SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 475 



must be recognised as a generic character. Thus he separates Inga from 

 Picetholobium (which has doubly pinnate leaves) by the simple pinnation only ; 

 but in this manner also obtains habitual characters in the more elongated 

 and pubescent flowers, and in the thicker legumes, which are tumid at the 

 margin. It must undoubtedly be admitted as a correct maxim, that when 

 the higher systematic sections, as the families, are limited by the characters 

 of their vegetative parts, the inferior categories, such as the tribes and 

 genera, may also be made to depend upon them, when a natural sub- 

 division of the group is effected by that means. Alexandra, the new 

 genius of the Sophoreae, a tree from British Guiana, with colossal flowers, 

 has been described by Rob. Schomburgk (1. c. 1845, p. 12). The revision of 

 the genus Genista, by Spach (Ann. Sc. Nat., iii ser. vol. 2, 3), contains a 

 considerable number of new species ; but, like the previous systematic works 

 by this author, it cannot be regarded as conclusive, or as a description of 

 the matter contained in it corresponding with the genius of science, but 

 merely an excessively prolix enumeration of descriptive details. Part of the 

 new species consists of unimportant forms, as evidenced by the description 

 of several belonging to Genista tinctoria ; the diagnoses, of excessive, totally 

 unnecessary length, do not by any means afford a synopsis of the distinctive 

 characters, but rather defeat their object, and, mingled with the extended 

 yet special and abbreviated descriptions, which do not facilitate the recog- 

 nition of the species as such, since they combine variable with constant 

 characters, necessarily render this more difficult. The arrangement of the 

 sections and subgenera is of more importance ; they are also unnecessarily 

 increased ; but they contain analytical details and new observations, which 

 will be of use for a future monograph. Dendrosparton Sp. (iii, p, 152) = 

 Spartium aetnense Biv., and Gonocytisus Sp. (p. 153)= Sp. angulatnm L., are 

 separated from Genista, and placed in distinct genera. 



MYRTACE^E. J. D. Hooker and Harvey have described Backhousia, a new 

 genus from New South Wales (Bot. Mag. 1845, i, 4133). 



MELASTOMACE^E. Naudin separates Microlicia alsinefolia D. C. and 

 variabilis Mart, from Microlicia, on account of the somewhat different struc- 

 ture of their anthers, forming them into the new genus Uranthera, and retains 

 Chatostoma D. C., the proposed character, however, does not contain any 

 characters distinctive from Microlicia (Ann. Sc. Nat. iii, 3, p. 189, 190). 

 He elevates Arthrostemma sect. Monochatum into a separate genus, under the 

 name of the section (4, p. 48). New genera : Octomeris Naud., a shrub be- 

 longing to the Andes, to which Mel. octona Humb. Bonpl. also belongs 

 (p. 52) ; Stephanotrichum Naud. (p. 54), and CMloporus Naud. (p. 57), both 

 from New Granada. 



LYTHRARTE^;. Planchon (Lond. Journ. of Botany, 1845, p. 474) refers 

 Henslovia Wall, (one of the Hensloviaceae Lindl.) to this order. He 

 ascribes to this genus a Capsula loculicida, valvis media septiferis basi et apice 



