MR. G. BENTIIAM ON TEENSTRCEMIACE^. 57 



has the same character also ; but instead of the single style of 

 Gordonia, the summits of the carpels form distinct protuberances 

 with sessile stigmas, or pass into short diverging styles. It is true 

 that the entire or divided styles are not available for generic cha- 

 racters in Saurauja, Cleyera, Eurya, Stuartia, Pyrenaria, Archy- 

 tcea, &c. ; but between Gordonia and Hcemocharis the difference in 

 the styles is somewhat more marked, and accompanied through 

 several species by some general differences in habit ; and the two 

 genera, though very closely allied, may still be kept up. As to the 

 difference between Hcemocharis and Laplacea as attempted to be 

 established by Choisy, or that between Laplacea and Cloroschima 

 (united under Laplacea by Choisy) as put forward by Korthals, I 

 confess that neither the study of the characters given, nor of the 

 specimens or plates themselves, enables me to comprehend them. 

 The genus Camellia has been lately carefully monographed by 

 Seemann in his above-mentioned paper. He admits that the separa- 

 tion of Thea as limited by the older authors is untenable, Griffith 

 and others having already proposed its reunion with Camellia ; 

 but by transferring to it three or four species hitherto reckoned 

 as Camellias, Seemann has obtained more precise limits for Thea, 

 which he maintains as a genus. To me it appears that the whole 

 group forms a much more natural and better-characterized genus, 

 having the flowers of Gordonia with a well-marked capsule and 

 seed, and that Seemann's genus Thea is better classed as a distinct 

 though somewhat artificial section of it. 



The Bonnetiece of Choisy, comprising Bonnetia, Archytcea, Ma- 

 hurea, Kiehneyera, and Caraipa, have the most right to be consi- 

 dered as a suborder, differing from all the three foregoing tribes in 

 inflorescence, in the shape and aestivation of the petals, and in 

 their septicidal capsule. The anthers are versatile as in Gordo- 

 niece and Sauraujece, the seeds almost or quite without albumen, 

 and the embryo always straight, with the cotyledons rather less 

 developed than in Gordoniece. The genera are all remarkably well 

 characterized, the differences in the ovules alone being generally 

 sufficient. Choisy says, indeed, that the ovules are always pendu- 

 lous or horizontal ; but I find them erect, linear, and imbricate in 

 several series in Bonnetia and Archytcea ; linear and imbricate in 

 several series, but pendulous, in Mahurea ; broad and imbricato 

 downwards in two opposite rows in Kiehneyera ; two only and pen- 

 dulous in Caraipa, which we would reduce to the alternate-leaved 

 species*. Bonnetia and Archytcea, which are similar to each other 

 * See Note A, at the end of this paper. 



