ON THE PROTEACEjE OP JUSSJEU. 9 



as gynandrous, been ever supposed to belong to De- 

 can dria. 



An ceconomy, in many respects similar to that now 

 described, obtains also in Orchidese ; in which, however, the 

 processes connecting the antherse with the stigma, where 

 they exist, are in many cases derived from the masses of 

 pollen themselves ; but in others they as certainly originate 

 from the stigma, or its glandular appendage. 



The result of my examination of these two interesting 

 orders of plants I hope hereafter to submit to the Society ; 

 and I now proceed to the proper subject of the present 

 paper. 



The natural order of Protege, or, as it is less excep- 

 tionably called, Proteace^e, was first established in the 

 Genera Plantarum of the celebrated Jussieu; and the 

 description there prefixed to it will, with a few alterations, 

 still apply to the order, now that it has received so many 

 additions, not only in species, but in very distinct genera, 

 several of which were first published by Dr. Smith, in po 

 the 4th vol. of the Society's Transactions, and others 

 are in the present paper submitted to the consideration of 

 botanists. 



The general description and definition of the order will 

 be most advantageously placed at the head of its systema- 

 tic arrangement ; before entering upon which, I shall offer 

 some remarks on its geographical distribution, and likewise 

 on such modifications of structure in the different organs 

 as appear to be of the greatest importance in indicating or 

 characterising genera. 



The geography of plants being as yet in its infancy, the 

 smallest addition to our knowledge of a subject which 

 promises to become of considerable importance, will pro- 

 bably be received with indulgence ; and in this persuasion 

 I venture to make the following observations on the order 

 before us. In the first place, it is remarkable that the 

 Proteace^e are almost entirely confined to the southern 

 hemisphere. This observation originated with Mr. Dry- 

 ander, and the few exceptions hitherto known to it, occur 

 considerably within the tropic. The fact is the more 



