THE JOURNAL
OF
THE LIMNEAN SOCIETY.
Some Morphological Notes on certain Species of Thunbergia.
By MARCUS
M. HABTOQ,
M.A., B.Sa., F.L.S.
[Read December 21, 1876*.]
THE floral development of this genus has only been cursorily
studied by Payer?, who refers .to that of the gynscium in
Thunbergia alata. As there are other points of interest, both as
regard# the calyx and the plurality of buds in a single axil, while
the latter phenomenon has alone been studied in its later stages
in the general papers of M. Buillard$ and MM. Damaskinos and
Bourgeois$, the following notes may be of interest :I n T. lam?ifolia we find that the adult flowering node is compressed at right angles to the opposite bracts, which finally become reflexed. In each axil is a vertical series of flowers, younger
as they approach the bract, symmetrical in number and age with
their fellows of the opposite axil. They have been described as
'' whorled ;I1but this expression is as incorrect that of " fascicled," ifthe latter word be confined to its strict sense. For though
torsion of the pedicel disguises the true relations of the adult
flower,even comparatively advanced buds show that all the flowers
have the same orientation ; i. e. the odd petal is anterior or next
the common bract ; and it is on this side that the valvate bractlets first separate,
* [Theabsence of the author abroad when this paper was read, and subsequently its slight rnodi6cation, have led to its publication being deferred.-E~.]
1 Bull. Sot. Bot. Fr.iv. 937
t Organoghie,' 587.
0 Bull.Soc. Bot. Fr.v. p. 598.
LI". J0UBN.-BOTAhT,
VOL. XVII.
B
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6
2
MR.-M. M. HARTOQ ON CERTAIN BPECIEE OF THUNBEEGIA.
Tracing out the development, we find the first sign of an axillary
bud at the sixthor eighth pairofleavesfrom thegrowfig-point ;next,
on its hemispherical prominence form two elevations, a little above
the base. This latter becomes the pedicel j the basal elevations
are the bractlets, and soon become crescentic, enlarge, and cover
in the apex of the bud. About this time, at the base of the pedicel,
the small elongated area between it and the now broad base of the
bract rises up in the centre to form a second bud, which develops
in th8 same way as the first. This process may be repeated four
or five times. Each young bud is at its origin lodged in a pit
hollowed out in the pedicel of its next elder sister bud, to whose
axis its own is at first parallel.
I have observed fundamentally the same relations and development i n T.cocciriea ; and, from dried specimens and figures, T.
gra.ndiJEora would come even closer to the type I have just described. I n T.erecta the mode of development is the same ; but
the plurality is not so constant, symmetry in opposite axils is not
invariable, and often the younger sister to a flower-bud is a vegetative shoot. I n I! alata and fragrans I have never seen more than
one younger sister bud. This originates early, but never develops
till after the %owering or even seeding of its elder sister-bud.
The anatomical structure confirms fully the view that these
buds stand truly in the relation indicated by their development.
Each bud has its separate fibro-vascular bundle, which runs apart
from the others to join the ‘‘ common bundle ” bending outwards
from the stem along the node into the petiole”.
As regards the floral development specially, I have always found
the calyx xith five teeth, and the posterior one the largest, in the
youngest buds where there was any trace of this verticel ; and we
may conclude that the posterior sepal is the oldest. I n 2’. laurifoliaand I! coccinea (“calyce aniaulari truncato”) all trace of teeth
disappears before the earliest outgrowth of the petaline and staminal tubercles. But in I! erecta, &c., the five teeth may persist
till after the closing-in of the ovary, or may soon become inconspicuous : in the former case secondary teeth festoon the intervals
between the sepals, in the latter the ring becomes pluridentate ;
but, save for the posterior tooth, I have been unable to ascertain
satisfactorily the genetic relations between the numerous teeth
of the adult calyx and the five primary sepalu.
* I may here call attention to Ruellia Hedistii, which has thesame plurality
of buds as Thudergin laurifolia ; and moreover, the bractlets being fertile, each
bud develops into a true fawicle of three, seven, or more flowers.
BIR. 0. KING ON TIZE W I N G E D C1lLDh\lOl\I Or NEl’hL.
:3
I n all thc species I h a r e seen, petals and stamens nppcnr as
nearly as possible at the saiiie tiinc, t h e fornicr being much inore
conspicuous from their larger sir,c and more ovoid form. The
stamiuode is always fortnad siinultnneously witli the other stanieiis, but is a t ouee distinguishablc by i t s sinall rounded outline.
I t very soon disappenrs, as Payer observed i n A c n i i f h s nzollis
( l . c. I). 6SG), tlie development of which hc lias traced very fully.
Tbe furthcr evolution of Thiiizberyin has no excrpcioiial features
to justify a further description.
O u the Source of the TVingcd C:ird:iniom of Ncyxil J3) GLOIU,E
KING,RT.B., P.L.S., Superii~teiidcntRoyal Eotnnic Gardens,
Calcutta.
[Read Noientber 1, 18771
SOMEyears ago, the late N r . Daniel IInnbury nclted iiic t o ~iiqiiire
into the botniiical origin of the large bron 11 wingccl C:wd:unoin,
coininonly sold in the bazaars of Northern India, and occasionnlly
imported into England, and n liich l i d been regarded by I)r
Pereira, in his great work 011 nilateria RIcdicn,
tlie ~)roduceof
Ainonauin maximmn, Roxb.
A few weeks prior t o Mr. IIairliury’s lamented clcntli, I sciit
him t h e result of my inquiries ; b u t it im&xl too late t o be used
by him, and I now therefore p u t i t 011 record inyself.
Dr. Pereirrt appcnrs to have bceii led t o adopt the view j u s t
alluded to, chiefly bccxuse the C ~ r t l i m o n iiiilmrted
i
froin C1:dcntta
and the fruit of Amomz~inmf/Grimunbare botli n iiigrcl. TICccrtniiily
did not adopt i t from any prcvioiis :inlhovity.
A ~~znaimiii~z,
nltliougli it was nniiictl by X o ~ h u i y l i is
, not i n t 1 i geuons t o India, but l o Jnla. 12oxbiirgli Iiiiiiwlf iiicwtioiis t1iiq
fact in his description o f t h e pl:lnt (‘ Flora 111(11c:1,’ed. C:ire:, i. 12).
He couclucles his clescriptrou \\ itli t h c rcin:~rk,“ tlie sec~l,p o s x b b
a Rarni pungent taste, not unlil,e l l i a t of Cmd:iinoiiis., hiit liy no
iiieans so grntctiil ;” but he docs not inelition t h e fruit :IS being
sold in Indinn bnznnrs as a Cardnmom. Conccrniiig the Iitcliaii
species 11Iiicli lie iiniiiecl ( I m o i i i i o i ~ w o ~ ~ ~ ~ i ~ i12ox:bui,l
c z 4 ~ n’”, I st:it(’Y
(2. c. 11. 15) tlint it is “ D nnlive of tlic vnlleyu on the cistcrii
froiitirr of Bengnl,” n i i t l tlint ‘I tlic cnl)htilcs arc c:ircl‘ully g:Ltli(~rcd
by the nativcs aiid sold t o druggists, wlio dispose of them for
B Z