330 



SAMYDACE.E. 



[HYPOGYNOUS EXOGENSJ 



Order CXII. SAMYDACEjE— Samyds. 



Saroydeae, Vent. Mem. Inst. 2. 142. (1807) ; Ga-rln. fil. Carp. 3. 238. 242. (1805) ; Kunth. Nov. Gen. 5, 



360. (1821) : DC. Prodr. 2. 47. (1825) ; Endl. Gen. cxciv. ; Meisn. p. 72. 

 Diagnosis.— Violal Exogens, with scattered apetalous tubular hermaphrodite flowers, peri- 

 gynous stamens, and both round and linear transparent dots in the leaves. 

 Trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, often somewhat distichous, simple, entire or 

 toothed, evergreen, with stipules, usually with pellucid markings, which are both linear 

 and oblong. Peduncles axillary, solitary, or numerous. Sepals 4-5, more or less co- 

 hering at the base, usually coloured inside ; esti- 

 vation somewhat imbricated, very seldom com- 

 pletely valvate. Petals 0. Stamens arising 

 from the tube of the calyx, 2, 3, or 4 times as 

 many as the sepals ; filaments monadelphous, 

 either all bearing anthers, or alternately shorter, 

 villous or ciliated, and alternately bearing ovate 

 2-celled erect anthers. Ovary superior, 1 -celled ; 

 style 1, filiform ; stigma capitate, or slightly 

 lobed ; ovules 00, attached to parietal placen- 

 tae, ascending, half anatropal. Capsule coria- 

 ceous, with 1 cell and from 3 to 5 valves, many- 

 seeded, the valves dehiscing imperfectly, often 

 somewhat pulpy inside, and coloured. Seeds 

 fixed to the valves, without order, on the papil- 

 lose or pulpy part, with a fleshy aril and exca- 

 vated hilum ; albumen oily or fleshy ; embryo 

 large, in the middle of it ; cotyledons ovate ; 

 radicle pointing to the extremity remote from 

 the hilum. 



This Order, although petals are unknown in 

 it, was placed in Polypetalous Exogens by De 

 Candolle, who regarded a petaloid layer cover- 

 ing the inner surface of the sepals as analogous 

 to a corolla. Although this cannot be admitted as 

 true, yet it may be taken as evidence of a tenden- 

 cy to assume a corolline state. According to 

 authors its apetalous flowers and parietal plaeen- 

 tation approximate it toBixads,its dotted leaves 

 to Amyrids, near which De Candolle stations it, 

 and its perigynous stamens to Roseworts, with 

 which its alternate stipulate leaves also ally it. 

 Its fruit, as in Casearia parviflora, is sometimes 

 remarkably like that of Violetworts. In habit 

 the Order approaches Smeathmannia among 

 Passionworts. The difficulty of coming to any 

 satisfactory conclusion in this matter, arises 

 from the stamens having a manifestly perigynous 

 insertion ; and if this circumstance is to be re- 

 garded as of the usual importance, it is certain that Samyds have no title to a place 

 among the Violal Alliance. If, however, we regard it as exceptional in the present 

 instance, we then find the Order very naturally associated, by the force of all its other 

 characters, with those among which it is now placed. Its composite fruit, with distinct 

 parietal placentation, is much the same as that of many Bixads on the one hand, and ot 

 Lacistemads on the other ; and its sterile stamens appear to offer a plain indication ot 

 a tendency to acquire the coronetted structure of Passionworts. Brown observes, that 

 Samyds are especially distinguished by their leaves having a mixture of round and 



Fig CCXXVI.— Casearia grandiflora.— A. St. Hilaire. 1. part of a calyx split open; 2. the pistil 

 half arown ; 3. section across the ovarv ; I. section of seed ; 5. seed; 6. aril, removed from the seed. 



CCXXVI. 



