produce of Piper Betel, and Siriboa. Finally, P. inebrians possesses narcotic 

 properties, of which the South Sea islanders avail themselves for preparing 

 'an intoxicating beverage. Dec. 



Examples. Piper, Peperomia. 



CLXIII. PODOSTEME^. 



Podgsteme^t:, Richard and Kunth in Humh. N. G. et Sp. 1. 24C. (1815) ; Martins 

 Nov. G. et Sp. 1. 6. (1822.) 



Diagnosis. Achlamydeous herbaceous dicotyledons, with a 2-celled 

 polyspermous capsule, and solitary flowers. 

 Anomalies. 



Essential Character. — Flotvers naked, hermaphrodite, bursting through an 

 irregularly lacerated spatha. Stamens hypog^oious, varying from 2 to an indefinite num- 

 ber, either phiced all round the ovarium or on one side of it, monadelphous, alternately 

 sterile; anthers oblong, 2-celled, bursting longitudinally. Oimrium 2-celled, with nume- 

 rous ovula attached to a fleshy central placenta ; styles or stigmas 2 or 3, and sessile. Fruit 

 slightly pedicellate, ribbed, capsular, opening by 2 valves, which fall off from the dissepi- 

 ment, which is parallel with them. Seeds numerous, minute, their sti'ucture unknown, or, 



according to Von Martins, entirely simple Herbaceous branched floating plants. Leaves 



capillary, or linear, or lacerated irregularly, or minute and densely imbricated, decurrent on 

 the stem, with which they are not articulated. Flowers axillary or terminal, inconspicuous. 



Affinities. Little is at present known of the real characters of this 

 curious order. Only 2 of its genera, Mniopsis and Lacis, have been well 

 described, and even these are still but imperfectly understood. Dr. Von 

 Martius has the following remarks upon it : " It is very doubtful in what 

 part of the natural series Podostemese should be arranged; for they are 

 connected with so many other orders, in so various and complicated a man- 

 ner, that it is highly probable that several genera, the affinities of which will 

 be more apparent, still remain to be discovered. Nothing can be more 

 singular than the mixture of different characters which they exhibit. Thus, 

 the structure of their spathes, and the want of a true calyx and corolla, 

 approximate them to Naiades (Fluviales) and Aroidea', while the cha- 

 racter of their stamens and fruit is very much that of Juncagineae ; the former 

 of these, however, differ in their lower degree of organisation, and the latter 

 in the presence of a more or less perfect perianthium, and in the composition 

 of their capsule. Lemna, a genus closely allied to Aroidese, seenis to be 

 more related to them in its spatha, hypogynous stamens, habit, and mode of 

 life, but is distinguished by its less highly developed few-seeded fruit. 

 Again, Mniopsis, in its ramification, in the form and position of its leaves, 

 and in its stipulse, and Lacis and Podostemum in the character of their 

 spatha and the emersion of their pedicels at the time of flowering, call 

 remarkably to mind the habit of Jungermanniee; so that we should probably 

 not be far from the truth, if we were to say that thi-; order forms a transi- 

 tion from Naiades (Fluviales) to Juncaginese, on the one hand touching 

 upon Aroidese, thus being, as it were, a sort of noble analogy of Hepaticae 

 among monocotyledons." Nov. G. et Sp. 1. 7. Upon this it is difficult to 

 make any additional remarks, without being in possession of a more complete 

 knowledge of their structure. I must, however, observe, that it appears to 

 me clear that Podostemese are not monocotyledons, as Von Martius, Kunth, 

 and Richard, suppose, but dicotyledons ; for which I have to offer the following 

 reasons : In the first place their habit is that of dicotyledons, and not of mono- 

 cotyledons; Podostemon being very like a starved Pepper, and Hydrostachys 

 having its flowers in spikes resembling those of Saunu-ns. Tristicha has minute 



