ASCLEPIADACE^: 353 



The corolla is utterly unlike that of any other flower, 

 and consists of an inflated base connected by a narrow 

 tube to the top part, which is formed of five pairs of 

 oblong lobes, each lying flat against the adjacent of 

 the next pair, on either side, and all joined together 

 at the top, so as to leave five elliptical spaces like 

 the windows of a lantern. Inside and at the bottom 

 of the corolla will be found the central structure of 

 stylar-head and stamens, fused together as in CALOTRO- 

 PIS, and surrounded by a five-toothed membraneous cup, 

 blotched with purple like the corolla. This is an out- 

 growth of the corolla and termed the coralline-corona. 

 Inside this will be seen, five rather long, green rods 

 leaning slightly towards the centre, and under each of 

 these a stamen with its two brown anther lobes. " From 

 the position of the anther we may conclude that 

 each rod is a development on the back of the stamen, 

 like the vertical curved buttress in CALOTROPIS, and 

 corresponds to it. The rest of the structure is too 

 minute to be easily made out, but the two flowers are 

 built up on much the same plan, only that there is 

 here no extension of the connective as a flap lying on 

 the stylar-head. 



CHARACTERS OF THE ASCLEPIADACE^E 



This plant and CALOTROPIS are very good examples 

 of the family ASCLEPIADACE^E, and the latter flower 

 being large is the one most easily studied. Most of 

 the family are twining herbs or shrubs. There is 

 always a white sticky juice (sticky because it con- 

 tains rubber), the leaves are opposite, simple, entire 

 and exstipulate. The inflorescence is a cymose umbel, 

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