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Affinities, No doubt can be entertained of the close affinity of this order 

 to Magnoliacere, from which, however, it differs in the want of stipulae, in the 

 form of the anthers, and in the peculiar condition of the ovarium : agreeing in 

 the ternary division of the parts of fructification, and their indefinite stamens 

 and ovaria. An affinity has been pointed out between them and Menisper- 

 meae ; but it appears to me to be very weak. The great feature of the order 

 is tts ruminated albumen, to which there is no exception, and scarcely any 

 parallel. The parietal insertion of ovula, ascribed to this order by Decandolle, 

 is not universal. The ovula are erect in Anona, Guatteria, and Anaxagorea. 

 A. St. H. in PI. Usu. 33. A remarkable plant is described by Mr. Brown, in 

 the Appendix to Flinder's Voyage, under the name of Eupomatia laurina, in 

 which the stamens are manifestly perigynous, and the tube of the calyx cohe- 

 rent with the ovarium. This genus is referred by its learned discoverer to 

 Anonacese, with which there can be no doubt that it has a very striking ana- 

 logy ; but its structure is nevertheless so peculiar, that I hesitate, with M. De- 

 candolle, in absolutely identifying it with Anonacere. I have remarked in 

 Anona laurifolia that the pollen is arranged in two distinct rows in each cell of 

 the anther, and that when that organ bursts, the grains of pollen fall out, 

 cohering in a single row, so as to have the appearance, of a necklace. Sup- 

 posing Wintereae not to be stipulate, as St. Hilaire asserts, this order will be 

 more nearly related to them than to Magnoliaceae. Connected with Berbe- 

 rideae through Bocagea. 



Geography. The tropics of the old and new world are the natural land 

 of these plants : thence they spread, in a few instances, to the northward and 

 the southward. 



Properties. The general character is, to have a powerful aromatic taste 

 and smell in all the parts. The bark of Uvaria tripetaloidea yields, being 

 tapped, a viscid matter, which hardens in the form of a fragrant gum. Dec. 

 The flowers of many species, especially of Artabotrys odoratissima and 

 Cananga virgata, are exceedingly fragrant. The dry fruits of many species 

 are very aromatic ; those of Uvaria aromatica are the Piper rcthiopicum of the 

 shops. Xylopia sericea, a large tree found in forests near Rio Janeiro, where 

 it is called Pindaiba, bears a highly aromatic fruit, with the flavour of pepper, 

 for which it may be advantageously substituted. Its bark is tough, and readily 

 separated into fibres, from which excellent cordage is manufactured. Plantes 

 Usuelles, no. 33. Of other species the fruit is succulent and eatable, contain- 

 ing a sugary mucilage, which predominates over the slight aromatic flavour 

 that they produce. Of this kind are the Custard Apples of the East and 

 West Indies, the Cherimoyer of Peru, and others. In Asimina triloba an acid 

 is present of a very active nature, according to Duhamcl ; but this is not cer- 

 tain. The Anona sylvatica, called Aralicn do mato, in Brazil, has a light 

 white wood, very fit for the use of turners, and for the same purposes as the 

 lime-tree of Europe. Its fruit is described as good for the dessert. Plantes 

 Usuelles, 29. The wood of the root of A. palustris is employed in Brazil for 

 corks. lb. 30. The Indians on the Orinoco, particularly in Atures and May- 

 pura, have an excellent febrifuge, called Frulta de Burro, which is the fruit of 

 Uvaria febrifuga. Humboldt, Cinch. Forests, p. 22. Eng. ed. 



Examples. Anona, Unona, Guatteria. 



