Mr. J. Miers on the genus Aptandra. 203 



a central axis, upon which ovules more or less nuuaerous are 

 attached by their ventral face ; there also, for the most part, the 

 corolla has a torsive or imbricated aestivation, and in their general 

 habit they do not agree. 



In like manner, the Meliacece present stamens, formed of a 

 cylindrical tube, but this is many-toothed at its apex, and the 

 2-celled anthers, double the number of the petals, are quite di- 

 stinct, affixed within the mouth of the tube, and burst introrsely 

 by longitudinal fissures. They have also a free calyx, but its 

 segments are distinct and imbricated. The corolla consists of 

 four or five petals, sometimes valvate in sestivation, though often 

 imbricated, but they have no indication of any such petaloid 

 scales as are seen in Aptandra. The ovarium is frequently sti- 

 pitate, but most generally is imbedded at base in a fleshy cup ; 

 it is plurilocular, with two or more ovules in each cell. The 

 style is simple and the stigma clavate. Here are therefore some 

 few points of resemblance, while others are again at vai'iance 

 with Aptandra, the general habit of which does not at all con- 

 form with the Meliacea, which, for the most part, have pinnated 

 or bipinnated, and often dentated leaves. 



In the Humiriacece we do not find any satisfactory analogies, 

 for although the stamens there are partly monadelphous, or 

 rather polyadelphous at base, and the anthers have a large fleshy 

 connective, there is nothing approximative in the structure of 

 these organs to what we find in Aptandra. The calyx consists 

 of distinct sepals, which are decidedly imbricate, and the petals 

 have a twisted, imbricated, and almost convolute aestivation : 

 the nectary is tubular, investing the base of the ovarium, is thin 

 and membranaceous, and is interior with respect to the staminal 

 tube, and bears no analogy with the petaloid scales of the genus 

 under consideration. The ovarium is 5-celled, with two super- 

 imposed ovules in each cell, attached to a central pomt of an 

 axile column, which point enlarges to form a transverse spurious 

 dissepiment across each ceU ; and finally, their leaves are very 

 thick and coriaceous. 



The Hamamelidacea offer several strong points of resemblance, 

 more especially in having four linear petals, which, when ex- 

 panded, are in like manner s})irally revolute ; the anthers some- 

 times open by deciduous valves, they have an ovarium with two 

 suspended ovules, and they possess also four hypogynous scales. 

 But the ovarium is bilocular, and is decidedly adnate to the tube 

 of the calyx, so that it is two-thirds inferior ; the calycine seg- 

 ments are large in proportion ; the aestivation of the corolla is 

 torsively imbricate ; the ovules are in most cases several in each 

 cell, although only one is generally matured, or when single they 

 are suspended from the apex: there are two distinct styles; the 



