348 Parasitical Plants. — The Balanophoracece. 



PABASITICAL PLANTS.— THE BALANOPHOKACE^]. 



BY JOHN R. JACKSON, 



Curator of the Museum, Eoyal Gardens, Xew. 



(With a Tinted Plate.) 



The structure and habits of parasitical plants are so peculiar 

 and anomalous to those of other branches of the vegetable 

 kingdom, that they have not only claimed the particular atten- 

 tion of learned and acute observers, but are also of great 

 interest to all lovers of nature ; indeed one of the most popular 

 plants, the mistletoe, belongs to this class, as well as the 

 largest known flower in the vegetable world, namely, that of 

 Rafflesia Arnoldi. It is to the class of parasites to which the 

 Rafflesia was formerly considered to be allied — the Bala- 

 nophorce — that we wish to direct the reader's attention; Bala- 

 nophoracece Oytinacece, and Rafflesiacece were included by 

 Lindley under the head of Rhizanthce, which constitutes one of 

 his five divisions of the vegetable kingdom. The plants so 

 classed are all destitute of true leaves, but having instead 

 cellular scales they do not partake of any of the appear- 

 ances of other plants, having no indication whatever of green 

 colouring matter about them, but are either brown, purple, 

 yellow, or a pale, livid pink. They have short amorphous 

 stems ; that is, they are without regular or definite form, and 

 are always parasitical on the roots of other plants. They have 

 true flowers, with stamens, pistils, etc., but these flowers vary 

 considerably in their form and structure ; so much so, indeed, 

 as to induce some botanists to consider them widely distinct, 

 and to place them widely apart in botanical classification. Dr. 

 Hooker is of opinion that the Balanophoraz have no affinities 

 whatever with Rafflesia, but are nearly connected with Halor- 

 ageacce, to which the Trapas belong. 



Numerous papers have been read from time to time at the 

 various learned societies both here and on the continent, on 

 the structure and affinities of the various genera and species of 

 the Balanophorai, but no one has devoted so much attention to 

 the whole group as Dr. J. D. Hooker, the present Director of 

 the Eoyal Gardens, Kew, who by the aid of his extensive cor- 

 respondence, as well as by his own travels, has secured an un- 

 rivalled collection of these peculiar vegetable forms for the 

 Kew Museum. 



These plants rise not more than a foot above the ground. 

 They are all natives of hot countries, in the tropical and sub- 

 tropical mountains of Asia and South America, where they 



