242 DRS. HOOKER AND THOMSON ON EUPTELEA. 
termine its nearest affinity. As we have said, Siebold and Zucca- 
rini refer it to Ulmaces, remarking that its carpels, though inde- 
finite, would, if united in the axis, form a fruit only differing from 
that of Ulmus in being polycarpellary. Though the structure of 
the fruit and seeds by no means confirms this conjecture, it is 
worthy of note that the Indian specimens had, in the rough 
sorting of Griffith's plants, found their way into Ulmaces, and 
therefore did not attract particular attention till that family was 
being arranged for distribution. 
Technieally, of course, from the entire absence of floral envelopes, 
our plant should be placed in the Incomplete division of Exo- 
gens; but when we try to find a place for it in any of the fami- 
lies of Monochlamyds, the result is anything but satisfactory. The 
families with an inferior ovary may, in the first place, be left out of 
the question ; and from most of those with a superior ovary the 
absence of stipules and the minute embryo remove it to a dis- 
tance. Indeed it is needless, we think, to compare it with any 
but the apocarpous Monochlamyds, Lauraces, Myristicacee, Mo- 
nimiacez, Proteaces, Thymelew and Piperacee. With some of 
these Euptelea agrees in the minute embryo, but in all other 
respects it is too different to make it possible to associate it with 
any of them in the same family. The minute embryo is no doubt 
a character of great importance, though not necessarily a mark of 
affinity, and existing in too many families to be available for the 
determination of affinity. 
The stamens and carpels of Euptelea are so evidently seated on 
the torus, that we need not compare it with any ealyeifloral fami- 
lies. There is no doubt something in the habit which suggests a 
relationship to certain Saxifrage:» and to Hamamelidez, but there 
is nothing in the essential characters to support this resemblance. 
It is therefore among apocarpous Thalamiflore, as a reduced 
and anomalous type, that Euptelea must find a place, unless 
indeed it be thought preferable to constitute of it a distinct 
family, in which case it would of course go to Incomplete. This 
we think would be an unsatisfactory step ; for although there is no 
family of apocarpous Thalamiflore to which it can be referred 
without hesitation, it approaches several of them so very closely 
that its natural place seems to be in close proximity to them. 
The numerous samaroid carpels resemble a good deal those of Tha- 
lictrum ; but the characters of the seed, and especially of the albu- 
men, do not confirm this resemblance, while the habit is too dif- 
ferent from that of Ranunculace to make it desirable to place it 
there. The hard testa of the seed, the granular albumen, and the 
