L. Hably szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 19. 1986 (Budapest, 1986)

Bande, M. B.; Awasthi, N.: New thoughts on the structure and affinities of Viracarpon hexaspermum Sahni from the Deccan Intertrappean beds of India

Fig. 4 A. Reconstruction of an individual fruit of V. hexaspermum Sahni as suggested by present authors (Semidiagramatic). Fig. 4 B. Longitudinal section of the same showing two locules with one seed each, central axis, perianth-like lobes with vertical ridge and hair (semidiagramatic) compared Viracarpon with members of three more families, viz., Hydrocaritaceae, Araceae and Pandanaceae, the common character being the presence of ovaries with more than three carpels which are united for their whole length. Hydrocharitaceae was rejected as there are no such compact fructifications in this family, and the ovary differs greatly in being unilocular with parietal placentation and having many more ovules in the carpels. Of the remaining two families, in Araceae, although there is apparant similarity with the fructification of Viracarpon, it has been pointed out that the majority of the genera in this family have less than six carpels, of if six, then this is merely one possible number among the adjacent ovaries with fewer. In Viracarpon this number is always six. Besides, most of the genera show more than one ovule per loculus in this family (CHITALEY 1954). Thus, we are left with only Pandanaceae and although CHITALEY (1954) did point out that the agreement with this family is also imperfect, the closest affinity was suggested with the genus P and anus of this family. NAMBUDIRI and TIDWELL (1978) have also traced the affinities of Viracarpon with both Pandanaceae and Araceae but more with Pandanaceae. The main similarity with Pandanaceae being the presence of a compact solitary, terminal infructescence (termed as Cephalium) with 6-8 vertical rows of hexacarpellary, completely or partially fused phalanges made of 6 fused drupes with a single seed per locule. Although NAMBUDIRI and TIDWELL (1978) have pointed out some differences between Viracarpon and various genera of Pandanaceae, a look at the reconstruction of Vira carpon hexaspermum suggested by them makes it clear that it has been done while keeping the fructifications of Pandanus as model. Further, these authors have opined that Viracarpon can reasonably be included in Pandanaceae as an extinct genus. Regarding its resemblance with the Araceae they are of the view that Viracarpon fruits might have belonged to an ancestral stock from which living pandanaceaous and araceaous plants have evolved. However, the present reinterpretation of the structure of Viracarpon hexaspermum given in the earlier pages clearly points out that the affinities of this fruit with Pandanaceae are more apparent than real. A study of a large number of fructifications of various species of Pandanus which are described in detail by JOHN (1960) and STONE (1974), is sufficient to support this view. The difference which can easily be noticed is that in none of the species of Pandanus studied are the fructifications as small as in Viracarpon hexaspermum

. The second and the most important difference is the presence of six perianth-like lobes which are free at the top and united below, and which form a cup-like structure full of hair on the top of the each hexalocular fruit in Vira carpon hexaspermum. This type of structure has not bee observed in any species of Pandanus or