IN CEYLON. 9 



the phellogen. Smaller papers appeared during that period 

 from Hiern* oninew species and from Naudinf on the general 

 natural history of the cultivated forms. Contributions of 

 systematic significance were issued by KurzJ and Vesque, 

 the latter working on the lines of Parmentier and pointing 

 out many epidermal characters of specific importance. 



The timbers also received the attention of Brandis,|| and 

 in more recent times were studied by Brounlf and Ursprung.** 

 The last-named botanist has compiled some very instructive 

 information regarding the seasonal histological differentia- 

 tion in the secondary xylem of tropical grown trees, 

 including several Ceylon Diospyros species. 



There has been only one publication dealing extensively 

 with the Ebenacese during the present century, this being a 

 purely systematic work by Hallierft in 1901. Hallier deals 

 with the relationships of the Tubiflorae and the Ebenales 

 in a very general way, and from considerations upon the 

 morphology of the flowers, fruits, and seeds, together with 

 the phyllotaxis of the members concerned, he builds up a 

 complicated table intended to show the polyphyletic origin 

 of the sympetalous and apetalous flowering plants. He 

 contends that the Ebenales show a close relationship with 

 the Anonacese, Scytopetalum, Geraniaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, 

 Sapotaceae, and makes suggestive remarks as to their possible 

 affinity to the Ancistrocladeae, Convolvulaceae, Quinaceae, 

 and many other natural orders. The contribution is full of 



* Hiern, notes on Ebenacese, Jour, of Bot., XII., XIII., XV., 1874, 75, 77. 



f Naudin, Quelques remarques au sujet des Plaqueminiers cultive's a 1'air 

 libre dans les jardins de 1'Europe ; in Nouv. archiv. du Mus. d'hist. nat.. 

 Paris, 1880. 



I Kurz, Flora of British Burma, 1874^7. 



Vesque, Gamopetales in Ann. Sc. nat., Ser. 7, 1885. 



|| Sir D. Brandis, Conf. Ind. Timbers, Col. Exh., 1886. 



f A. F. Broun, Ceylon Ebony, Indian Forester, July, 1899. 



** A. Ursprung, Beitrage zur Anatomic und Jahresringbildung tropischer 

 Holzarten ; Inaug. Disser. Hohen. Phil. Fac. ; Basel, 1900. 



tf Hallier, Uber die Verwandtschaf tsverhaltnisse der Tubifloren und 

 Ebenalen, den polyphyletischen Ursprung der Sympetalen und Apetalen 

 und die Anordnung der Angiospermen iiberhaupt. Hamburg, 1901. 



80)4 (2) 



