•224 



mountains. Tl)e plants grow on all kinds of hosts, and, in contrast 

 with most other members of this genus, are also often found on 

 species of Ficns. They are rather conspicuons by reason of their 

 bright green foliage and the bright yellow colour of their ripe fruits. 

 These fruits are spindle-shaped and pointed at both ends. The green 

 seeds are also spindle shaped and are enclosed in a thick layer of 

 juicy fruit-flesh. The layer of mucilage is not so strongly developed 

 as in other species of Loranthus and is really found only at one 

 end of the seed. 



This is the part of the seed which in the fruit is turned towards 

 the fruit-stalk. The seeds are not attached by their lateral edge, 

 but at the extremity, and the connection with the substratum is not 

 so firm as in other species. After a good shower of rain the seeds 

 may be seen hanging by a thread of mucilage, loosened from the 

 substratum. On drying they usually attach themselves again to 

 the stem. In the course of a da^' the mucilage becomes, however, so 

 hard tliat the seed remains fixed in its place. There appear on the 

 side of the seed opposite the substratum five small, soft, white pro- 

 tuberances, which are placed in a ring round the apex. If these 

 portions are removed, the extremity of the endosperm and the apex 

 of the hypocotyl become visible. 



The embryo consists of a well-developed hypocotyl, whose extremity 

 is already enlarged in the seed to a discoid sucker with glutinous 

 apex, and of two cotyledons. The latter are bright green like the 

 rest of the embryo and about 1 m.ni. long. The germination of these 

 seeds is attached to a branch, the apex of the hypocotyl begins to 

 emerge from between the soft bosses. After 24 hours the hypocotyl 

 already projects one or two m.m. from the seed. The hypocotyl 

 continues to develop unlil it is a green filaments — 7 m.m. in length. 

 The apex becomes broader and broader and continually more sticky, 

 After 36 hours a curvature of the filanicnt becomes visible and 

 usually the substratum is already reached after two days. The disc 

 is then attached to the surface of the host and becomes very much 

 broader. 



After a few days the mucilage layer by means of which the seed 

 was fastened to the substratum becomes loose and the hypocotyl 

 now begins to straighten itself again. The seed is thus drawn away 

 from the branch and then stands up erect on a green stalk 7 — 9 m.m. 

 in length. The endosperm is now used up and the testa falls off 

 after a few days and then the two cotyledons spread themselves out flat. 



This brings germination proper to an end. In the meantime the 

 haustorium has made itself a way into the host. 



