. The natural history of plants. Botany. r>04, NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. Balanophora fungoia. style. In the single cell of the ovary is a parietal and superior pla- centa supporting a descending, afiatropous ovule, reduced to a nucule.' The fruit is drupaceous with a fleshy layer generally very thin, monospermous putamen, and the seed filling the cavity of the latter consists of an abundant oily albumen, in the upper portion of v^hich is lodged a very small embryo.^ Balanophora consists of fungiform fleshy and parasitical plants ^ of very peculiar habit. They have a simple, lobed or ramifi
. The natural history of plants. Botany. r>04, NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. Balanophora fungoia. style. In the single cell of the ovary is a parietal and superior pla- centa supporting a descending, afiatropous ovule, reduced to a nucule.' The fruit is drupaceous with a fleshy layer generally very thin, monospermous putamen, and the seed filling the cavity of the latter consists of an abundant oily albumen, in the upper portion of v^hich is lodged a very small embryo.^ Balanophora consists of fungiform fleshy and parasitical plants ^ of very peculiar habit. They have a simple, lobed or ramified tuberous rhizome, often sprinkled with star-lobed prominences from which spring the aerial branches, coloured yellow or red and covered with scaly bracts, alternate, or opposite and connate, with parallel ner- vures; terminated by a cylindro-conical, claviform or globular floriferous recep- tacle, clothed with flowers* of one (fig. 482) or both sexes. In the latter case, the males are below, and the females above, much more numerous and smaller. Fig. 484. Femaie flowers. Fi^^. 485^^Long.^8^ect. rpj^g ^^^^^ ^^^ pedicellate, often reflexed and accom- panied with axillate bracts. The females are in small spikes often terminating in an enlarged, globular or claviform body.^ A dozen". sometimes little developed, with the exterior coat smooth. ' Suspended hy a unicellular funicle, it is composed of a nucule formed of a small number of cellules. (On the structure of the gynsecium see HoFMEiST. Pritigsh. Jahrb. i. 110, t. 18; iV' Beitr. 685, t. 14, 15; Ann. Se. Nat. ser. i, xi 49, t. 5, 6, fig. 48-56.) 2 It is formed of a very small number of cellules (often two or three). ^ On the roots of very various trees {Acer, Quercus, Sibiscus, Ficus {?), Eucalyphis, Viret/a, Thibau^ia, Aralincece, etc.). "* Yellow or red. * It has been considered as the summit of the secondary axis, and the name of spadicel has been given to it (Eichleb). ^ W. Spec. V. 177 {Cynomorium).—Bl. Enum.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbotany, bookyear1871
