Q12 Remarks on the Affinities 



thracece and Montiniea: near Portulacacew ; Von Martius 

 places them with Frankeniacea as Marcenanthce. It is re- 

 markable that these writers should have adopted the stations 

 selected by others for Tamaricacece. 



Botanists, almost with one voice, have placed the Lythra- 

 ce<B next some family in the series of perigynous alliances 

 before mentioned ; we there find them with Ceratophyllece, 

 CEnotheracece, Rhizophoracece, Combretacece, Melastomacece, 

 Myrtacece, and Rosacea, a somewhat decisive evidence of 

 joint affinity. The character suits well with CEnotherales, 

 among which I have placed both Lythracece and Vochyacece ; 



CENOTHERALES. Not lactescent ; leaves simple, penni-nerved, un- 

 divided. Sepals more or less connate, valvate in the bud, or rarely some- 

 what open, (some Lythracece), or irregular, {Vochyacece) , odd sepal superior. 

 Petals, (when present), inserted on the calyx ; not exceeding the number of 

 the calycine lobes, alternating. Stamens not more than four times the num- 

 ber of calycine lobes, adherent to the calyx, not adelphous. Carpels 1 — 4, 

 not exceeding the number of calycine lobes, forming independent cells, con- 

 nate with each other, adherent to the calyx or enclosed. Style 1, slender. 

 Ovules indefinite and central, or definite and then pendulous or erect. Al- 

 bumen 0, (exc. Montinia) ; embryo straight. 



Dr. Lindley does not here adopt the same limits for his al- 

 liance as Bartling, whose limits I have somewhat qualified. 

 The valvate calyx has been overlooked, and through an am- 

 biguity of expression, applicable only to the corolla, it seems 

 even to be negatived ; it is however a very striking analogy 

 among perigynous families, to the Malvales among hypogy- 

 nous families, and subjected merely to exceptions analogous 

 to BombacecE and Dipterocarpacece. Dr. Lindley has, with 

 Agardh, leant upon the quaternary structure, which is doubt- 

 less remarkable hereabouts, and probably connected with the 

 fact, that the carpels are limited to 4, through the sequence of 

 Piperales, Haloragales, and CEnotherales. If stress be laid 

 upon the unsupported resemblances to Hibiscus and Napcea, 

 we may produce Antherylium and Cassipourea. 



Lythracece have also been compared with Adenaria in Ce- 

 lastracece, but no one has ventured to place them among the 

 Euphorbiales, though it might be done without great violence 

 to the general structure of that alliance. Such solitary un- 

 supported resemblances of extreme cases, are of little weight. 



Vochyacece have been compared with Clusiacece and Marc- 

 graaviacece, two families of the Hypericales, and therefore 

 that alliance should be examined : — 



HYPERICALES. Leaves simple ; stipules 0. Flowers regular. Se- 

 pals 2 — 7, in a broken series, imbricated. Corolla hypogynous, of 4 — 10 

 divisions. Stamens hypogynous, not fewer than the corolline divisions. — 

 Carpellary leaves more or less turned inwards at the edges, free from the 

 calyx, connate with each other. Albumen or very small. 



