NEILGHERRY PLANTS. 5 
III. MENISPERMACEZ. 
This curious family consists, with few exceptions, of twining shrubs and is nearly confined 
to Asia and America, a few only having been found in other tropical countries. One is found 
above 3,000 feet of elevation on the Himalayas and one in Siberia. These I believe are about 
the only exceptions to its tropical character, doubtless others are found beyond the tropics, 
but still in warm latitudes where frost is scarcely known. The one here represented has the 
widest range of elevation of any I have met with in the Peninsula, ascending from the plains 
even to Ootacamund,where it is found in almost every thicket. One other species I have found 
on the Hills and only there, but so rare that I have only once seen it and then not in good 
flower, otherwise it would have been a more appropriate representative of the family for this 
work. 
The order is in many respects peculiar and seems hitherto to have nearly set at defiance 
all attempts of Botanists to find a suitable location for it in the natural arrangement of the 
vegetable kingdom. I here retain it in the situation allotted by that most accomplished 
Botanist, Professor DeCandolle, though satisfied in my own mind it is not well chosen, from 
feeling convinced that premature and partial reforms are productive of greater injury to 
science than the errors they are intended to remedy. 
Intense bitterness more or less combined with narcotism is the prominent quality of the 
Order as evinced by the well known Colombo root, and the notorious Cocculus Indicus in 
which the bitter principle of the family is combined with a less innocent narcotic property 
which it is said London Brewers impart to their Porter. 
CLYPEA. 
Diccious. Calyx of 6 sepalsin a double series, with 3-6 close pressed bracteoles. Corolla none 
Maxx. Stamens united into acentral column, dilated at the apex, bearing several 2-celled anthers; cell 
opening horizontally, placed end to end, and forming a ring round the top of the column. Fxmu. Ovary 
solitary. Stigmata 3 (or rarely 6?) Drupe obliquely reniform ; nat compressed, wrivkled round the margin 
Seed solitary, uncinate. Albumen fleshy. Embryo terete, of the same shape, and about as long as the seed 
—Twining shrubs. Leaves peltate. Panicles axillary, both male and female without cordate bracteas.— 
W.and A, Prod p. 14, No. I. | 
This genus is one of four or five appertaining to this family found in the Indian Peninsula and is 
easily distinguished from its congeners by its male flowers, the stamens of which are united inte a single 
column forming at topalarge capitate anther which opens round the upper margin for the transmission of 
the pollen, The flowers of this like those of the preceding order belong to the ternary form, that is, are com- 
posed of one or more whorls, each having three leaves. In this instance three such are shown in the diagram 
fig 8, while the centre ring may be supposed to consist of either one or two such verticels. In Cocculus there 
are 2 whorls of stamens each having a scale at the base, in this there are only three scales (fig 3) surroundin 
the column hence it seems probable that one whorl only unites to form the compound stamen. 
upper side galas, water slightly hairy: panic es moist Gutatboniate is equally fre ge in eile 
about equal to the petioles, umbelliform ; sets situations on the Pulaey mountains, but also occurs 
“hana erg very me polleniferous ring waite plains in moist shady jungles. 
— W.and 
