that he had'himself examined the ovary of at least one species, 
if not more, and found it as here described, plurilocular. 
Lindley, in his School Botany, takes no notice of the ovary, 
but allows a 3-seeded fruit; “ Fruit succulent, 3-seeded,” 
though in two of the three species he defines, I find the ovary 
one-celled with a single ovule. 
“ While examining the four Neilgherry species with 
reference to the articles on Caprifoliacee for my “ Illustra- 
tions of Indian Botany” and “Neilgherry Plants,” I found in 
all a one-celled ovary with a single pendulous ovule, and 
naturally inferred, on comparing them with Endlicher’s cha- 
racter, that they must form a distinct genus. But before 
finally separating them, and adding I knew not how many 
synonyms to our already overgrown list, I determined to 
examine the structure of the ovary in every species to which 
I had access, among which fortunately were V. Zantana and 
V. Opulus, two British species, in both of which the same 
structure exists. Three American species were next 
examined with the same result; then five Nepaul ones, still 
the same ; and lastly, three from other parts of India, in all 
seventeen species, in all of which the ovary is one-celled with 
one ovule. 
* It results from these observations that the inference 
already drawn in regard to this genus becomes almost 
inevitable: namely, that if either Endlicher or Lindley's 
characters are the result of actual observation, all these 
species must be removed from the genus they define, or that 
they, in common with all other recent writers, must have 
assumed, without examination, the presence of a plurality of 
ovules, which does not exist, when stating the berry to be 
either ** one-seeded by abortion,” or * three-seeded.” 
** I am unable to advance beyond this point, but trust 
enough has been said to direct the attention of systematic 
botanists to the subject now touched upon, which, when 
carefully investigated, may lead to interesting results, examples 
of solitary one-seeded carpels with several stigmas being of 
comparatively rare occurrence in Dichlamydeous orders: 
Composite, Valerianee, and Dipsacee, being almost the only 
orders in which this combination occurs. Among Monochla- 
mydeous plants it is more frequent, one-celled ovaries being 
