618 PLANTJE .TAVANIC7E RARI0RES. 



tlie character of the genus. Besides these improvements in 

 the account of the genus, he has given the distinguishing 

 characters of several new species. 



In 1805 M. Palisot de Beauvois, in his Tlore d'Oware 

 et de Benin/ 1 in describing his Sterculia acuminata, in- 

 troduces several alterations into his character of the 

 genus, most of which belong only to the species he has 

 there described, and some of which may be considered 

 of generic importance, especially the remarkable structure 

 of a nth eras. 



In 1806 Salisbury proposes a new genus, Southwellia, 

 formed of all such species of Sterculia as have the seg- 

 ments of the calyx connivent with cohering apices ; this 

 being the only character distinguishing it from the rest of 

 the genus. 



In the same year Poiret, in the article Sterculia of the 

 Botanical Dictionary of the 'Encyclopedic Methodique/ 2 

 223] considers the flowers as hermaphrodite, and adopts the 

 explanation given by Forskael, Cavanilles and de Jussieu. 

 In his generic character there is no improvement ; but he 

 suggests the probable expediency of afterwards dividing the 

 genus, when the structure of the various plants referred to 

 it is better known. 



In 1819 Sir James (then Dr.) Smith, in Rees's 'Cyclo- 

 pedia/ in his account of Sterculia, takes no notice of the 

 structure of seed, and is inclined to agree with Schreber 

 and Willclenow in referring it to Dodecandria. If the 

 genus should be hereafter subdivided, he seems more dis- 

 posed to trust to differences in the styles and stigmata than 

 to those very remarkable modifications of fruit, with some 

 of which he was acquainted, believing them not to be sup- 

 ported by other characters, and in proof of this instancing 

 St. platanifolia and colorata, so similar in fruit, and so 

 unlike each other in the form of the flower. 



In 1824 DeCandolle, in the first volume of his 'Prodro- 

 mus/ forms a tribe which he calls Sterculiea, consisting of 

 Sterculia and Heritiera, referring it to Buttneriacea. The 



1 Vol, i. p. 40. 2 Vol. vii. p. 428. 



