of the Family of BurmannisLcese. 381 



of any approach to exogenous structure, places them at an immense distance 

 in the natural system. Professor Lindley in his ' Vegetable Kingdom' ar- 

 ranges Triuridaceoe close to Smilacece, no doubt for reasons similar to those 

 before enumerated ; so that through Hydrocharidece they are thus allowed to 

 approach Burmanniacece, and perhaps through Fluviales, the Aracece ; but 

 until we have better evidence of the structure of these plants, it would be idle 

 to speculate further on their nature. 



Hammersmith, May 1846. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XV. 



Fig. 1. A plant of Ophiomeris Macahensis, Miers, of the natural size. 



Fig. 2. An unopened bud : — magnified. 



Fig. 3. An expanded flower, seen in front : — magnified. 



Fig. 4. An expanded flower, seen laterally. 



Fig. 5. An expanded flower, seen from the summit. 



Fig. 6. An expanded flower, cut longitudinally. 



Fig. 7- Filament, turned up to show the anther. 



Fig. 8. Filament, with a portion of the perianthium, seen in profile. 



Fig. 9. Filament, in its natural position, seen from within. 



Fig. 10. Anther-lobes, in their natural direction. 



Fig. 11. Style and stigma: — magnified. 



Fig. 12. A fruit, with the perianthium fallen off: — of the natural size. 



Fig. 13. A longitudinal section of the fruit, magnified, showing the placentae. 



Fig. 14. A longitudinal section of the fruit, magnified, after the falling off of the disc. 



Fig. 15. A transverse section of ditto, showing the lines of placentation and the position of 



the seeds. 

 Fig. 16. Disc, style and stigma: — magnified. 

 Fig. 17. Seed, with \ts funiculus : — highly magnified. 

 Fig. 18. Seed, divested of half its testa, to show the included nucleus? 

 Fig. 19. Included nucleus ? 

 Fig. 20. Section of a flower of Thismia Brunonis, Griff", (from a specimen in the herbarium 



of Sir W. J. Hooker) : — magnified. 

 Fig. 21. Section of a flower of ditto, with the monadelphous staminal tube turned up to 



show the anthers. 



