128 Mil. G. BENTHAM 02^ MYETAC'E^. 



the comparison of their ovaries with those of ChamiBlauciese, 

 and the discovery of many new counectiug links have shown that 

 the two groups can no longer be separated as distinct Orders. 

 Their peculiar as2)ect passes gradually into that oiBcdckea^ Lepto- 

 spermii7nj and their allies, and is a little departed from in a few of 

 the larger-leaved Darwinias ; their ovary (which remains the chief 

 character of the tribe) does not appear to be always so really 

 simple as was supposed ; for the peculiar filiform placenta of CVr/y- 

 thrix attached to the base and summit, as well represented in 

 Lindley's fig. 2 (Veg. Kingd. p. 721), is shown by a comparison 

 with that of some Scholtzias to be most probably a reduced dis- 

 sepiment, in which case the two ovules would belong to two carpels ; 

 the abortive stamens are only in 4 genera, including 71 species, 

 whilst they are all perfect in 7 genera, including 72 species; and 

 the calyx-lobes can scarcely be compared to pappus-scales, except 

 in the two large and striking genera Calythrix and Yerticordia. 

 "VVe have therefore now reduced Chamaelauciese to a tribe of 

 Myrtacefe, somewhat artificially characterized by the one-celled 

 ovary. In other respects there appear to be more grounds for 

 separating Calythrix and LhotzJcya from the remainder of Cliamse- 

 lauciefe than for removing some genera of the latter, especially 

 Thrypfomene and Micromyrtus^ from the true Ba?ckeea>. 



AcTiNoniUM, Schau., with which the series of genera is usually 

 commenced, is a single species which has all the aspect of Bar- 

 tcinia, and might well have been included in that genus without 

 interfering with the characters which separate it from others. 

 It is maintained, however, to avoid the extension of the cha- 

 racter of the larger genus in two remarkable instances : the 

 flowers are4-merou3 in Actinodium, always 5-merous inDarwinia] 

 and none of the numerous species of the latter genus show any 

 tendency towards the remarkable outer ring of barren flowers of 

 ActhiodiiDn. 



I have already had occasion to lay before the Society the history 

 of the genus Darwixia, Eudge, in a paper printed in the Journal, 

 vol. ix. p. 176. Since that time I have been enabled, through the 

 kindness of Dr. Fenzl, of Vienna, to ascei-tain that the genus 

 Francisia, Eudl., was founded on a drawing of Bauer's of the 

 original Dancinia fascicidaris^ Eudge. There is also every reason 

 to conclude that a cultivated plant of the same species, of which 

 no specimen was preserved, supplied 1\ Mueller's MS. description 

 of Cryptostemonfascicidarh, published by Miquel (Nedcrl. Kruidk. 

 Arch. iv. p. 115). 



