668 BIGNONIALES. [Perigynous Exogens. 



Alliance XLIX. BIGNONIALES. — The Bignonial Alliance. 



Diagnosis. — Perigynous Exogens, with dichlamydeous, monopetalous. unsymmetrical 

 flowers, capsular or berried fruit, having its carpels quite consolidated, parietal 

 free central or axile placentae, and an embryo with Little or no aloumen. 



With Bignonials the series of Perigynous Alliances closes, Gesnerworts passing as 

 directly into Bellworts among Campanals as Figworts also pass into the Nightshades 

 among Solanals. The two are parallel instances. Nevertheless, it does not seem 

 expedient to place Gesnerworts at the end of the Bignonial Alliance, because it is 

 impossible to separate them from Biguoniads and Crescentiads, or from Pedaliads, whose 

 hard bony fruit presents the nearest approach in this Alliance to the nuts of Echials. 

 We must, therefore, regard the passage of Bignonials into Campanals as being altogether 

 from the side of the series and not from its extremity. Another lateral affinity presents 

 itself between Butterworts and Primworts, in the Cortusal Alliance. The following will, 

 therefore, express the bearing of Bignonials and other Alliances, better than a lineal 

 position : — 



Pedaliaceaj. 



Gesneraceaj. 



Crescentiacese. Campanals. 



Gentianacea: Bignoniacese. 



Acanthacese. 



Scrophulariacese. -Solanaks. 



Lentibulariacese. Cortusales. 



The Bignonial Alliance may be regarded, then, as the centre of a particular portion 

 of Exogens, round which several others are stationed in nearly equal degrees of 

 contiguity. 



Natural Orders of Bignonials. 



Placenta; parietal. Fruit bony or capsular. Embryo amwa- 1 otu p 



daloid. Radicle short ] " bJ - ^ edalia ce^- 



Placentae parietal. Fruit capsular or baccate. Embryo with \ 0fin n 

 minute cotyledons. Radicle long . . J " bU - ^ esnera ce<e. 



Placenlce parietal. Fruit succulent, hard-shelled. Embryo ~l 0fi) r 



" ' *hnvt i .-01. l^RESCENTIACE*E. 



amygdaloid. Radicle . 



Placenta axile. Seeds winqed, sessile, without albumen. Coty- "1 nnn -o 

 ledons large, leafy .... ^ J262. Bignoniace*. 



Placentae axile. Seeds wingless, attached to hard placental 1 0fi „ A 

 processes, without albumen. Cotyledons large, fleshy . ,J" b6 - Acanthace^e. 



Flacentce axile. Seeds albuminous. Cotyledons xarcely larger 1 „„ , ^ 



than, or not so large as, the radicle .. ...... j 264 ' Scrophulariace*. 



Placenta free, central. Seeds minute, without albumen. Coty- ] ~ - ,. T 



ledons much smaller than the radicle * J265. Lentibulariace ::. 





