BOTANY OF TERRA AUSTRALIS. 13 



Magnoliacccc and Dillcniaccse appear to nic to form two 

 orders of one natural class. These orders are sufiiciently 

 distinct from each other in most cases, both in fructifica- 

 tion and habit; they are not, however, easily defined. 

 The ovaria, which are indefinite in number, in the greater 

 part of Magnohacese, are also so in certain Dillcniacc3c ; 

 there are hkewise examples in^both orders, in which they 

 are reduced to unity ; and the stipulation of Magnoliacca3 

 exists in Wormia. 



PITTOSPOREtE.^ Authors have generally been dis- 

 posed to consider Pittosporum, Bursaria, and Billardiera, 

 as belonging to Rhamneae or Celastrinse, from both of 

 which they are certainly widely different ; and they appear 

 to me to constitute, along with some unpublished Austra- 

 lian genera, a very distinct natural family. PiTTOSPOREiE 

 form a small tribe chiefly belonging to Terra Australis, 

 where most of them have been observed in the principal 

 parallel ; but certain species of all the published genera 

 exist at the south end of Van Diemen's Island, and both 

 Pittosporum and Bursaria are found within the tropic. 

 Pittosporum, the only genus of the order which is not 

 confined to Terra Australis, has the most extensive range 

 in that country, and has been found in many other parts 

 of the world, namely, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, the 

 Society and Sandwich Islands, the Moluccas, in China, 

 Japan, and even Madeira. It has not, however, been 

 observed in any part of America. 



POLYGALEiE.2 The curious observation of Richard, 



* PiTTOSPORE^. Calyx 5 j)li, (laib l-pli. 5-fi(l ) a?stivalionc inibricafa. 

 Petala h : unf2;uibus coniiiveutibus, nunc coliierentibus ; lainiiiis patulis, a-sti- 

 vatione imbricatis. Stamina 5, liypoiryna, distincta, cum pefalis alteniaiiiia. 

 Ovarium loculis placeiitisvc 2-5 |)()lysperinis : Siylm 1 : Sligmaia iiumero pla- 

 centaniin. Perlcarpium cajisulare vel baccatum, loculis polysjieiniis quaiuioque 

 incompletis. Embryo miiiutus, prope umbilicum, iucliisus albumine canioso. 

 Frutict's vel Aibores. Folia simplicia, alleriia, exstipulata. Flores ierminales, 

 vel axillares^ quandoqne poli/r/ami. 



■' PoLYGALE.E. Cali/x 5-|)li. varo 5-fid. sest.ivatione imbricata : sfcpius ir- 

 regularis : Ibliolis 2 laleralibus inleiioribus majoribus quaudoquc petaiuidcis ; 



