QUARTERLY CHRONICLE. 223 
both physiological and systematic botany. With respect to 
the three orders just mentioned, the raphidian character has 
been found by Mr. Gulliver to hold good of all the exotic 
species which he has hitherto examined. But, on a subject 
so novel, he insists that observations must be multiplied 
before we can arrive at certain conclusions. Bearing this in 
mind, we may note that among the orders of exotic Dicoty- 
ledons, which he suggests, after a comparison of them with 
their neighbours of other orders, will prove to be characterised 
as raphis-bearers, are Nyctaginaceze, Phytolaccacee, and 
Vitaceee. And it is very remarkable that the vast genus 
Mesembryanthemum appears, as far as his observations have 
yet gone, to be distinguished by the profusion of raphides 
from all its allies. As to Monocotyledons, the Dictyogene 
signally differ, in the possession of this character of raphis- 
bearing, from their neighbours in the lineal series of the 
natural arrangement. Pontederacez abound in raphides, which 
scarcely appear, if at all,in the Alismal Alliance; and raphides 
are regularly abundant in some sections, and as constantly 
wanting in others of Liliacez ; plentiful in Orontiaceze, and 
very scarce in Juncaceze ; appearing and disappearing in dif- 
ferent orders of Enogens; especially abundant in Aracee; 
and finally ceasing altogether in Potamogetonacez, Naiadacee, 
Cyperaceze, and Graminee. At least, Mr. Gulliver has not 
yet found true raphides in any of these four orders, nor in 
our native Cryptogamee Ductulose. Throughout Professor 
Lindley’s Aral Alliance, comprising the orders Pistiacez, 
Typhaceee. Aracesze, and Pandanacee, Mr. Gulliver finds 
raphides abounding; while, on the contrary, he has not 
found them at all either in the orders Graminacez, Cyper- 
acez, Restiacee, or Eriocaulacez, of the immediately pre- 
ceding or Glumal Alliance. On the other hand, Professor 
Lindley’s Hydral Alliance, comprising the orders Hydro- 
charidaceze, Naidacez, and Zosteracee, turns out to be devoid 
of raphides, although they abound in the orders of the next 
succeeding or Narcissal Alliance. Again, while Ponteder- 
aceze is a raphis-bearing order, neither of the next three 
orders (Butomacez, Alismaceze, and Juncaginacez) is so 
characterised. Butit should be borne in mind that, under the 
term raphides, Professor Gulliver only includes the bundles of 
needle forms occurring in the oblong cells. Sphzeraphides, 
or other crystals, he regards as so common in vascular plants 
as not to be easily reduced to order. And yet he observes 
that the spheraphides of Chenopodiacez and Tetragoniacez 
are so exactly alike as to add another link to the affinity so 
admirably noticed by Lindley between these two orders. 
VOL. V.—NEW SER. Q 
