350 Parasitical Plants. — The BalanopJioracece. 



dorffia, while in LopliopJiytum, Cynomorlum, and SarcojpJiyte in 

 particular, as well as in other genera, starch grains are found 

 in the place of wax. 



The plants are either monoecious or dioecious. The flowers 

 in some species are arranged in a capitulum, or head, varying 

 in shape, being either round, oblong, ovoid, etc., and in other 

 species they are in compound spikes or panicles. The individual 

 flowers also vary considerably in the different species ; they 

 are most perfectly developed in Mystropetalon, and the least so 

 in the female of Balanophora and the male of Lophophytum. 

 The flowers are either with or without a perianth, but when 

 present it is usually dimorphous. In the genus Rhopalocnemis 

 it is tubular, while in Thonningia it is composed merely of 

 three very minute scales. The styles, stamens, etc., are very 

 variable in number, as well as in form, but though they are 

 always present, they are in many species so imperfectly deve- 

 loped, as almost to warrant a very low position in the arrange- 

 ment of flowering plants ; but, on the other hand, cc if we 

 disregard imperfection, and inquire what organs are wanting 

 in the order, we shall find that, with the exception of terres- 

 trial roots, all are present which are necessary to justify their 

 being placed among phseno garni c plants ." 



Of the whole of the genera of the Balanophoracece, Mys- 

 tropetalon is the most perfect, or highly developed. In the 

 capitute, or flower-heads of this genus, the male flowers are 

 always seated at the top„ and the female flowers below. This 

 does not occur as a rule through the other genera, the males 

 in many instances being lowest. Cynomorium coccineum, Michx. 

 is the Fungus melitensis of the old writers. From its old 

 name one might be led to expect that it is alone indigenous to 

 the Island of Malta, but its range extends to the Levant, the 

 Canary Islands, and Northern Africa. The plant grows to 

 about a foot in height, it has a deep pink or reddish tinge, and 

 a very fleshy appearance. The flowers are unisexual, but some- 

 times hermaphrodite flowers are likewise found on the same 

 head. The parts of the perianth, or floral coverings, are always 

 in sixes. The whole plant is covered with small scales. This 

 plant was formerly much valued in Malta as a medicine for the 

 cure of dysentery, and the places where it grew were carefully 

 guarded to prevent its being stolen. The plants were, even up 

 to a recent date, protected and gathered under the supervision 

 of an officer appointed by the British Government. They 

 formerly had a great reputation for stopping the flow of blood, 

 and it is said that the celebrated styptic used by the Crusaders 

 to stanch their wounds was none other than this plant. Mr. 

 P. B. Webb, who travelled in the Canaries, tells us that it is 

 eaten for food there, and much esteemed. Of the genus 



