Page:Illustrations of Indian Botany, Vol. 2.djvu/443

ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY.

225 The Statices and Armerias are partial to the coast and salt marshes, in such situations extending from Greenland to within the tropics. Plumbago Zeylanica extends from near the foot of the Himalayas to Cape Comorin, Ceylon, and Port Jackson in Australia. JEgialitis, in like manner, extends from the Sunderbunds of the Hoogly to Australia; and Vogelia has now 3 species respectively named, Africana, Arabica, and Indica.

These, so far as yet known, are not important, but I find it currently believed in this country, that the roots of Plumbago Zeylanica, reduced to powder and administered during pregnancy, will cause abortion ; and made into a paste with a little congee, and applied to the skin, will produce a blister ; whence it is used as a discutiant in incipient and indolent Buboes. Plumbago JEuropcea is said to be still more energetic, causing ulcers when applied to the skin, and vomiting and catharsis when taken internally. Some species of Armeria are employed in European domestic medicine as diuretics, and with considerable effect.

On this subject I have nothing to offer. The two species of Plumbago known in India, P. Zeylanica and P. rosea, are best distinguished by the colour of their flowers, white in the one and red in the other. Vogelia is known at first sight by the sepals, which are lanceolate with a strong midrib, and thin membranous crisped margins. In regard to the fecundation of the ovule, I quote the following paragraph from Lindley.

"The economy of the ovule is highly curious ; before fecundation it is suspended from the apex of a cord or rather strap which lies over the foramen, or orifice of the foramen, through which the vivifying influence of the pollen has to be introduced ; this foramen is pre- sented to the summit of the cell immediately below the origin of the stigmas, but has no com- munication with that part of the cell, from contact with which it is further cut off by the overlying strap ; but as soon as the pollen exercises its influence on the stigmas, the strap slips aside from above the foramen which is entered by an extension of the apex of the cell, and thus a direct communication is established between the pollen and inside of the ovule.

"This phenomenon is obscurely hinted at by several writers, but was first distinctly shown me by Dr. Brown, and has since been beautifully illustrated by Mirbel, Nouvelles Recherches sur Fovule, tab. 4."

After writing the above, and when comparing the drawing with the character of the order, it seemed not to convey a sufficiently perfect idea of the order as a whole ; the appearance and general habit of the first section, Staticem, differing so greatly from the second, Plum- bagece. To obviate this defect I have thought it advisable to give a figure illustrative of that section also. And have selected for the purpose a species, a native of Scinde, hitherto unfigured, at least under the name here given. The compliment is well merited, Mr. Stocks being a most indefatigable and excellent Botanist, but I do not feel by any means certain that this will be retained as a distinct species, it seems so very nearly allied to S. Arabica. M. Boissier's specific characters, like those of his ordinal one, are full to complexity, and on comparing what I esteem authentic specimens of the species, with the character, cannot help thinking there is some mistake, either in the phrase or specimen ; the analyses therefore are given in much detail, especially as regards the parts concerned in the specific character.

1. Statice Stocksii (Boiss.), flowering branch, natural size.

2. Portion of a spike.

3. Detached spikelet consisting of a full-blown flower and unopened bud. 4. Detached corolla.

5. Corolla opened showing the ovary.

6. Detached petal and stamen. 7. Detached stamens. 8. Ovary cut longitudinally, showing the cord for

conveying fertilizing matter to the ovule descending from the apex, and the very young unimpregnated ovule suspended from the apex of a longish funiculus in the bottom of the cell. 9. Ovule and funiculus detached. 10. Immature fruit. 11. Cut transversely, 5-angled.

12. Capsule and included seed.

13. Capsule opened, seed in situ. 14. Detached seed.

15. Cut transversely. 16. Cut vertically.

17. Detached embryo.

18. A leaf a little magnified. 19. A bract.

20. Portion of a spike seen from above.

21. Seen from below.

22. A detached spikelet of 3 flowers, one still enveloped in its bract.

Obs. It appears from figures 2 and 22 that the spike- lets go on elongating from 1 to 3 or perhaps more flowers, whence I should infer, their number being fluctuating, that they are unsuitable for giving specific characters. Bossier, however, I find, frequently introduces the num- ber of flowers on the spikelets into his characters. In this species the spikelets are described "spiculis biflo- ris in spicas brevissimas fasciculiformes confertis."