, in the one 

 case, we find Harveya and Aulaya, Cape genera, referred by some to Scrophulariaceoe, and by 

 others to Orohanchacece, I coincide with those who adopt the latter_ view, though in Striga 

 Orohanchoides we have a true Scrophularinous plant, with the parasitic character and habit of 

 Orohanchacece. And in the other case, Verbascum and Celsia are by many referred to Solan- 

 accB, whose essential character is to have regular, peutandrous flowers, free, 2-celled, superior 

 ovaries, with axile placentation. As regards the corolla, in Scrophulariaceoc, there seems no end 

 to its variations. In Veronica it is nearly regular; while in Lady's Slipper, Snap-dragon, and 

 Larkspur, it is most Irregular. I copy from Mr. Bentham's monograph of the order, m 

 De CandoUe*'s Prodromus, the following — 



Ch ARACT ER OF THE Order. Flowers hermaphrodite, usually irregular. Calyx free, persis- 

 tent, 5-4 merous. Corolla monopetalous, hypogynous, pentamerous, or by union of the upper 

 lobes, tetramerous, rarely 6-7 merous or, by the union of the lobes, 2-hpped ; aestivation bJabiate 

 or irregularly imbricate, the upper lobes either exterior or within, very rarely, m some ot the 

 diandrous or didynamous genera, plicate. Stamens inserted on the corolla, alternate with its 

 lobes, the upper ine very often, and sometimes also the two anticous or posticous sterile, or 

 deficient, the remaining ones usually in equal pairs; anthers 2-cel ed, either confluent or dimidi- 

 ately one-celled; cells dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary free, 2-celled ; ovules numerous in each 

 cell, inserted near the axis of the partition, anatropous or amphitropous; style simple or shortly 

 l^ifid, the stigmatic portion slender or thickened, entire, or 2-lobed. Fruit capsular with various 



