Mr D. Don on the Affinities qfAucuha, &fc. 167 



the direction of the radicle, appear to afford the only discrimi- 

 native marks between the Plantagineae and Plumbaginea. The 

 anthers of Plantago and LysimacUa are terminated by a small 

 membranous appendage, analogous to that of the Composite. 

 Some analogies might be pointed out between Glaux and Thy- 

 meUce, but hardly amounting to an indication of affinity. 



AUCUBA. Thunb. 

 Sys<. /.inr*. DICECIA TETRANDRIA. 

 Ord. Nat. LORANTHEiE, nobis. 



Calyx arete adhserens: margo pariim elevatus, 4-dentatus: dentibus obtusis, 

 brevissimis. Petala 4, decidua, dentibus calycinis alterna, margini disci 

 elevati carnosi 4.angulati inserta, ovata, acuminata, camosa, margine hinc 

 Iruncata, utrinque minut* papiUosa, jestivatione valvata, apice induplicata. 

 Stamina 4, petaUs opposita ? Ovarium cylindricum, tubo calycino arct^ obvolu- 

 turn, uniloculare : ovulo solitario. Stylus brevissimus, crassus, teres. Stigma 

 capitatum, crassum, carnosum, viscidum, obsolete bilobum. Bacca camosa, 

 monosperma, stylo persistente coronata. Cjetera ignota. 



Arbor (Japonica) inermis, sempervirens : ramis more Loranthi aut Visci 

 dkhotomis v. veriicillatis. Folia opposita, petiolata, ovato-lanceolaia, acuminata, 

 dentata, casta, prominenti, reticulato-venosa, coriacea, glabra, lucida, pallide viridia, 

 luteo-maculaia. Petioli semicylindrici. Flores paniculati, parvi. Paniculas 

 plures, spiciformes, pedunculate. Pedunculi villosiuscidi Bractere lanceolatce, 

 membranaceoB, paHidcE, caducce. Calyx adpresse pilosiusculus. Petala atrosan- 

 guinea. 



Obs GemmjE magnse, angulatae squamis conduplicatis imbricatae, folia 



ampla dentata venosa, atque petioli ramis basi dilatata articulati, analogiam 

 c-um Fraxino commonstrant. 



This genus was included by Jussieu in his order Rhanmi ; 

 but, from its having no affinity whatever to either of the families 

 into which that order has been since divided, its place in the 

 system has remained undetermined : and perhaps also, from its 

 want of novelty, the plant has been despised by botanists, and 

 its characters and affinities consequently overlooked. Like the 

 Salix bahylmica, too, we possess only one sex of the tree in 

 Europe, and that the female ; which circumstance has like- 

 wise prevented its being accurately examined. The structure 

 of the female flower agrees so exactly with that of Viscum, 

 that, notwithstanding the diffisrent mode of growth of the two 

 genera, and the absence of more accurate details respecting the 

 male blossoms, and the ripe fruit, its arrangement among the 



