34 Mr. J. INIiers on the Menisperraacese. 



published, because I have been awaiting the chance of obtaining 

 better materials for determining the characters of a few genera, 

 and also because I have been led away by my inquiries into the 

 Solanacea and some other families, to which my attention has 

 been called in this interval. The investigation of the Menisper- 

 macetE, on account of the minuteness of their Howers, has required 

 much patient examination, and several hundred analyses have 

 been repeated many times, and their details registered, in order 

 to ensure the utmost amount of truth. Still, I feel that the 

 inquiry is yet incomplete, and with the view of obtaining the 

 desiderata required, I will endeavour here, in as short a space as 

 possible, to give an outline of what I have already done, and what 

 still remains to be ascertained. With this view, I now present 

 a sketch of the principal features, that may serve to mark the 

 distribution of this family into distinct tribes, arranged in a 

 tabular view, and assisted by a short distinctive character of 

 each genus. 1 will not endeavour to explain my views, in re- 

 gard to the true affinities of this order, until I am better enabled 

 to exhibit at full length the numerous facts I have collected 

 together : this will be reserved for a more fitting opportunity ; 

 but I will now merely observe, that after a very careful inquiry 

 into the subject, I cannot accord with the original views of 

 Prof. Lhidley, who diflPers from all other botanists in regard to 

 the position of this order in the system. In his ' Introduction 

 to Botany,^ 2nd edit. p. 314, he points out its resemblance with 

 the Smilacea, and places it in his class of Imperfecta, near Poly- 

 gonacece. Subsequently in his 'Vegetable Kingdom,' p. 307, 

 renouncing this view, he arranges the Menispermacece among his 

 " Diclinous Exogens," near the Mi/risticacecB and Monimiacece, 

 far distant from the position assigned to it by all preceding 

 systematists. I feel quite assured, that if this distinguished 

 botanist had been better acquainted with the structure of this 

 order, he would have come to a very different conclusion. My 

 own observations lead me to concur generally with the views of 

 the late Prof. DeCandolle, who in his ' Systema Vegetabilium ' 

 and his excellent ' Prodromus,' placed this family near the Ano- 

 nacece, among the hypogynous polypetalous orders (the Hypo- 

 petalecB of Jussieu), a position confirmed by Endlicher, Meissner, 

 and other eminent systematic botanists. It is hardly necessary 

 to remark, that both the Sclmandraceee and Lardizabalacece must 

 remain in juxtaposition with the Menispermacece. 



There is probably no family in the whole vegetable kingdom 

 so completely heteromorphous as the Menispermacea, or that 

 presents such extreme and aberrant features at variance with its 

 normal structure. These extremes are found in the habit of the 



