Page:Illustrations of Indian Botany, Vol. 1.djvu/372

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ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 

1. Rhus decipiens. Panicle and leaf— natural size. 7- A young fruit — natural size.

2. An expanded flower seen from above, showing the 8. Somewhat magnified.

petals and stamens inserted under the margin of the 9. Cut transversely, one seed aborted or imperfect,

disk. 10. A fruit cut vertically.

3. Stamens. 11. A seed — all, with the exceptions mentioned, more

4. A detached petal. or less magnified.

5. The ovary somewhat advanced, cut vertically, This plate is defective in not showing the character ovules pendulous. of the embryo — a point I overlooked when sending it

6. Ovary cut transversely, 2-celled. to press.

1 & 2. Spondias Mangifera. Leaves and panicle — 6. Cut transversely, showing the five carpels attached

natural size. to a central axis.

3. A dissected flower, petals and stamens removed, 7. A full grown fruit cut vertically, showing the disk as it encloses the ovaries. 8. Transversely.

4. Stamens. 9. A seed cut transversely.

5. Two ovaries removed and cut vertically, showing 10. A mature seed.

the pendulous ovules. 11. The same, the testa partially removed to show

the cotyledons — all more or less magnified.

 

This is a small order consisting of one genus and about three species, long associated with Leguminosce though sufficiently distinct, and so peculiar in its relations, that it is not yet deter- mined where it should stand in the series of orders ; the structure of the ovary placing it among the Parietose group near Violarieoe, while according to the flowers it is more justly refer- able to the tribe Ccesalpiveae of Leguminosae. The characters derived from the latter as being the more conspicuous of the two, seem to have induced Botanists to prefer placing it near Leguminosae, the more so, as the habit still further associates it with that order.

" Calyx 5-partite : aestivation slightly imbricated. Petals 5, nearly equal, the upper one ascending. Stamens perigynous : filaments 10, flat, and hairy at the base : anthers 5 or 10, peltate, simple, 1-celled, with a thick convex connectivum. Torus fleshy, lining the tube of the calyx. Ovarium free, stipitate, I -celled : style filiform, terminal, not obliquely inserted: stigma simple. Placentae three, parietal. Fruit a pod-like capsule, 1-celled, 3-valved, loculi- cide. Seeds numerous, half buried in the fungous substance of the valves. Albumen none. Radicle straight, small : cotyledons fleshy, plano-convex. — Leaves twice or thrice pinnate, with an odd leaflet. Racemes panicled."

Affinities. As stated above, these are very obscure owing to the peculiar structure of the ovary, 1-celled, with three parietal placentas, the fruit afterwards splitting into three valves. Arnott (Encyclopedia Britanica 7th edition) remarks " formerly considered as part of the Leguminosae but now separated by Mr. Brown. It seems however to have more affinity with these than with any others : nor do we see in the fruit very grave objections to such a supposi- tion, as the flowers of Gleditschia have occasionally two carpels united in the same manner as the three of Moringa."

On the correctness or otherwise of this view I can offer no opinion, being altogether unac- quainted with Gleditschia; Lindley however holds an opposite opinion; he says " DeCan- clolle who did not overlook its anomalous structure as a leguminous plant, accounted for the compound nature of its fruit upon the supposition, that though unity of carpels is the normal structure of Leguminosae, yet the presence of more ovaries than one in a few instances in that order explained the constantly trilocular state of that of Moringa. To this however there are numerous and grave objections which cannot fail to strike every Botanist. What its proper station should be remains to be determined" again " Decaisne seems to think, it has more affi- nity with Leguminosae than with any other order." On these passages it may be observed, that it would have been more satisfactory had some of the grave objections been stated, since it is quite undeniable, that Messrs. DeCandolle, Arnott and Decaisne are all eminent Botanists 