NE^V DErAKTURE IN BOTANICAL NOMENCLATURE. 213 



Mueller's sequence of Orders lies in the binarily named sul> 

 divisions of his Choripetalese and Synpetale^, which succeed 

 one another thus : Choripetale^e Hypogynae, Choripetalejie 

 Perigynte, Synpetale*Te Perigyn^ and Syni)etalese Hypogynse. 

 Under these the various apetalous orders, the gymnosperms 

 of course excluded, for the most part find places according to 

 their real affinities, or at least according to tlieir closest 

 analogies. These sulxlivisions are evidently a great improve- 



ment upon the Canclollean arrangement ; and I thought at 

 one time of adopting them in the Flora Franciscana. But I 

 am unconvinced that the Choripetalese Hypogyna are truly 

 the most advanced type of plant-organisms. I am thoroughly 

 persuaded that the~ LegumiuosJB are the most perfect of 

 plants, and that other of the Clioripetalese Perigynse come 

 next to them. Moreover, the whole system of Hypogynous 

 and Perigynous groups of orders is more or less unnatural ; 

 for perigynous stamens and hypogynous stamens are found 

 repeatedly '•'within the same natural order, and even within 

 the same genus. Nevertheless, Baron von Mueller's arrange- 

 ment must be admitted to show a marked advance from 

 the old one with which all are familiar ; and this volume, 

 rich as it is in varied and original suggestions upon plant- 

 affinities, is perhaps even more valuable as being a large 

 treasury of bibliological erudition. 



A New Departure in Botanical Nomen- 



clature. 



Some of our English friends have been entertaining 

 themselves and us by writing sundry paragraphs in relation 

 to what they have chosen to call a " Neo-American School of 

 Nomenclature."' The paragraphs, no doubt may have 

 afforded some kind of satisfaction to the writers themselves, 



■at 



* Lond. Jo urn. Bot. xxviii. 1^7, etc. 



