412 Dr. Puancuon on Meliantheze, 
stamens and petals with the quinary division of the calyx is equally striking 
in Diplerisma and Natalia among Melianthee, and in Paullinia, Serjania 
and other Sapindacew ; the cohesion of two of the calycine segments takes 
place in several Serjanie and Paullinie as well as in Natalia; the excentri- 
city of the floral organs is the same in all these cases; the disc is obliquely 
unequal and incomplete; moreover, as the petals of many Sapindacew have 
on the inner side of their claws a lamelliform or crest-shaped appendage, so 
we find occasionally on the apex of the claws of the petals of Natalia Paulli- 
nioides, Planch., some fleshy tubercles, which are evidently the rudiment of a 
corresponding crest; and, lastly, as nothing can be more striking than the 
resemblance and general agreement of the capsule of Diplerisma with that of 
Cardiospermum, so, on the other hand, the coriaceous capsule of Bersamee, 
with its arillate seeds, single in each cell, and ascending from the base of its 
inner angle, corresponds in all respects with the fruit of Paullinia. Thus the 
most important points of structure concur in proving the close connexion of 
Melianthec with Sapindacee. 
The analogy of floral organization which exists between JMelianthus and 
Polygala is too obvious to be totally neglected, although the balance is 
rather against an immediate approximation of those plants. In both cases 
we have a remarkably irregular calyx, cut into five segments ; the petals con- 
nected by their claws, and the stamens in a quaternary proportion. But here, 
"s everywhere else, care must be taken not to confound floral analogy with 
real signs of immediate connexion; not to mistake parallelism of structure for 
that direct tendency which habit, the true touchstone of affinities, points out 
more or less clearly from one natural group to another. Now, it is on the 
combined suggestions of that general resemblance and of particular links of 
‘connexion, such as that of Krameria with Janusia, of Securidaca with Acri- 
docarpus and Hiptage, it is, I say, upon these grounds that I am inclined to 
consider the affinity of Polygalece with Malpighiacee as more close than that 
of each of those orders separately with Sapindacew and Melianthee. Still, 
— these groups cannot be far removed from each other. 
Besides the four genera which rank naturally under the first of these groups, 
another anomalous Cape genus may, according to Mr. Harvey's suggestion, 
be conveniently placed near them. The plant I allude to is Aitonia, whose 
