MENISPERMACEM. 21 



strated in 1362 1 that Burasaia is a true Menispermad, and have 

 recently added the genus Rameya f thus completing the tale of 

 thirty genera, besides the uncertain types. 



The order contains some hundred and thirty-five species,* nearly 

 all tropical. Some few only extend northward in the east of Asia 

 and America, up to 55°. At the south of the Equator a small num- 

 ber are found in South America and the Cape, from 35° to 38° and 

 even as far as 42° in New South Wales. Of the thirty genera that 

 we have given as undoubted members of this order, nineteen belong 

 exclusively to the Old World, and the four genera Cocculus, Cissampelos, 

 Menispermum, and Pachyyone are found in both Worlds. Hence 

 America possesses only the seven genera Abuta, Anomospermum, 

 Calycocarpum, Chondodendron, Odontocarya, Sciadotania, and Sychno- 

 sepalum. Of these, Calycocarpum alone is stationed in North America. 

 Of the Old World genera, Synclisia and Triclisia are confined to 

 Tropical Africa. Burasaia, Spirospermum, and Rameya have only 

 been found in Madagascar and the neighbouring islands of the east 

 coast. Pleoyyne and Sarcopetalum are confined to Australia, and 

 Coscinium, Tinomiscium, Aspidocarya, Anamirta, and Ha ma to carpus 

 have been observed only in the East Indies. The genera proper to 

 America comprise only a little over one-tenth part of the species 

 contained in the order. 



These plants have some characters constant, others that are very 

 rarely wanting. The former are the alternation of the leaves, the 

 diclinism of the flowers, the freedom of the carpels, and the direc- 

 tion of the ovules, which are always descending, with the micropyle 

 upwards and outwards. 4 The latter are the ternary number of the 

 members of the flower-whorls and the multiplicity thereof, 5 the 

 simple leaves, 6 the freedom of the perianth-leaves/ and the dicoty- 



1 In Adansonia, ii. 316. perianth of dimerous verticils. In Cissampelos 



2 In Adansonia, ix. 313 (1870). the male flowers are tetramerous, and there is but 



3 Miees admits a much larger number. " He a single piece in the female flowers to represent 

 has enumerated 320 species, ranged in 59 genera; either calyx or corolla. In the other Cissam- 

 it seems right to reduce the former to 100, pelidece the flowers are no nearer being regularly 

 the latter to 35." (B. H., Gen. 958.) trimerous. 



4 Probably the originally binary number of 6 Burasaia is the only genus with compound 

 the ovules is also constant, but of course this leaves. 



character is irrelevant to the adult state. 7 The perianth of Cissampelos has heen snp- 



5 In the genus Antitaxis Miers describes a posed to consist of a double leaf whose parts are 



