



70 MB. BE:NTHAM on LOaANIACE-^. 



Anthocleisfa ; valvate in Strychnos^ a genus spread over the whole 

 of the tropics, Brehmia, peculiar to Africa, and possibly also in 

 Labordea from the Sandwich Islands, and imbricate in the Masca- 



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Nicodemia 



15. Desfotttaiitea, Buiz et Pav, 



This plant, for the genus consists but of a single species, al- 

 though repeatedly described and figured, has given rise to much 

 difference of opioion as to its affinities, and even to considerable , 

 uncertainty as to the real structure of its ovary. Referred by 

 tome from its foliage to lUeinea or Theophrasfece, by others from 

 its fruit to Solanew, from its bitter principle to Gentiane^, from 

 some Btipposed affinities quite unintelligible to me, to the vicimty 

 of Diapensia and Galax, it is only recently that its real place 

 among Loganiacecd has been pointed out in the * Gardener's Chro- 

 nicle,' although even there an affinity is also suggested with 

 Ziegnotidew^ whose connexion with Loganiaceae I have already said 

 I am unable to comprehend. I have now been enabled to clear 

 up all doubts as to the structure of the flower ; the rich materiald 

 at Kew, where the Hookerian herbarium alone contains specimen^ 

 from seventeen different collections, have given me the means of 

 examining several ovaries taken from the most different-looking 

 forms, and all confirm the association of Desfontainea with I^- 

 ganiacece^ showing the closest affinity with Fagrtea^ and hke 

 Fagr<Ba forming a connecting link between Logamace(je and Gen- 

 iianece. Indeed, besides the dentate leaves and the colour of the 

 flowers, almost the sole generic distinction between Desfontainea 

 and Fagrcea consists in the number of cells of the ovary, which m 

 the former are usually five, although sometimes reduced to four 

 or even three, whilst in Fagrcea they are always two only- Th^ 

 raised line connecting the petioles, the five-leaved calyx, the sesti- 

 ration of the corolla, the form and position of the stamens as well 

 as the structure of the gynoecium (always excepting its number 

 of parts), are the same in both. In both genera, although th0 

 ovary is completely divided into cells at its base, the dissepiments 

 show an occasionad tendency to separate from each other in the 

 upper part. In some species of Fagnsa, as I have already ob- 

 served, they do not even meet in the centre ; in Desfontainea I 

 have always found them to meet, but they are often very easil/ 

 feeparabl©, and if the ovary under examination has not been 

 thoroughly sotted, they appe« on a transverse section to leave_ * 

 Tacuity in the centre. This has probably been the cause of th^ 



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