of Lythracece and Vochyacece. 211 



cine division superior. Corolla monopetalous, not plaited; more or less ir- 

 regular, hypogynous, deciduous. Stamens not exceeding 5, 2 or 4, or rarely 

 5, (some Myoporacece), fertile, stamens (above 2) not of the same length, 

 (exc. some Verbenacea), adherent to the corolla, alternating with the corol- 

 line divisions. Carpels 2, forming independent cells, free from the calyx, 

 connate with each other in the bud, carpellary midrib facing the odd sepal. 

 Style 1 , stigma of not more than 2 divisions. Fruit dry,, nucamentaceous. 

 Ovules erect or pendulous, not more than 2 in each cell. Embryo straight, 

 cotyledons foliaceous. 



Here the petals are connate ; the stamens never exceed 5, 

 and they are free from the calyx ; the fruit is not capsular, 

 but nucamentaceous ; the ovules are erect or pendulous, and 

 not more than 2 to each carpel. This is sufficient, without 

 reference to other points in which the nixus is different. 



Others have compared Lythracece with Malvaceae, but the 

 characters of the Malvales, (as to the limits of which I other- 

 wise agree with Dr. Lindley), rebut the affinity :: — 



MALVALES. Branches round; hairs, (if present), usually stellate; 

 leaves alternate, petioled, simple ; stipules very rarely absent, free. Calyx 

 valvate in the bud, or ruptile, or irregular. Petals, (when present), as ma- 

 ny as the calycine divisions, alternating, hypogynous, twisted or convolute 

 in the bud. Stamens hypogynous, a multiple of the petals or indefinite, 

 monadelphous or within a long tubular calyx. Carpels forming indepen- 

 dent cells, verticillate or connate in the bud, (exc. perhaps Christiania, Ma- 

 lope, Sterculia, Erythropsis), free from the calyx. Ovules at the inner angle. 



Here there are round branches, alternate leaves seldom en- 

 tire, stipules, petals twisted or convolute, stamens not fewer 

 than the petals, and hypogynous, albumen often present, &c. 

 The perigynous insertion has unquestionably been abused as 

 a character, but it is nevertheless of great value, and ought to 

 be cautiously violated. The Malvales seem uniformly hypo- 

 gynous, even in Elceocarpacece. The adherence to the calyx 

 on the other hand, is normal and uniform through a series of 

 alliances, Haloragales, CEnotherales, Myrtales, and Rosales. 

 The failure of the important character of adherence, usually 

 indicates an approach to the apetalous or sympetalous struc- 

 tures, or to alliances where the germen is sub-adherent to the 

 calex ; Agardh observes, "Perigyna et epigyna omnino con- 

 Jluunt". 



Linnaeus placed Glaux next to Lythrum, which does not 

 require remark. 



Lythracece were placed near Tamaricacece, when the sta- 

 mens of the latter family were not fully examined. The place 

 of Tamaricacece is ambiguous, but it can lie only with Cista- 

 les, or Violates, or Portulacales ; and with none of these can 

 we well place Lythracece, though the Portulacales are least 

 objectionable. Bartling and Shultz place Lythracece with 

 Elatinacece, one of the Cistales; Shultz also places Ly- 



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