134 Mr Don's Observation^ on PMladelpheoe and Granatew, 



It will be seen by the above description, in how few charac- 

 ters this family agrees with Myrtacece^ which differ not only in 

 their simple style, in the absence of albumen, and in having the 

 leaves perfectly entire, evergreen, with pellucid dots, but in 

 their seeds being destitute of an arillus, in the structure and po- 

 sition of their embrya In the mean time, I am disposed to 

 place" this family near to Saocifragece^ as they agree in the aesti- 

 vation of the corolla, in the petals alternating with the lacinia? 

 of the calyx, in the half-inferior ovarium, in the plurality of 

 styles, in the presence of albumen, and in the structure of their 

 anthers ; and they correspond well with Hydrangea in habit, in 

 their opposite, toothed leaves, and in the structure of their bud& 

 and young shoots. 



I shall now proceed to give the characters of the second fa- 

 mily, which I have denominated Granatece, and conclude with 

 remarks on it. 



GRANATEiE. 



Genus Myrt ace arum, Juss. 



Calyx tubulosus, crassus : liynbo erecto, 5-10-lobo, persistente. Pe- 

 iala 5, rarius plura, lobis calycinis alterna^ obovato-rotundata, ca- 

 duca. Stamina indefinite numerosa, fauci incrassatae calycis in- 

 serta. Antkerce fere orbiculatae, peltatae, biloculares, duplici ri- 

 ma longitudinaliter dehiscentes. Ovarium tubo calycis accretum, 

 apice liberum, multiloculare. Stylus breviS;, crassus, teres. Stig- 

 ma indivisum, capitatum. Bacca pomiformis, limbo tubuloso den- 

 tate calycino, nunc contractor coronata : cortex crassissimus, extus 

 cuticula laevi rubicunda punctata lucida vestitus, intus spongio- 

 so-carnosus, albus, dein, matura baeea, fissura irregulariter rum- 

 ' pens. Placenta cortici baccse substantia simiUima, at magis car- 

 nosa et succulenta, baccam omnino replens, in loculis numerosis 

 polyspermis insequalibus reticulatim atque interrupte excavata. 

 Dissepimenta vera nulla : spuria tamen adsunt^, quae e substantia 

 placentae orta, valde sunt fragilia, et crassitie varia. Semina cre- 

 bra, excavationibus placenta? passim inserta, obovato-cuneato, an- 

 gulata, baccata! testa membranacea, pellucida, pulpam aquosam 

 involvens : putamen osseum, angulatum : albumen nullum. J5^m- 

 6ryo cavitati putaminis conformis, rectus, lacteus: cotyledon cs io' 

 liaceee, carnosse, orbiculato-cordatae, spiraliter convolutae : radicula 

 teres, recta crassiuscula, infera, basi obtusa, cotyledonibus duplo 

 brevior, vaga. 



Frutices (Africae borealis) decidui, erecti, ramosissimiy ifiermes v. spi- 

 nosi. Folia exstipulata, petiolata, integerrima, impunctata, inodo- 

 ra, opposita v. rarius terna aut sparsa. Flores magni, laterales, 

 s(ditariij sessiles, punicei, pulcherrimi. Bacca magna, ampuUaceo- 



