5S Instilute of Fravce. 



transmits tlieir fecundatiu!? power. This disposition is evident 

 in the husks of tlie leguminous plants, such as French !>eans, 

 peas, Lvc. V/e perceive it also very distinctly in tiie kernels of 

 almonds, cherrie^', &c. one of the sides of which exhibits a fiurow 

 and sometimes a channel which indicates tiie passage of the 

 vessels. M. de Mirbel gives the name of cumare to a simple 

 cajjsule like the above. The plants just mentioned have only 

 one for each flower. When there are several, tlicir seminiferous 

 or vascular sutures are always on the side of the ideal axis of 

 the fruit ; and if we represent them as soldered together, they 

 form a single pericarpiau hox, divided into several compartments, 

 and bearin.g the seeds along its central axis. It is thus that in 

 one and the same family the caviares are sometimes distinct, 

 sometimes united according to the genera, as we see in the 

 rnviinculi and the rutuctcv : it is thus also that certain camares 

 which are soldered at first are separated at the aera of maturity, 

 as in the moss rose, euphorbhim, the htiia crepitans, &;c. 



These ideas being once admitted, we find that pericarps very 

 different at first sight, are nevertheless only slight modifications 

 of a common design : but as it also ha})pens that very remote 

 families have pericarps similar, it is rare that we can draw from 

 this part characters proper for enabling us to group plants well. 



This is not the case with the internal structure of the seeds, 

 which differs much in the various groups, and very little in the 

 interior of one and the same group ; and this partly induced 

 M. Mirbel to divide tlie family of the orange trees of M. de .lussieu 

 into four families ; viz. the auranliaccce, already very much cir- 

 cumscribed by M. (yorrea; the olucmecPy which comprehend the 

 (ilax, the Jissila, the heisitria and the ximcvia ; the llieacece, 

 in which are included the tea plant and the caiuciia; and the lern- 

 strc7i:ice, in which are included the ternstroinia a.\\A\.\\Qjresiera. 



The family of the olacbieas does not comprehend the xivienia 

 epsypfc'i^fh of which M. Delille has properly made a new genus 

 under the name of Balaniles. Tliis vegetable, which we do not 

 as vet know how to classify, presented to M, Mirbel a character 

 which is perhaps unique in vegetation. Every botanist knows 

 the glandular body which is placed under the pistil of many 

 flowers, and to which the name of disk or nectary has been given ; 

 it exists in the balanites in the form of a purse ; tiie pistil is at 

 first shut up in it entirely, and does not appear ; but by growth 

 it separates the sides of the purse, and becomes visible. 



M. Henri de Cassini, the son of one of our members, whose 

 botanical labours we noticed last year, impressed with the idea 

 develoi)ed bv sound naturalists, that a classification, to be cor- 

 rect, ought to be founded on the ensemhle of the characters, has 

 this year directed his attention to the stamens of the great family 



of 



