SYSTE5L\TIC POSITION OF MITBASIEMOK. 209 



hesitate to refer this plant to the Rafflesiacese, are its having an entirely 

 suiierior ovary and mitraformed united stamens (Hayata I., p. 112 ; Makino 

 n., p. 253). As to the diiference of the stamiual sti-uctm-e, however, the 

 connection of Mitrastemon with rafflesiaceous plants is to be found in the 

 stamens of PUostylis (Solms-Laubach I., p. 13 ; Lotsy p. 881) where the 

 one-celled anther-cells are an-anged in a few series aroimd the stigma- 

 tic disc, and in those of Mitraslemm where one-celled anthere are arranged 

 in many series and in an in-egular way on a staminal tube covering the 

 style and stigma. Kegarding the diiFei-euce of the j^xjsition of the ovaries, 

 the relation is also to be found in Apodantlies which sometimes has a 

 semisuperior ovary (Bextham et HooiCER HI., p. 118). Moreover, the 

 position of the ovary cannot by itself to be considered as a sufficiently 

 rehable character to detennine the systematic position of a family. As we 

 see in many famiKes in every division of phanerogamous plants, many cases 

 occur in which plants having a sui^erior ovary and othere liaving an inferior 

 ovary are inchided in one and the same family, and there are even cases iu 

 wliich plants having ovaries which are both suijerior and inferior are 

 included in one and the same genus, as we see in Asarum, a genus of the 

 AristolochiacesB. Among gamopetalous plants (Bentham et Hooker H.), 

 the following families are mentioned as those which inckide j)lants with 

 suijerior and inferior ovaries : — Apocynaceae, Campanulacese, Goode- 

 niacese, Myrsinese, Priraulacese, Compositae and Styracacese. 

 Among Polyx>etalfe (Bentham et Hooker I.) : Bruniacese, Celastrinese, 

 Ficoidese, Hamamelidaceae, Holoragacese, Melastomacese, Myrta- 

 ceae, OlacinacesB, Portulacacese, Rhamnacese, Rhizophoraceae, 

 Kosacese, Samydacese, Saxifragacese and Connaraceae. Among Monoch- 

 lamydese, (Bextham et Hooker HI.) : — Balanophorefe Chenopodiaceae, 

 Cupuliferse, Lauraceae, Monimiacefe and Santalacese. Among 

 Monocotyledones (Bextham et Hooker HI.) : Bromeliacese and Liliaceae. 

 As we have stated above, Mitrastemon is closely related to the Raffle- 

 siacese in several points, and eveu the points wliich led us previously tt> 

 regard it as diffei-ent from the Rafflesiaceee (Hayata I. p. 112 ; Makino H. 

 p. 252) do not present sufficient charactei-s to warrant the erection of a 



