4.12 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



the name of Bahamiflua, and by Lindley 1 under the name of 

 AltingiacecB, but then restricted to the genus Liquidambar ; while 

 Bucldandia, in organization quite inseparable therefrom, has from its 

 foundation as a genus 2 been placed with Hamamelidece, as the type of 

 a special tribe, among Hamamelidece. 



XVIII. Platane/E. — Flowers unisexual; capitate. Perianth rudi- 

 mentary. Stamens or carpels of variable number in each flower. 

 Carpels free ; ovary uniovulate (rarely biovulate). Ovules descend- 

 ing, suborthotropous. Fruit composed of achenes. Seeds albu- 

 minous. Trees ; leaves alternate ; stipules united into a sheath 

 embracing the branch, with the axillary bud hidden in a cavity at 

 the dilated base of the petiole. Blatanus, the sole genus of this 

 series, was long placed with Amentacec? or Urticece.* Only in 1826 

 was it considered the type of a distinct order. 5 In 1843 Ad. Bron- 

 gniart 6 placed it, with doubt, as a distinct family, before Balsamifluece, 

 in his class Hamamelinea. We think that, like the last-named 

 family, it should form a tribe or series of the order under con- 

 sideration. 



XIX. Myosurandreje. — Flowers amentaceous, unisexual, achla- 

 mydeous. Two genera, one {Myomrandrci) with free, the other {Myro- 

 thamnus) with monadelphous stamens. Carpels free, pluriovulate. 

 Leaves opposite at base, forming a sheath, which completely enve- 

 lopes (without adhesion) the internode above their insertion, and 

 bears on its upper edge stipuliform appendages. 



XX. DatiscezE. — Flowers dioecious or polygamous, amentaceous, 

 or grouped in axillary racemes or cymes. Male receptacle convex. 

 Female receptacle concave, enveloping the inferior one-celled ovary 

 with pluriovulate parietal placentas. Fruit capsular. Seeds albu- 

 minous or exalbuminous. Leaves alternate, simple or pinnate, 

 exstipulate. The genus Datisca was made in 1 82 6 7 the type of an 



1 Teg. Kingd., 253, ord. 79. He bas also 

 called them Bahamacece. Tbey are sometimes 

 called Styracijiuece. 



2 R. Be., in Cat. Wall. (1828-1849); Misc. 

 Works (ed. Benn.), ii. 534. B. Claeke has also 

 shown in a special memoir [in Ann. and Hag. 

 Nat. Hist. (1858), 100-109] that Sedguickia 

 (syn. of Altingia) is a Hamamelid, as Griffith 

 thought, and inseparable from Liquidambar. 



3 Adans., Fain, des PL, ii. 377 (Castanea). — 



J., Gen., 410 {Amentaceai). — Eitdl., Gen., 289 

 (Juliflorai). — A. Jrss., Taxon. (1848), 53 

 (Amemtacece, ord. Platanea). 



4 Liis-dl., Veg. Kingd., 272, ord. 89. 



5 Lestib., Elem., 526 (Platanea). — Dumoet., 

 Anal. (1829), 11. 



6 Enum., 109; Fam., 231 (?). 



' R. Be., in Denh. Sf Clapp. Narr., App., 

 25. — Limil., Introd., ed. 2, 82; Veg. Kingd. 

 (1816), 316, ord. 106.— Ekdi., Gen., 8b7, or.!. 



