2 МВ. 7. MIERS ON NAPOLEONA, . 
group between Cucurbitacee and Passifloree. Lindley, in 1845, described and figured 
a third species of Napoleona, collected by Whitfield in Sierra Leone'. Sir Wm. 
Hooker and Dr. Planchon, in 1848”, first suggested that the Napoleonee approached 
nearer to Myrtacee, as shown by the relation of Napoleona to Gustavia in Lecythidacee, 
and to Luffa in Cucurbitacee ; but they offered no evidence in support of so novel a 
view. Mr. Bentham’, іп 1849, adopted the same opinion, making the Napoleonee a 
suborder of Myrtacee, allied to Barringtoniee, on account of its numerous stamens 
seated upon a disk over an inferior ovary. Agardh, in 1859*, attempted to show that 
the Napoleonee are allied to Ternstremiacee. Messrs. Hooker and Bentham in 1867”, 
maintaining their former views, arranged the Napoleonee аз a third subtribe of their 
Lecythidee, which is their fourth tribe of their IWyrtacee, thus associating it intimately 
with Barringtoniee and Lecythidee proper. Finally, Dr. Masters, in 18685, contributed 
a valuable memoir on Napoleona, drawn up from his examination of a flowering species 
growing at Kew. Its structure is there minutely described ; but he offered no opinion of 
the true affinity of the group, except in accepting the view of Bentham and Hooker, 
and in concluding that the Vyrtacee is its more fitting resting-place. 
We may attribute this extraordinary divergence in the opinions of botanists entirely 
to the confused notions entertained about the several floral parts, which had been 
regarded as modified petals by some, as a kind of compound paracorolla by many, while 
others have considered these parts transformed stamens, or nectariferous emanations 
from a disk, or coronal appendages analogous to those of Passiflora. А very careful 
examination of these two genera has convinced me that all have been wide of the mark in 
regard to their true affinity. In order, therefore, to arrive at a proper conclusion, it is 
desirable to scrutinize the floral and carpological structure with greater circumspection 
than has hitherto been employed. 
1. NAPOLEONA. 
In conducting this analysis, it appeared to me that the first essential condition was to 
separate the different parts from one another. With this view, after moistening a dried 
flower, a knife was carefully introduced beneath the corolla, so as to cut off its connexion 
with the disk, which supports all the floral parts; the sepals and ovary were thus set 
free. The corolla was then carefully detached from the corona in the same manner. This, 
in the bud state, is plicated and incurved, so as to form a depressed globe ; but when fully 
developed, and thus separated, it is seen to be gamopetalous, petaloid, orbicular, quite 
rotate, marked beneath by several subulate flat subprominent radiating nerves, con- 
nivent at the base, varying in the several species from 30 to 40 (the intermediate spaces 
being membranaceous) ; and they terminate in as many short obtuse peripherial segments 
of the border. і 
The corona, now isolated, is seen to consist of three distinct whorls, all affixed, like the 
corolla, upon the outer surface of the disk. "The outer whorl, now fully exposed to view, 
as seen from below, consists of 60 to 70 distinct, narrow, pointed segments, free to the 
* Bot. Reg. (1844) p. 780; Gard. Chron. 1844, р. 480; Veg. Kingd. (cum icone) p. 728. 
* Hook. Icon. vii. tab. 799. 3? Niger Flora, p. 361, tab. 49. 
* Theor. p. 132. * Gen. Plant. i. 696. 5 Journ. Linn. Soc. x. 492, 
