832 



either turned towards the placenta or placed on one side of it. The 

 characters thus indicated may also, he thinks, tend to a more natural 

 distribution of the Orders related to Rharaneae, Rutaceae and Sapin- 

 daceae. He refers also to the differences in this respect existing 

 between Berberis and Ranunculaceae, Hedera and Cornus, Cincho- 

 nacese and Compositae. He states that Erythroxylon differs from 

 Malpighiaceae in having the raphe next the placenta ; and Selago in 

 a similar manner from Myoporum and Stenochilus, in which the 

 raphe is lateral. Scleranlhus also differs both from Illecebreae and 

 Tetragonise in having the radicle turned directly away from the 

 placenta. 



In conclusion, Mr. Clarke observes that while raphe aversa and 

 raphe lateral occur in several instances in the same family and pos- 

 sibly in the same genus (as the vertical and horizontal positions of 

 the seed in Chenopodium appear to be equivalent characters), yet 

 raphe aversa, or even raphe lateral, and raphe next the placenta are 

 not known to occur in the same family — pendulous ovules only being 

 understood. And also, that as far as his inquiries go, raphe next 

 the placenta in pendulous ovules is unknown in Endogenous plants. 



On Foetid Vegetable Gums ; by TV. K. Loftus, Esq. 



In this locality (Kerrind, Persia), the neighbourhood of which 

 abounds in plants producing foetid gums, Mr. Loftus, acting on Mr. 

 Brown's recommendation, had procured several different kinds, of 

 which, and of the plants producing them, he gives some particulars 

 in his letter. Two of these belong to the genus Dorema, Don ; and 

 a third, derived from a plant, which Mr. Loftus regards as belonging 

 to the tribe Sileridae, is called in Kurdish " beeje." The three gums 

 have the same general properties, and grow on a limestone soil, at 

 the elevation of from 5000 to 7000 feet. Large quantities of gum are 

 also produced by the wild almond, a species of Astragalus, and the 

 Pistacia vera, which grow abundantly in the same neighbourhood ; 

 and there is, moreover, a kind of thistle, which exudes honey, espe- 

 cially from the bud, on being pierced by a species of Rhynchophora. 

 Mr. Loftus proposes to resume his observations, as his party proceeds 

 northward, in the course of the ensuing summer. 



