56 



MR. BENTHAM ON LOGANIACEJ3. 



been established as orders, adopting as essential tbose characters 

 which had occasioned their separation from Apocynece, Gentianece, 

 or other free Monopetalous orders. As they were now, however, 

 brought into contact with a new set of affinities, many of these 

 characters became much altered in value. Thus, aestivation of the 

 corolla, for instance, is of great value among Scrophularinece, Apo- 

 cynece, and their allies, in the distinction of tribes or even of orders, 

 but among Rubiacece is available for little more than for the sepa- 

 ration of genera ; and as long as Loganiacece were thought to be 

 most closely connected with the former families, near which the 

 elder DeCandolle placed them, he very naturally attached great 

 importance to this character. But now that we bring them into 

 contact rather with Rubiacece, that importance, as observed by 

 Alphonse DeCandolle in his notes, becomes much lessened in our 

 eyes. Regarding indeed Loganiacece, as now generally admitted, 

 as Rubiacece with a free ovary, — a sort of artificial offset from that 

 family, it appears to be the more philosophical as well as the more 

 practically convenient course, to divide them as nearly as possible 

 according to the same principles as those adopted in classing Ru- 

 biacece themselves. 



Of the thirteen tribes adopted by DeCandolle in the division 

 of Rubiacece, there are a few, founded chiefly on number of parts, 

 which subsequent experience has not confirmed. But the most 

 important, artificial as they are in some respects, are yet by far 

 the best that have been proposed. And if the whole number be 

 thus reduced to seven, or perhaps eight, it will be found that the 

 four largest of them have a close parallel among Loganiacece, as 

 may be seen by the following comparative statement : — 



