1915] 



BESSEY PHYLOGENETIC TAXONOMY 151 



Family 210. Bruniaceae. Heath-like shrubs of the southern 

 hemisphere, with small leaves and small, perfect, regular, 

 pentamerous flowers; stamens definite; pistil 2-3-celled, in- 

 ferior or superior; ovules 1 to many, pendulous; endosperm 



copious. Brunia. (Pf. 3 2a : 131.) 



Family 211. Hamamelidaceae. Witch-hazels. Shrubs and 

 trees with mostly alternate leaves and perfect or imperfect, 

 mostly pentamerous flowers; stamens few or many; pistil 

 bicarpellary, its ovary inferior ; ovules solitary or many ; endo- 

 sperm thin. Liquidambar, Altingia, Hamamelis. (Pf. 

 3 2a :115.) 



Family 212. Casuarinaceae. Beefwood trees. Shrubs and 

 trees with striate stems bearing whorls of reduced scale-like 

 leaves ; flowers diclinous ; petals ; pistil bicarpellary, 1-celled ; 

 ovules 2, lateral, half anatropous; endosperm 0. Casuarina. 

 (Pf. 3 1 : 16.) This family, which has puzzled botanists from 

 the first, is doubtfully placed here, on the theory that these 

 plants are leafless relatives of the Hamamelidaceae. 



Family 213. Eucommiaceae. Chinese trees, with alternate 

 leaves, and achlamydeous diclinous flowers; stamens 6-10; 

 pistil bicarpellary, 1-celled, 2-seeded; endosperm present. 

 Eucommia. (Pf. Nachtrage zu Teil ii-iv, 159.) 



Family 214. Platanaceae. Plane-trees. Trees with alter- 

 nate leaves, and monoecious flowers in globular heads ; peri- 

 anth 3-8-merous; stamens 3-8; pistils 3-8, each 1-celled, 

 1-ovuled; endosperm scanty. Plat anus. (Pf. 3 2a :137.) 



Order Myktales. Flowers usually actinomorphic (regular) 

 or nearly so, usually perfect ; pistil of united carpels, usually 

 inferior; placentae axile or apical (rarely basal); style 1 

 (rarely several) ; leaves simple, usually entire. (Species about 



7323.) 



Here again we shall soon reach the end of a phyletic side- 

 line, consisting principally of the order Myrtales, with the 

 Loasales and Cactales as the ultimate branches. 



Family 215. Lythraceae. Herbs, shrubs, and trees usually 

 with opposite leaves and 4-angled branches; flowers mostly 

 4-6-merous; stamens definite (8-12), or indefinite; pistil 2-6- 



