130 Mr. J. Miers on the Styracese, 



central placenta is due to the union of the petiolar bases of the 

 hypothetical carpellary leaves in one common centre, where they 

 are ovuligerous, their margins, as above shown, being* barren. 



If we follow those botanists who have more or less adopted 

 the system of arrangement planned by Jussieu, of distributing 

 the different families of plants according to the normal struc- 

 ture of the ovary, the Styracea ought to find their position 

 near the Meliacece and Humiriacece, as originally suggested by 

 that learned botanist, that is to say, among those families where 

 the dissepiments of a polycarpellary ovary are incomplete in their 

 summit, the placentaiy axis being unconnected with the style. 

 Upon the same ground that I endeavoured to separate the Ica- 

 cinacece from the Olacacece, so should the SymplocacecB be removed 

 from the Styracece. Pursuing the same rule, the Symplocacece, 

 from the structure of their ovary and other leading features, will 

 be found to range near the Alangiacece, Cornacece, and Hamame- 

 lidacece, to which they bear the same relation that the Icacinacece 

 have to the Aquifoliacece. This position will be seen to be very 

 near that assigned to this family by the great Jussieu. 



These conclusions are further strengthened by pursuing the 

 comparison of the relative structures of the fruit and seed in the 

 two gi'oups under consideration. In ,SympIocos the fruit is a 

 fleshy inferior drupe, crowned by the persistent toothed rim of 

 the adnate calyx ; it encloses a hard bony nut, which is generally 

 five- celled, rarely (by abortion) three-, two-, or one-celled ; only a 

 single seed is perfected in each cell, and this is long, cylindrical, 

 and suspended from its summit ; its integuments are thin and 

 membranaceous, and its copious albumen encloses a narrow, 

 axile, straight embryo, of its own length, its radicle being very 

 long, slender, superior, and pointing to the hilum, with two very 

 minute inferior cotyledons. This structure will be seen to be 

 very different from that of Stymcece. 



In Styrax, Cyrta, and Strigilia, the fruit, though also drupa- 

 ceous, is, on the other hand, quite superior, and half enclosed 

 within the loose, persistent, tubular or campanular calyx. In 

 Strigilia, which comprises all the South American species of 

 Styrax, beneath a fleshy mesocarp is a single putaminous endo- 

 carp, polished on both sides ; this is thin, horny, or pergamineous 

 in texture, almost translucent, unilocular, and monospermous, 

 rarely two seeds being perfected within it ; this endocarp has 

 three external grooves running from the base to the apex, svhich 

 correspond with as many internal nervures formed of the three 

 projecting parietal lines seen in the ovary, and each is beautifully 

 marked by radiating interrupted purple lines proceeding from 

 the ner\aires : on removing from this putamen its fleshy epi- 

 carpial coating, it may be separated into three valves by as many 



