DR. HOOKER ON THE BALANOPHOREjE. 95 



elaborate plates which illustrate the memoir. It is a clear, 

 patient, and philosophical elucidation of an extremely anoma- 

 lous group of plants, and a succinct exposition of the principal 

 lessons to be learned from their study, both organographically 

 and systematically ; and it bears the impress throughout of 

 the spirit, freshness, and independence which so distinguish 

 this author, and make all his writings so attractive and in- 

 structive. While the whole subject is developed in proper 

 order, the divisions are not quite clearly marked out in the 

 essay. The first sectional heading is : "1. Parasitism and 

 structure of the Rhizome." But there is no section 2 answer- 

 ing to the first, which moreover continues, without a break, 

 to treat of the general anatomy, organography, and morphol- 

 ogy of these plants, the structure of the flowers, ovules, and 

 seeds, and of the diverse doctrines which have been propounded 

 respecting them. The affinities of Balanophoreoe are then 

 considered under a special heading ; their Classification is 

 then the subject of a few general remarks ; also their Geo- 

 graphical Distribution and Variation. Then a Synoptical 

 Table of the genera is given ; and the fourteen genera with 

 their known species (28 in all) are finally described and 

 illustrated. 



As to the structure and affinities of BalanophorecB^ and 

 the curious questions that have arisen about their place in the 

 natural system, Dr. Hooker, in the first place, affirms them to 

 be truly phaenogamous. It now seems strange that this should 

 ever have been doubted. The arguments to the contrary, says 

 our author, " all appear to have originated, on the one hand, 

 in mistaking feeble analogies between the forms of organs 

 that are not homologous, for affinities ; and, on the other, in 

 overlooking a multitude of positive characters. These argu- 

 ments may be summed up as : — 1. An erroneous view of the 

 nature of the seeds, by Endlicher, Martins, Blume, and others, 

 who describe them as a sporulif erous mass, — a term which, 

 even if it were applicable, has no meaning. 2. An erroneous 

 view of their origin being in a diseased state of the plants 

 they grow upon, adopted by Junghuhn and Trattinick. 3. A 

 supposed similarity in appearance to Fungi., and an erroneous 



