268 



lying against the hilum. — Herbaceous tropical plants, destitute of aroma. Rhizoma creep- 

 ing, abounding in a nutritive fecula. Stem often branching. Leaves, inflorescence, and 

 flowers, as in Scitaminese. 



Affinities. Under Scitamineae, the relations of that order and the 

 present to other monocotyledonous groups has been noticed. In this place 

 the distinction between the two orders has to be explained. Mr. Brown was 

 the first to propose the separation of them, in which he has not been followed 

 generally ; a circumstance which has possibly arisen from a belief that Ma- 

 rantacese differed from Scitaminese only in the absence of aroma and vitellus, 

 and in the imperfection of their anther. But, as I have formerly stated in 

 the Botanical Register, folio 932, the distinction of the two orders depends 

 upon a much more important consideration than either of these. In true 

 Scitaminese, as Mr. Brown has observed {Prodr. 305.), the stamen is 

 always placed opposite the labellum or anterior division of the inner series 

 of the corolla, and proceeds from the base of the posterior outer division ; 

 while the sterile stamens, when they exist, are stationed right and left of the 

 labellum. But in Marantaceae the fertile stamen is on one side of the 

 labellum, occupying the place of one of the lateral sterile stamens of Scita- 

 mineae: This peculiarity of arrangement indicates a higher degree of irregu- 

 larity in Marantaceae than in Scitamineae, which also extends to the other 

 parts of the flower. The suppression of parts takes place in the latter in a 

 symmetrical manner; the two posterior divisions of the inner series of the 

 perianthium, which are occasionally absent, corresponding with the abortion 

 of the two anterior stamens. In Marantaceae, on the contrary, the suppres- 

 sion of organs takes place with so much irregularity, that the relation which 

 the various parts bear to each other is not always apparent : instead of the 

 central stamen being perfect while the two lateral ones are abortive, as in 

 Scitamineae and most Orchideae, or of the central stamen being abortive and 

 the two lateral ones perfect, as in some Orchideae, it is the central and one 

 lateral one that are suppressed in Marantaceae. In the perianthium of Canna 

 only the most external within the calyx can properly be called corolla ; the 

 remainder of the segments being attempts to produce barren petaloid stamens 

 analogous to what is called the inner limb of the corolla in Scitamineae ; 

 and the characters upon which botanists found their specific distinctions 

 depend upon the degree to which this developement of petaloid abortive sta- 

 mens extends. When, for instance, they describe some as having an inner 

 limb of 2 or of 3, or of 4 or of 5 segments, they should rather say 2, 3, 4, or 

 5 stamens are partially developed. For remarks upon the proof thus afforded 

 of the affinity of Scitamineae and Marantaceae to Musaceae, see the former 

 order. 



Perhaps it will be possible to put the relative structure of Scitamineae 

 and Marantaceae in a clearer light by the following diagrams, in which the 

 triangle C, C, C represents the calyx, the angles corresponding with the 

 position of the sepals ; the triangle P, P, P the corolla ; R, r, r an outer 

 series of petaloid stamens, of which r, r are rudimentary only ; and S, s, s 

 the inner series of stamens, of which S is the fertile and fully developed 

 one. 



