'/ 



138 ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 



cases adduced among Primulacese, where a somewhat similar structure occurs, that no great 

 weight can be attached to that circumstance. Habit and geographical distribution must, I 



a 



pprehend, be looked upon, in this case, as the really essential distinguishing feature. The 



section, or according to Alph. D. C. the order, Theophrastece has alternate sterile stamens 



and extrose anthers as in SapotacecE, showing a transition from the one into the other and 



indicating a direct affinity between the two orders, which, however, are kept distinct by the 



difference of the ovary, which is several-celled in Sapotaceae, and also by the very different 



Btructure of the seed. Whether or not Theophrastece ought to be separated from Myriseneacece 



is a question which scarcely comes within the scope of this work, there being no Indian 



species of the former, but, were I called upon to give an opinion, I think it probable it would 



be adverse to their separation partly on the ground of analogy furnished by Sapotaceae, between 



the genera of which it appears to me there are as wide discrepancies as between TheophrastacecB 



and MyriseneacecB. But on the other hand many families, are less clearly defined and therefore 



it is my impression that the verdict of A. De C. will ultimataly be confirmed as it rests 

 on some strong points. 



was 



Geographical Disteibution. In 1833 when Alph. De Candolle's paper on this family 

 read in the Linnean Society, he was only acquainted with 180 species excluding Theophrasta, 

 n the number has been nearly doubled. In his three tabular statement of the geo- 



since then 



graphical distribution of the order he assigns only 9 to "Ceylon and the Indian Peninsula," 



I cannot say how many I have, indigenous within these limits, but I am nearly certain the 

 number is little under tweiitv. 



number is little under twenty. 



Neilgherriense — "This 



taniily is widely but unequally distributed, apparently preferring those countries enjoying a 

 rather high but equable temperature. They most abound in the Islands of the Indian Archi- 

 pelago, next to which ranks Bengal, Burmah, and the Tenasseram coast. The Indian Penin- 

 sula and Ceylon, are placed low in the scale, whether owing to their possessing few or to these 

 floras being less known, I do not know, but I know that I have in my own collection nearly 

 iwice as many as De CandoUe assigned to both countries in 1833 when his very excellent paper 

 was read to the Lmnean Society." ^ 



iTPoar^nW nfr- '^ ^ M "^ u-^^^ f ^^^ Antarctic voyage," gives an admirable account of the 

 of perSction ^"^ ^' ' ^^'"^^ '^^^'' ^^"^' * ^°^ *'"^P^^^ ^^ ^'^"^^ i" f»" «« ^ •""^^^ 



and th^v^f rHnTl""'"]!*'' ^}- ^^^'\P^^,t inhabitants of climates whose temperature is equable 

 Bourbon S M 1^ "'^ ^V •'"^"'" ^"'^^^•^'^^' "^ *^« ^^^^^^^ ^^ the Indian Ocean, Mauritian, 

 Azores Iar?90NTr ^^^^^^most Northern limit in the Old World seem to be the 

 of Aft^a do the^^r^^^^^^^^^ ^"^ ^" "^ P^^t of the adjacent continent 



tn fKo ^S\.„..J ^ i^^^. ** ^^y *" • The order is very rare in N. America, and especially 



A. De C, and that is confin74 7^ .i, %T "'"^^'^^ng tne United States, the M. Jlondana, 

 southern hemisphere th v noli J r ''"^^™ ^tate, whose name it bears, lat. 30^ N. In the 

 the 36th parXundtheCnS^R^^^^^^^^ ^' New Zealand), are found to the southward of 



able circumstance andTl^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^'^''^ ^" ^^% ^^"t*^ ^^^^^^ Ocean, is hence a remark- 

 ture which S Lw Zealand^I^ measure to be accounted for by the uniform tempera- 



to the other dicotvLltuvL^^^^^ ^'^''''' ^^'^ ^^''^ ^^^' ^ ^^'g^r proportion 



alluded to the SZXalS bT ' '" '^'^-.^^ ''' ^"7 ^^^er part of the globe. \ have 

 without parallel in the ordTr to wttT^. \ considerable range in ktitude, a circumstance not 



instance, that plant beinV found bott t ^t^'T' ^l '^''^ ^2^''*^'^^ «/'-^*^««« i« ^^" "''"^"" 

 Azores. The speciesTfhe Natural o1 ' ^T ^^ ^^^'^ ««P«' ^^ Abyssinia, ai 

 (Linn, Tram. L. xvii n QQ^ .1^ ^a^'l ^''' ^"^^^^^^ «« -^''- A. De Candolle well 



and in the 



(Linn. Tram. vol. xvii n ftoCvprv .. fi ^S ""'"' '^"^^^^^r, as M. A. De Candolle well remarks 

 and Myrfacece, being iwo oY' the l'^ f ^' ''^''^' ^^'^'' geographical limits, MelastomacecB 

 number of species which are morP «n^^ r ^"S^'P^, containing about the same or a greater 



more so. ~/o.. Hooker, Bot of Antarctic Voyage, p. 52. 



