Bibliographical Notices. 283 



eludes by referring that order to Gesnei-iacea, of M^liich he distin- 

 guishes three tribes, viz. Gesneriea, Besleriece and Cijrtandrea. 

 Of the latter he describes in detail the modifications of the several 

 organs ; and on the subject of the stigma, and the relations of its 

 di\dsions to the parietal placentre in the compound ovarium, adds 

 that elaborate and highly important disquisition which we have 

 pubHshed entire in our eleventh volume*. A synopsis of the ge- 

 nera of this remarkable tribe is appended to the article ; and is 

 followed by the characters of the genera in greater detail, and of 

 the sections into which they are divisible, with an enumeration 

 of the species referable to them, and characters of many new 

 ones. 



The next article relates to Horsfieldia aculeata, Bl., a genus 

 named in honom* of the excellent natm-alist to whom we are in- 

 debted for the present work. This is described by Mr. Bennett 

 as one of those anomalous genera of UmhelUfera, which scarcely 

 admit of being arranged in any of the existing tribes into which 

 that order has been divided. In many particidars it approaches 

 Araliacece, and thus serves as an additional link of connexion be- 

 tween the families. "With reference to the Araliacece, the author 

 con-ects a mistake originating with Don and adopted by DeCan- 

 dolle, according to which the seeds of that order are described as 

 erect, while they are in reality pendulous as in Umbelliferce. The 

 valvate sestivation of the corolla is more complete in Horsfieldia 

 than in any other true Umbellifera. 



Tristania obovata is described by Mr. Bennett as the only spe- 

 cies of that genus that has yet been discovered beyond the limits 

 of New Holland. It approaches most nearly among described 

 species to Tristania laurina. 



Euonymm Javanicus, Bl., belongs to that section of the genus 

 in which the seeds continue to retain their original position mth 

 reference to the placenta. The general rule, that the rai)he pro- 

 perly belongs to that side of the o^oilum which is next to the pla- 

 centa, was first laid down by Mr. Brown, who, at the same time, 

 pointed out some remarkable exceptions. In the case of certain 

 species of Euoiiymus, however, he showed that the exception was 

 confirmatory of the rule, the change taking place subsequent to 

 the completion of the ovnla by the resupination of the seeds. 

 M. Adolphe Brongniart has since stated the exceptions to be 

 numerous, and has instanced the families of Rhamnece and Ilicinea; 

 but ]\Ir. Bennett, in the present article, shows that in those fa- 

 milies also the raphe in the young ovulum is internal, although 

 at a subsequent period it becomes external or lateral by a greater 

 or less degree of torsion in the funiculus by which the o\Tilum is 



* See p. 35. 



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