PECULIAR PLANTS. 197 



interesting. A section of the fruit would lead one to 

 suppose that there are three carpels, whereas there 

 are but two. Eichler thus explains the anomaly : 

 One dissepiment only is formed, instead of two, as in 

 the Labiates and Borages. Thus, of the four ovules, 

 two are isolated and two are in contact. Of these 

 latter one is suppressed, while the other usurps the 

 whole of that cell : thus, a three-celled ovary results, 

 each cell with one seed. 



Ophiopogon (Snake's-Beard ; whence this peculiar 

 name ?) might aptly be called " plante a surprises." 

 An ordinary grass, to all appearance, you may pass 

 it by a hundred times without suspecting anything, 

 until it betrays itself by bearing some beautiful blue 

 berries : hence the French name " Herbe aux 

 Turquoises." These fruits dehisce before they are 

 ripe, like those of Mignonette (Reseda). On exa- 

 mining the herb, you learn that it belongs somewhere 

 near to the great Lily and Asparagus alliance. The 

 grass-like foliage and open fruits are not the only 

 peculiarities of this plant. The roots are like a string 

 of beads (moniliform). I have seen the same 

 structure in the root of a Bignonia. The filaments in 

 the flower of Spider-wort (Tradescantia) are monili- 

 form ; every botanist has made use of these to observe 

 the circulation in the protoplasm. Another very per- 

 fect necklace on a small scale is formed by the cells 

 of Nostoc, a gelatinous Alga which appears on gravel 

 walks after rain. There is a larger bead at intervals. 



Gardeners out here use the Ophiopogon, as we 

 do Thrift (Armeria), to form a border. A few years 

 ago we had some tufts of it which a tame goose used 

 to crop quite close. I could not get that unbotanical 



