. The natural history of plants. Botany. 118 NATURAL EI8T0EY OF PLANTS. Cassia (Senma) oiovata. and curvature, is surmounted by a style which is tapering, or more rarely dilated and capitate, or ciliate at its stigmatiferous apex.' On the posterior wall of the ovary cell is a longitudinal placenta bearing on both of its vertical lips a row of anatropous ovules, indefinite in number, with their micropyles looking outwards from the hilum.' The pod of Cassia is very variable in form, thickness, and consistency; it is dehiscent or indehiscent, with the pericarp more or less promi- nent or hypertro
. The natural history of plants. Botany. 118 NATURAL EI8T0EY OF PLANTS. Cassia (Senma) oiovata. and curvature, is surmounted by a style which is tapering, or more rarely dilated and capitate, or ciliate at its stigmatiferous apex.' On the posterior wall of the ovary cell is a longitudinal placenta bearing on both of its vertical lips a row of anatropous ovules, indefinite in number, with their micropyles looking outwards from the hilum.' The pod of Cassia is very variable in form, thickness, and consistency; it is dehiscent or indehiscent, with the pericarp more or less promi- nent or hypertrophied between the indefinite seeds, to form as many chambers, in each of which is a transverse or oblique funicled seed, with coats of variable thickness, lined by thick fleshy or horny aibumen enclosing an embryo. This has a straight radicle and parallel, flat or undulate cotyledons. The species that must be retained in this genus' are at least two hundred in number. They may present great differences in flower^ and fruit from those described above, and it is on these diff'erences that a certain number of sections have been founded, which are considered as distinct genera by more than one author. Thus the Sennas^ (Ft., Senes; figs. 96-102) possess seven fertile stamens, of which the anterior are most developed, with the fruits bivalve or often incompletely dehiscent, and containing vertically or horizontally flattened seeds. This section has been subdivided into C/iamessenna," in whose bivalve, often much flattened pod the seeds are also compressed parallel with the valves; Chamcsfistula,'' whose pod opens incompletely, and contains horizontally flattened seeds;. Via. Longitudinal section of flower (|) ' In C. fiorihunda tlie summit of the style is a long narrow hollow cone opening by a little terminal pore. 2 They have two coats. 3 H. B. K., Nov. Gen. et Spec, vi. 337.— Benth., Fl. Austral., ii. 280.—Haet. & SoM)., M. Cap., ii. 271.—Walp., JScp., i. 812 j ii. 9
Size: 1675px × 1492px
Photo credit: © Central Historic Books / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbotany, bookyear1871
