ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 153 



(Asb 



flowers, with samaroid fruit and albuminous seed. In SyringecB (Lilacs), we have monopetalous, 

 tubular flowers, capsular fruit, and albuminous seed. In OleinecB (true Olives), we have both 

 tubular and deeply-parted flowers, baccate or drupaceous fruit, and abundantly albuminous seed. 

 And lastly, we have in Chionanthece the flowers and habit of Oleine<E combined with ascending 

 or amphitropal, not pendulous, ovules and exalbuminous seed. These might all perhaps be raised 

 to the rank of orders, especially the last, on nearly the same ostensible grounds that led to the 

 elevation of Jasmmece, viz. exalbuminous seed and ascending ovules, but still it seems to me 

 improper to raise them higher than sections, since all have tetramerous flowers and possess the 

 property of intercommunication by grafting, which the Jasmines do not. But while thus complex 

 in itself we find no other that can be confounded with it. Even the Jasmines, which some 

 Botanists seem disposed to unite, and nearly all place next each other, is by others considered but 

 remotely allied, and, if such indeed be the case, we may then look upon both as isolated orders 

 having affinities but no positively near relationships- Lindley observes, "To me I confess 

 that the unsymmetrical flowers of Jasmines offer a great difficulty in the way of placing them 

 in even the same Alliance as Olives, the more especially because that peculiarity is connected 

 with a decidedly nucamentaceous fruit. The two stamens usually present in Oliveworts may 

 be taken to show that the flowers of the order are really V which is confirmed by Tesserandra^ 

 which has four stamens ; the 2 stamens of Jasmineworts are probably connected with a 

 quinary type. The true affinity seems to be with Night-shades, as is indicated by the dicarpil- 

 lary fruit, regular symmetrical nionopetalous corolla, axile placenta and undivided fruit of both 

 orders."" On these grounds he places the Oleacece in his Solanal alliance, next Solanacece ; and 

 JasminecB in his Echial, next BoraginecB and Lahiatce^ observing thg-t "their unsymmetrical 

 flowers and deeply lobed fruit suggest" that affinity, and seem to point distinctly to those mono- 

 petalous orders in which the number of stamens is different from that of the divisions of the 

 corolla, such as Labiates and Verbenas. Different persons draw different conclusions from the 

 same premises and, in common, I believe, with most other Botanists, I confess I cannot see much 

 relationship between Oleacece and SolanacecB^ but think that I can trace a good deal of affinity 

 between them and Apocynacece and Loganiacece^ and so much between them and JasminecB^ 

 that I cannot tell where the one ends and the other begins, though in their extreme forms so 

 abundantly distinct. Between Notelwa and Jasminum officinale, the distance is extreme — the 

 former having simple leaves, sub-polypetalous flowers, ovaries with 2 pendulous ovules in each 

 cell, a single sub-drupaceous fruit and copiously albuminous seed ; in every one of which par- 

 ticulars the reverse is the case in the other ; which is still further removed by the form and 

 number of its calyx lobes, and the aestivation of the lobes of the corolla. But if we compare 

 Noteloea with Jasminum auriculatum we find the distance considerably diminished by the 

 approximating forms of the calyx, and the ovaries in both having 2 ovules in each cell ; the 

 seed are still diff^erent, the one being albuminous the other exalbuminous. Passing from Oleacece 

 to Chionanthece, we find the distance still further reduced, for now the seed of both families 

 are exalbuminous, the ovules of Chionanthece lose their distinctly pendulous character, while 

 those of some Jasmines lose their distinctly ascending one, and become amphitropous. The 

 habit still, however, marks their diff'erence, Jasmines being generally twining and Olives 

 erect, the Jasmines besides have generally a well-developed style, while that of Olives is much 

 reduced or obsolete.— Advancing one step further, we come to Chondrospermum which unites 

 the two families. In this genus, the corolla is either 4- or 5-cleft with valvate aestivation, and 

 the style is reduced as in Olives, but the cells of the ovary has only one ascending ovule, and 

 the habit is twining as in Jasmines. The seed is unknown. Here then we have the tiower of 

 Oleinece with the ovary and habit of Jasmineos: to which of the two does it belong? And 

 lastly, in J. rigidum we have a 4.1obed calyx. The transition between the two orders being 

 thus progressive, I cannot quite coincide with Brown in saying of Jasminecs,^ Ordo ab Oleinis 

 abunde diversus situ ovulorum structura seminis nee non divisione et aestivatione corollae. 

 And still less can I a^ree with Lindley in viewing Olives as more nearly akm to night-shades 

 than to Jasmines or jlsmines to Echiums than to Olives. The want of symmetry observable 

 in the Bowers of Jasmines is not, it appears to me, akin to that of Labiates, but to that of 

 Potaleads. and the rest of the structure more in conformity- On these grounds I view Ohves 



X 



