ME. G. BEJVTilAM ON MYllTACi:^. 125 



7. Organs of vegetation and eloavee in geneeal. 



The orgaus of vegetation, in this a3 iu other large Orders, 

 without supplying absolute characters, afford very useful indica- 

 tions in distinguishing the Order itself from those nearest allied 

 to it, as well as in the distribution of some of the groups. 



The stem is always more or less woody, at least at the base. 

 There are no herbaceous genera or species, as occurs in Ly- 

 thrariese and Melastomacese, and scarcely any suffrutescent. 

 Nearly all, or perhaps all when arrived at their full growth, 

 are shrubs or trees. 



The leaves are always opposite in IMyrtea?, opposite, alternate, 

 or scattered in Chamailauciese and Leptospermea? ; and in these 

 three tribes the leaves as well as other herbaceous parts are 

 almost always, perhaps always, glandular-dotted ; for in the few 

 species in which the dots are said not to exist, I have usually 

 found them when I have seen the young leaf, before they become 

 concealed by the density of the texture of the full-grown cori- 

 aceous leaf; and these dots do not exist in the Orders most nearly 

 allied to them in floral characters. The tribe Lecythidese, how- 

 ever, has alternate leaves without dots; but in them the floral 

 characters are exclusively IVIyrtaceous. The leaves are always 

 entire, or very rarely obscurely crenate ; their shape and venation 

 is various ; but the peculiar venation of Melastomacese exists only 

 in two very small genera of Myrte?e — lihodamnia and RlioJo^ 

 myrtus, A few sub tribes and genera affect a peculiar foliage, 

 which assists in their determination, but not in general within 

 any definite limits. 



The general character of the Order is to have no stipules. In 

 the very few cases where they are found, they are so very minute 

 and fugacious that they can only be regarded as rudimentary. 



Inflorescence, althougli it can scarcely be taken as an absolute 

 character, is often one of the best indications of. generic affinity. 

 In the great majority of Chama^lauciese, in Euleptospermese and 

 Beaufortiea?, and in several genera of other tribes or subtribes, it 

 is simple, the growth and ramification of the flowering-axis does 

 not differ from that of the foliage-axis ; each flower is solitary in 

 the axil of the floral leaf or subtending bract, sessile or pedicellate, 

 with a pair of bracteoles, more or less conspicuous under the 

 flower, without any floral buds in their axils. When the flowering, 

 nodes are distant, the subtending leaves often do not differ from 

 the other stem-leaves, although even then they are sometimes 



