to be stationed. In fact, like Petunia in Solaneae (see fol. 

 1626), this is a genus which stands on the very boundary 

 line of' two Natural orders, passing by one part of its struc- 

 ture into Papaveraceae, and by another part into Ranuncu- 

 laceae, but with the mass of its characters preponderating in 

 favour of the former. Its habit is also that of the Poppies 

 rather than of the Crowfoots, and its curious fruit may be 

 compared to that of Hypecoum, with the carpels separated 

 and increased in number. The contractions of the sides of 

 the carpels, in consequence of which the seeds are confined 

 in little closed cells, occur equally in Hypecoum, but being 

 of the same nature as those in the fruit of the Radish and 

 its allies among Cruciferous plants, of Ornithopus and others 

 among Leguminous plants, of several Anonaceaj, and of 

 divers others, cannot be esteemed characteristic of one 

 Natural order more than another ; in fact, such fruits may 

 be expected to occur in any and every polyspermous Natural 

 order. 



The following arrangement will serve to show in what 

 order a series of genera to connect the Poppy with Platy- 

 stemon, and the latter with Ranunculacese, would naturally 

 follow ; taking the Poppy for the typical centre of a Papave- 

 raceous groupe. 



Papaver — Meconopsis • — Glaucium — Eschscholtzia — 

 Hvpecoum — Platyste-||-mon — Trollius, &c. 



In the analysis of the accompanying plate, 1, represents 

 a stamen ; 2, a cluster of carpels ; 3, a separate carpel, 

 seen in profile. 



