10 ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 



same and the properties, 

 such genera are unworthy of 



only varying in degree, also the same, no one surely will deny that 

 f science and altogether misplaced in any system professing to as- 



not how far we 



<j ^ ^ - — J- - - — J ^j 



pire to the character of natural. 



It is surely time we were bidding adieu to such puerilities and studying, 

 can split and multiply genera by restricting our characters within the narrowest limits, but 

 how we may so construct them as to include every species that naturally belong to them, and 

 to exclude all that do not, a point of perfection which, I fear, we shall not soon attain, so long as 

 we use the varying shapes and sizes and duration of deciduous parts as generic characters and 

 talk of natural systems, but deny that either natural orders or natural genera come from the 



hand of nature. 



Influenced by these considerations, I reject all characters taken from the mere external form 

 of the calyx, whether nearly truncated or lobed, long or short, also whether the petals are so r;a- 



ducous that they fall before expansion or fairly expand and prove as persistent as "'-^ " 



are in tropical climates, that is, have a duration of from 12 to 24 hours. Such char 



*~4.i ,i:_i.: l: .rr -i^ . ••« - 



petals usually 



are m tropical climates, that is, have a duration ot from 12 to 24 hours. Such characters applied 

 to the distinction of genera, it appears to me, are well fitted to establish the truth of the axiom 

 that nature does not creafe genera, but at the same time indicates much want of philosophy in 

 our manner of interrogating nature and enquiring for natural genera, since such distinctions can 

 only produce the most artificial combinations of species. 



^ But discarding them, and looking only to structure, not to size or relative permanency of 

 deciduous parts, we can approach more nearly to the construction of natural genera The 4hus 

 Myrtus. mxgU then be confined to such species as have quinary flowers, a 3-celled ovary ba°ccate 

 truit, and several bony seed enclosing a somewhat cylindrical embryo. M,/rcia to those bavin- 

 quinary flowers, a_2-celed ovary, seed with a smooth not bony testa, and foliaceous corrugated 

 cotyledons. Jo^.^ma to those having quaternary flowers, a 2-celled ovary, numerous seeded 

 fruit, like Psidium or J\J,jrlus, and foliaceous cotyledons. 



..n X^"' ^'^^" -' *^''- -PP'*' ^Z ^' ^!^ ^^^^ ^"""^'^^ ^"^' "^t having materials to compare I 



Zl M ^^"'"'^^ T'''"'' °" ^^^' ^T'' '^""^^ ^^^"^ it very desirable to ascertain whether a 

 genuine Myrtus ever has a quaternary flower and 2.celled ova?y, or a Myrcia a quinary flower 

 and 3-celled ovary, for I think not : or would it not be better to class the species of S Jenira 



.he calls, sabdruplLa utwi ht; 'L"Xr„rrt"l"™ '"fl'l'^ '" '\' "'-■'"'sl--f 



vided. B, sulKLpacious, I 'here Jtr^ I^^^S^ t ^TuteZittlTo; /''r"'^■'"■ 



sarcocarp, enc osinir the seed in tKi= ^^c^ ^^n. i i i e^t'-nor pulpy or fleshy portion, 



easily sec ile. The esta of the seed k h A '""^ '"u-"^' f '" ♦'■"» ''^P''^. >»" Ae^l'y and 



overlooked. The CO, Sons or bTdv of .h±%1° '"''•!'''"• '"1"' ""'^''^ l'«l"i'l fo-', it maybe 

 all. the radicle is .^11 ann,consnicnouV with .„ K" ?'?'""■• »I'"S«'>'»>- «' genen,. In 

 sometimes conferruminatML, h^adrerinr v thr'"' '"'^ '"«' '''^ 'o'"'^' "»'«« lobes being 

 divided into two or three or a LL„ llejf,7»n ■ "5 ^'"J '" "■' '" 'PP'^'"' °'"' ""!?. »' •'"'«'■«. 



The insufficiency of lobed or co"fer™^i ^^^. '"c "" """■"" "^"'"l '^'"^''■ 



the fact of both forms b iZ ound „„ the ,^.11 ""f '? 'f,™ ' ^'""'" '^'"'"''^ '"> V'oveCl by 

 n»r,»,I. . I,. „r,„i„ .,;,.. >™''"'*."'"""'.s™e plant. In these structural peculiarities which 



does creafe genera and that th fg ol wh cb ' "P?'"' , ""' """^'"^ive evidence that 

 and inflorescence, bein» jet plrvaded' .wf f ? u ?'"'>' '""^ ""'■'a''™ "f "egelable 

 organs most essential to^theprservation of fhV'' ''>°'\'^"'"'; "-y a uniform stru?tur« in the 

 genera and, as such, ought on'^.o a count to b. ,?t 'i "^°'" '^"'J' '•' '^"'j ™= "f "a'^^e's own 



ductionoffrivolousdisrinctionswiCpaoticalvaW 7-r?'' f"«"«l ^"''y by the iatro- 



and under that name the whT p?,at?r'hodd''hf / ""i""' T'"i''^ '"'o ™«- •'' Cowh/ltu,, 

 ..aternary, ovary .celled. ..^..^^t^^:^i ^a^ Ji;^Sf;£„-~l^S 



