68 
to their notes on relationships at the end of each family descrip- 
tion. Take, for example, the notes* accompanying Jilecebraceae 
(vol. III. p. 2.) and other families of Monochlamydeae :—“ Ordo 
Amarantaceis certissime aftinis sed stipulis, perianthio herbaceo 
staminibusque perigynis differt. Caryophylleae distinguuntur 
floribus petaliferis ovario pluriovulato, fructuque capsulari; 
Portulaceae sepalis 2, corolla, capsulaeque dehiscentia. Ficoideae 
connexae sunt ope Adenogrammatis cui ovarium 1-loculare ovulo 
basilari. . . Tribus Scleranthearum transitum ad Caryo- 
phylleas demonstrat. Ficoidearwm tribus M. ollugineae differt 
ovario polycarpico et staminibus saepissime hypogynis.”’ Again, 
under Monimiaceae, we read “‘ Ordo biformis sed bene naturalis, 
Pp 
calycino apetalo albumine aequabili aliesie tk notis essentialibus 
longiuscule recedit. . * Then under Lauraceae, Lorantha- 
ceae, Santalaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Platanaceae and Juglandaceae 
we find similar notes of affinity with polypetalous families, and 
many of these suggestions were embodied by Engler & Prantl 
in their System. 
The System of Engler & Prantl—The chief difference between 
this system and that of Bentham & Hooker is the amalgamation 
of Jussieu’s groups Polypetalae and Monochlamydeae under the 
single group Archichlamydeae and in the Monocotyledons taking 
precedence of the Dicotyledons. Butin Engler’s Archichlamydeae 
those apetalous families composing the so-called group Amenti- 
ferae or catkin bearers (Betulaceae, etc.) are regarded as being the 
most primitive and precede such primitive petaliferous families 
as Ranunculaceae and Magnoliaceae. {Bessey has shown in 
his comparison of the palaeontological researches of Schimper 
and Lesquereux, that in the Cretaceous period in North America, 
when the dicotyledonous flora is first recorded, there was actually 
a preponderance of petaliferous “‘ Polypetalae.”’ Bessey con- 
tends, therefore, and many botanists will agree with him, that 
polypetaly was earlier and that one of the first modifications of 
it was probably in the direction of apetaly, a condition reached 
by many plants in the earlier poe but by relatively smaller 
numbers at the present day. 
r the convenience of students who may not be familiar with 
bot anical ot i: utd the following translation of the above passage: 
in 
ovuled ovary and capsular fruit; Portulaceae by their geminate sepals, 
by their corolla, and dehiscent capsule. The Ficoideae are connected 
ma which 
ovule. The tribe Sclerantheae shows a transition ‘wo the Caryophyllaceae. 
The tribe Mollugineae of Picoideae differs by its polycarpic ovary and wer 
often hypogynous stamens. 
+ Bessey, Bot. Gaz. 24: 151 (1897). 
