Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 2: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822King, Philip Parker
History
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 2: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822
King, Philip Parker
Australia -- Description and travel; Natural history -- Australia
Embryo monocotyledoneus, aqueo-pallidus
subglobosus, extremitate inferiore (radiculari) acuta, in ipsa basi
seminis situs, semi-immersus, nec albumine omnino inclusus.
Table C. figure 1. Kingiae australis pedunculus capitulo florido
terminatus; figure 2, capitulum fructiferum; 3, sectio transversalis
pedunculi: 4, folium: hae magnitudine naturali, sequentes omnes plus
minus auctae sunt; 5, flos; 6, stamen; 7, anthera antice et, 8, eadem
postice visa; 9, pistillum; 10, ovarii sectio transversalis; 11, ejusdem
portio longitudinaliter secta exhibens ovulum adscendens cavitatem loculi
replens; 12, ovulum ita longitudinaliter sectum ut membrana interna
solummodo ejusque insertio in apice cavitatis testae visa sit; 13, ovuli
sectio longitudinalis profundius ducta exhibens membranam internam et
nucleum ex ejusdem basi ortum; 14, bracteae capituli fructiferi; 15,
pericarpium perianthio filamentisque persistentibus cinctum; 16,
pericarpium perianthio avulso filamentorum basibus relictis; 17, semen.
OBS. 1.
It remains to be ascertained, whether in this genus a resin is secreted
by the bases of the lower leaves, as in Xanthorrhoea; and whether, which
is probable, it agrees also in the internal structure of its stem with
that genus. In Xanthorrhoea the direction of fibres or vessels of the
caudex seems at first sight to resemble in some degree the dicotyledonous
arrangement, but in reality much more nearly approaches to that of
Dracaena draco, allowance being made for the greater number, and extreme
narrowness of leaves, to which all the radiating vessels belong.*
(*Footnote. My knowledge of this remarkable structure of Xanthorrhoea is
chiefly derived from specimens of the caudex of one of the larger species
of the genus, brought from Port Jackson, and deposited in the collection
at the Jardin du Roi of Paris by M. Gaudichaud, the very intelligent
botanist who was attached to Captain De Freycinet's voyage.)
OBS. 2.
I have placed Kingia in the natural order Junceae along with Dasypogon,
Calectasia and Xerotes, genera peculiar to New Holland, and of which the
two former have hitherto been observed only, along with it, on the shores
of King George's Sound.
The striking resemblance of Kingia, in caudex and leaves, to
Xanthorrhoea, cannot fail to suggest its affinity to that genus also.
Although this affinity is not confirmed by a minute comparison of the
parts of fructification, a sufficient agreement is still manifest to
strengthen the doubts formerly expressed of the importance of those
characters, by which I attempted to define certain families of the great
class Liliaceae.
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