262 



THE GLOXINIA FAMILY. 



America, of the warm valleys of the Himalayahs, and of the islands of 

 the Indian Archipelago, one or two species only inhabiting Europe. 

 One of these, the Raniunda Pyrenaica, is occasionally seen in choice 

 collections of alpines. At the first glance, many of the family might 

 be taken for allies of the foxglove, the corollas being highly suggestive 

 of that noble flower, and the leaves rough and crumpled ; and it must 

 be confessed, that except for some peculiarities in the ovaiy and the 

 seed, they might be not inappropriately classed together. In the 

 Gesneraceae the placenta is asile, and the cotyledons are comparatively 

 minute ; in the Foxglove Family the placenta is parietal, and the 





Fig. ].o3. 



Stamens and Pistil of 

 Gloxinia. 



Fig. 152. 

 Flower of Gloxinia. 



cotyledons of the usual proportion as to size. In the Gesneracese 

 there is also a strong tendency to form epigynous flowers, which in 

 the Foxglove Family is never seen. The Gesneracea? are mostly her- 

 baceous, and often rise only a few inches above the ground, whereby 

 the large size of their flowers is made more remarkable, as in the case 

 of the Gloxinias, which have the habit somewhat of primroses. They 

 are often succulent ; their leaves are simple, rough, and exsti])ulate ; 

 the corolla is tubular, pentamerous, and more or les# irregular ; the 

 stamens two or four, in the latter case didynamous ; the ovary solitary 

 and large. A common occurrence among them, and ready charac- 



