102 MR. BENTHAM ON MALVACE.E 
the plant from Poiret’s figure and description. The true position 
of the group among Malvaces has now, however, been fully shown 
by Hooker, A. Gray, Garcke, and others, where, with the ovary 
and seeds of Sides, it is distinguished from the other genera of 
that subtribe by the styles either clavate or acute, stigmatic along 
their inner edge or surface as in most Malvee. 
Two genera have been generally distinguished— P/agianthus and 
Lawrencia ; but the characters which separate them appear to be 
too inconstant and too little in conformity with habit to be con- 
sidered as more than sectional. The ovary in Plagianthus con- 
sists usually of only one or two carpels, but sometimes of three ; 
whilst in Lawrencia, although usually five, there are occasionally 
three only. The more or less clavate or attenuate styles vary also 
from species to species. The 5-angular calyx of Lawrencia is 
more constant, but even that is not always well marked ; and in 
habit the smaller-leaved Zawrencias are much nearer to some of 
the Plagianthi than to L. spicata. I should therefore propose to 
include the whole of the following species in Plagianthus. 
Sect. 1. PLAGrANTHUS. Calyx campanulatus angulis vix pro- 
minulis. 
* Styli apice valde dilatati. Carpella vulgo 1-2, rarius 3. 
l. P. betulinus, A. Cunn. Took. fil. Fl. N. Zel. i. 29.—P. urticinus, 
A. Cunn.— Philippodendron regium, Poir. in Ann. Sc. Nat. Par. sér. 2. 
viii. p. 183, t. 3.—New Zealand. 
2. P. divaricatus, Forst. ; Hook. Bot. Mag. t. 3271; Hook. fil. Fl. N. 
Zel. i. 29.—New Zealand. 
3. P. sidoides, Hook. Bot. Mag. t. 3396.— Sida discolor, Hook. Journ. 
Bot. i. 250.—Asterotriche sidoides, Link, Klotzsch et Otto, Ic. Pl. 
Rar. t. 8.— Plagianthus Lampenii, Lind]. Bot. Reg. 1838, Misc. p. 22. 
—Tasmania. 
** Styli apice clavati. Carpella vulgo 5. 
4. P. pulchellus, A. Gray ; Hook. fil. Fl. Tasm. i. 49, excl. var. B.— 
Sida pulchella, Bonpl., Hook. Bot. Mag. t. 2753.—Tasmania and 
Victoria. 
The P. petiolaris, Backh. MS., from Illawarra, and Croton urti- 
coides, A. Cunn. MS., from the margins of Cox's and Macquarie's 
Rivers, appear to be the same species; but the specimens I have 
seen have none but male flowers. The Sida pulchella, Bonpl., has 
been described by DeCandolle as having 2-ovulate 2-aristate car- 
pels, which is totally at variance with our plant. I have, however, 
ascertained (since the present paper was read), by the inspection 
of Bonpland's original specimens, that the reference is correct. 
