40 



NATUJIAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



u 



(fig. 70), the chief reservoir of juice is formed by the adventitious 

 roots, whose cortical portion becomes thick and fleshy, emptying 



itself later on to supply ma- 

 terials for the development of 

 the buds situated a little above 

 the roots near the collar of the 

 plant.' 



Close to Ranunculus comes 

 the genus Mji(miru>? (figs. 71, 

 72), which differs from it in 

 but very few characters.^ The 

 most marked is the great elon- 

 gation of the receptacle, which 

 resembles a small cylindro- 

 conoidal branch, bearing suc- 

 cessively one above the other, 

 tlie perianth, the androceum, and the gynseceum, whose pieces are 

 spirally inserted.^ The calyx consists of from five to six sessile, free 

 sepals, imbricated in the bud, and having the base pro- 

 duced beyond the point of insertion into a little tongue- 

 shaped spur closely applied to the peduncle. The petals 

 nearly equal in number to the sepals, and alternating with 

 them, have a quite peculiar form (fig. 73). A very narrow 

 claw supports a limb hollowed out to form a glandular 

 cavity, which has its border much prolonged (but only ex- 

 ternally) likethe bowl of a spoon. The stamens are lew in 

 number, and the basifixed anther has two adnate extrorse cells 



Myosur 



Fro. 71. 



Flower. 



Fio. 72. 

 Longitudinal section. 



stems may be detaclied in winter, and put forth 

 adventitious roots in the spring, so as to form 

 an many distinct plants. (See further on 

 tlie vegetation of F'uaria, tlic researches of 

 (iKUMAiN i>E Saint-I'ikukk, Bull. Soc. Phil., 

 Jan. 18fJ2, and JJull. Soc. Bot. Fr., iii. 11.) 



' In B. oritnlaim (Genus Cyprianlhe Sl'ACll, 

 8uil. a Buff., vii. 220), the tul)er contains the 

 nutritive malti-r in the cortical portion of its 

 adventitious roots. Wo liave described (Adan- 

 tonin, iv. 32) tiiis tuber as analogous to the 

 subterranean jiortion of JJa/ilia, with a small 

 central axis bearing above a crown of buds, 

 and lower down cjnical adventitious roots tieshy 

 on the outside. 



We think it right to again call the attention 

 of the reader to the utility of consulting all 

 that luMiBCU haa written on the organs of 



vegetation of the Ranunculacea in general, and 

 the Eanunculi in particular. (See note 3, 

 p. 44.) 



^ Myosurua DiLL., Not. Oen., 106. — T., 

 Inst., 293.— L., Oe».. n. 394.— Jrss., 0«»., 233. 

 — DC, Piodr., i. 25.— Spach, SuH. a Buff., 

 vii. 192.— Endl., Oen.. n. 4780.— H. H., Gtn., 

 5, n. 8. 



* So that several authors have called the 

 typical species of this gemis Ranunculus mini, 

 muit (Afz.. Liljdb. .Sr. /7.. 230, ex DC, /. cit.). 



* According to 1'ayi:u {Hull. iSW. I'Mlomat., 

 May 17, 1815, 59), the arrangeuient of the 

 flond ai)j)endic«8 is rcpresente<l by the fraction 

 j", as in the Ranunculi ; litnco the variable 

 luimber of stumens, and their constant jmsition 

 with regard to the sepals. 



