438 On the Natw^al Order of Plants, 



Papuver cambricum. Benbulben, Sligo. 



^Stratiotes aldides. Canal near Drogheda. 



iianunculus hirsutus. Magilligan, Derry. 



Trollius Europae'us. Convoy and Lough Gartan, Donegal. 



Orobdnche rubra. Ards, Donegal. 



2Tilaspi arv^nse. Magilligan, Derry. 



Z)raba hirta. Limestone mountains of Leitrim and Sligo ; plentiful. 



G^eranium sylvaticum. In a field adjoining Dunluce Castle, Antrim. 



i/yp^ricum ^ndrosae'raura. Of common occurrence in this district. 



Eriocaulon septangulare. Abundant in the lakes of the Rosses, Donegal. 



Lycopodium alpinum. Aghla and Barnesmore mountains, Donegal. 



Isoetes lacustris. Lakes in the Rosses, Donegal. 



Art. VIII. On the Natural Order ofPlantSy Dicotyledhnece^ 

 Anonaceae. By Mrs. E. Bowdich. 



It is one of the peculiar beauties of the natural system, to 

 be so frequently able to recognise the general qualities of a 

 plant, by merely referring to the name of the order to which 

 it belongs. The physiological portion of botany places it 

 among the most important of those studies furnished by nature ; 

 and the mere repetition of long names, the counting of petals 

 and stamina, &c., are, by uniting them to the uses of plants, 

 raised into a science which benefits mankind. 



The family of Anondcece, composed of trees and shrubs, is 

 one of the most natural of the different orders, and presents, 

 not only a strong similarity of appearance, but a remarkable 

 analogy in the qualities of its species. Its existence is mostly 

 confined to that portion of the globe contained between the 

 tropics ; it is eminently beautiful, and not less useful to the 

 natives of the countries to which it is indigenous. Almost all 

 the individuals classed in it possess a strong aromatic or pun- 

 gent odour, which is shared by the roots, the bark, and even 

 the leaves. 



The period of its discovery is not exactly known ; but the 

 Anbna squamosa is mentioned by Oviedo in his work on 

 America, published in the year 1546. In 1548, we hear of 

 the Ethiopian, or Malaguetta pepper; and, in 1648, three or 

 four of the Brazilian species were described. Rheede men- 

 tioned the Malabar species in 1 703 ; since that, one has been 

 discovered in New Holland ; and, still more recently, Palisot 

 de Beauvois speaks of several belonging to Africa. There 

 are, probably, many more hidden in the immense forests of 

 that continent, of which we have so imperfect a notion. 



The flowers of the Anondcecs vary in form, but the petals 

 are generally thick and coriaceous ; they are mostly red. 



