natural Family of Plants called Composite. 135 



other families ? /\ncl, in adopting tlie hypothesis I have formerly 

 advanced* respecting the nature of this disk in certain families, 

 — namely, that it is composed of a series of modified stamina, — 

 has not the part iu question a considerable resemblance in appa- 

 rent origin and division to the stamina of the nearly-related family 

 Stylidece ? 



To render this supposition somewhat less paradoxical, let the 

 comparison be made especially between the indusium of Brunonia 

 and the imperfect antherae in the female flowers of E3?-s<era. Lastly, 

 connected with this view, it becomes of importance to ascertain 

 whether the stamina in Stylidece are opposite to the segments of 

 calyx or of corolla. The latter disposition would be in favour of 

 the hypothesis. This, however, is a point which will not be very 

 easily determined, the stamina being lateral. In the mean time, 

 the existence and division of the corona faucis in Stylidiuin render 

 it not altogether improbable that they are opposite to the seg- 

 ments of the corolla. ' 



Since the preceding paper was submitted to the Society, 

 .M. Cassini has published f the substance of a Memoir, which he 

 read to the Academy of Sciences of Paris in August last, on a 

 new family of plants named by him BoopiDEiE, and consisting of 

 Calycera, Boopis, and Acicarpha. I have also, through the libe- 

 rality of Messrs. de Jussicu, Desfontaines, and Baron Delessert, 

 had the opportunity of examining specimens of Acicarpha tribii- 

 loides in flower and fruit, of both species of Boopis in flower, and 

 detached flowers and pericarpia of Calycera. In all of these I 

 have found the ovulum pendulous; and in Acicarpha and Caly- 

 cera an inverted embryo occupying the axis of a fleshy albumen. 

 * Linn, Soc. Transact, x. p. 159. f Bulletin des Sciences, 1816, p. 160. 



My 



