144 



die Auflcsung der Eeihe der Amerdacecp, und die Einschaltuii^ der von Eichler an- 

 hjingsweise als I hj.^tmjp'y'(i vereinigten Familien an verschiedenen Stellen des 

 Systemes. Dass die Av^entarea;, vv-elche bei Eichler die GujmVftrcp, c\ie Jinjliin^acra', 

 Mi)ric,a< c(r, Sullcacca', Casiinrinncea; •amfnsfnn, nicht einen natiirlichtn Ver^^vandtsohaft- 

 slvreis darstellen, hat sich bei niiherer fntersuchung der Sa. und der Befruchtungs- 

 vorgiinge in neuerer Zeit immer mehr herausgestellt, das3 die Aufstellung der Iljfttero- 

 pliyti ntir ein Kotbehelf war, war bei der liingst bekannten Verschiedenheit ihrer 

 Gynilceen von vomherein klar. 



Tlie series, AmentaceEG, of Eichler, is a group, tlie members of whicli all 



agree in liaving male catkin. Tliougli we may break up tliis group and make 



of it several groups, as Englek does, tliis is right: only when the series is looked 



at in the way described by Engler. Anofcher alfceratiou made by Engler on 



the same occasion, is right only when viewed in the same hght as that in 



wliich he looks at it. In my judgement, ou comparing the sysfcems of the 



great authors, such as Bentham- Hooker, Eichler, and Engler, his groups 



appears to be not the most natural but rather the mosfc convenient. 



Then he jo^oceeds to say^^ : — 



Pie beiden Unterklassen der Dikotyledoneen, Archichlamydea; und Melachlamjdeoi 

 oder Sympetalai sind beibehalten ■worden, obwohl eine scharfe Grenze zwischen densel- 

 ben nicht existiert. 



But, in my estimation, it is not enough in this case to say that there is but a 

 faint hne of division between the two subclasses, but it should be added that there 

 is close inter-relation between the series of one subclass and those of the other. 

 The inter-relation is closely manifested between the Cucurbitales and the 

 Parietales ; between the Rubiales on one side and the Parietales, Rosales and 

 UmbeUiflorse on the other ; between the Tubiflorse on one side and the Malvales, 

 Parietales and Rhoeadales on the other ; between the Contortae and the 

 Sapindales ; between the Ebenales on one hand and the Kanales and Parietales 

 on the other ; between the Primulales and the Sapindales ; and finally between 

 the Ericales on one side and the Parietales and Sapiudales on the other. 

 We shall explaiu this matter in detail as we go on in our discussion of series 

 affcer series. Here we see that to divide the Dicotyledon.es into the Archich- 

 lamydese and Metachlamydese is only right according to the view upon which 

 we dwell. But when viewed from another standpoint, it is not right. To 



1) Englee, A. — Erliiuterungen, 1. c. p. 362. 



