•J I 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



in the species easiest to study here, P. decandra 1 (figs. 21-28), 

 there are, as indicated by the specific name, ten stamens, each 

 formed of a filament free or united for a very short distance with 

 the base of the neighbouring filaments, and a nearly oboval, bilo- 

 cular, introse anther, dehiscing by two 



Phytolacca decandra. 



longitudinal clefts. 



Fig. 22. 

 Flower (f). 



Fig. 23. 

 Diagram. 



Fig. 24. 

 Longitudinal section of flower. 



Fig. 26. 

 Seed (f). 



Fig. 25. 

 Fruit (|). 



Fig. 27. 

 Longitudinal section of seed. 



These stamens are hypogynous, placed upon a single verticil and 

 corresponding by pairs to the intervals of the sepals (fig. 23). The 

 gynseceuni is free and superior ; in most of the flowers it is composed 

 of ten carpels, five being superposed to the sepals and five alternate. 

 They are united below, and free above to a distance which 

 varies not only with the age of the flower, 3 but even in different 



Nees, Fl. Germ., fasc. viii. t. 2. — Endl., Gen., 

 n. 5262.— Payeb, Organog., 303, t. 63.— Moq., 

 in DC, Prodr., xiii. sect. ii. 31, n. 13. — Lem. et 

 LYne., Tr. Gen., 455. — Phytolaca Rafin., Fl. 

 Tell., n. 627. — Sarcoca Rafin., loc. cit., n. 628. 

 — Pirainia Moq., Prodr., 29 (nee Bektee.). 



' L., Spec, 631.— Tttbp., in Diet. Sc. Nat., 

 atl., t. 20.— R*Y„ in Pot. Med. du xix e Steele, 

 iii. t. h.—Bot. Mag., t. 931. — P. vulgaris.... 

 Dill., Flth., ii. 318, t. 239, f. 309. {Grape of 

 America, Canada, of the dyers, sweet Spinnage, 

 Mechoacan of Canada, Merle a la laque, Great 

 Nightshade of India.) 



2 According to H. Mohl (in Ann. Sc. Nat., 

 ser. 2, iii. 331), the pollen is ovoid or spherical; 

 three grooves ; in water globular, with three 

 harrow bands, P. alyssinia, P. scandens. 



3 At first in almost their whole height, be- 

 cause they are raised by a common basilar por- 

 tion. Even in the green fruit, where they are 

 united to a great extent, ten deep grooves may 

 be distinguished which separate them one from 

 another, but these grooves disappear in almost 

 the whole length of the ripe fruit, which is 

 smooth on the surface (tig. 25). 



