The hypertrophied fruit of Bucida Buceras 



Melville Thurston Cook 



Specimens of the enlarged fruits of Bucida Buceras were 

 recently sent to me from the New York Botanical Garden by Dr. 

 W. A. Murrill for examination and my attention was called to the 

 fact that they contained mites in considerable numbers. The 

 material was collected in Jamaica by Dr. N. L. Britton. 



Figure i. 



normal 



outline of galled fruit of Buada Buceras, l% natural size. 



A careful examination of the material confirmed the observa- 

 tions of the workers in the New York Botanical Garden and also 

 convinces me that the hypertrophy is due to mites and may be 

 considered as a fruit-gall produced by the action of an undescribed 

 species of Eriophyes. 



An anatomical study of these en- 

 Jarged fruits and comparison with the 

 anatomy of the normal fruits present 

 the following facts : The fibro-vascular 

 tissues are increased in quantity but 



otherwise are unchanged. Theparen- . v , , , 



<%ma tissue was increased in quantity ^ URE 2 - Papilla of parenchyma 



a also formed into great numbers 



from ovary chamber. 



tt,ou lormea into great numbers 

 of papilla-like growths (figure 2) which projected into and prac- 

 tically filled the ovarian chamber to the sacrifice of the seeds. 

 At the base of the pod these parenchyma-cells had evidently 

 bached their maximum of growth and were undergoing degenera- 

 tion. They contained considerable quantities of yellowish-brown 



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