ME. D. OLIVER ON AUBA.XTIACEJ;. 5 



peculiarities. Other points prominent in the " Clavis Generuni " of 

 "Wight and Arnott are the number of cells in the ovary and the 

 number of ovules (whether one or two) in each cell. So many 

 species are very variable and inconstant in respect to the number 

 of cells in the ovary, although probably each (exclusive perhaps of 

 the multilocular genera) may have its prevailing normal standard, 

 that this character is in constant danger of misleading the student 

 if too generally insisted upon, as is also the one-ovuled or two- 

 ovuled cell. 



Though Messrs. "Wight and Amott's synopsis is the best 1 have 

 seen, yet certainly the "genera" are there too precisely circum- 

 scribed to find answering to them among the defiantly loose rela- 

 tionships of plant life, either "entities" or abstractions of any 

 available sort for the systematist. 



The genus Sissoa, published by Arnott in the ' Nova Acta Acad. 

 Nat. Cur.*' is founded upon a true Atalantia (Selerostt/lis) as in- 

 timated by Dr. "Wight f. Mr. Dalzell published in the ' Journal 

 of Botany and Kew Miscellany 'J a new genus of the order, Piplo- 

 stylis. This genus very nearly approaches CJausena and also Mur- 

 raya (including Bergera) ; and I have, after a good deal of delibe- 

 ration, thought it best to unite it with the former genus. The 

 genus Papeda of Hasskarl§, apart from his description and refer- 

 ence, I am unacquainted with. Professor Miquel in his ' Flora 

 Indiae Batavee ' describes nothing new, nor does he introduce any 

 novel treatment. Mr. Thwaites, in ' Enumeratio Plantarum Zey- 

 laniae||,' in a list of eighteen species, describes four as new, one of 

 which he makes the type of a new genus Arthromischts. I give 

 below reasons why I cannot unite with this excellent botanist in 

 maintaining the genus (p. 20). 



In working up the species I have had advantages which I can- 

 not over-estimate in respect to amount of material and the free 

 permission most liberally granted me by Sir William and Dr. 

 Hooker to avail myself fully of it. Besides the Kew Collection, 

 I have gone over the Aurantiaceee of the "Walliehian and British 

 Museum herbaria ; Dr. Lindley also has kindly permitted me to 

 examine his valuable set. The species of which I have recast the 

 diagnoses are chiefly Indian. Specimens from Java and the Archi- 

 pelago, while enabling me to estimate generic characteristics, are 

 not proportionally represented in the herbaria to which I have had 



* Vol. xviii. p. 324. t Must. Tnd. PI. vol. i. p. 109. 



t Vol. iii. p. 33. § Cat. Hort, Poj. alter, p, 216. |l ?• 44- 



