112 



NATURAL IfJSTOItY OF PLANTS. 



Decaschistia, Bosclria, JJario, Neesia, Ccelostegia, Cullenia, Recvesia, 

 Kle'hihovia, Abroma only represented by one or two species of 

 tropical Asia. The only Glos&ostemon known is limited to Persia ; 

 most of the Dombeyece are natives of the eastern isles of tropical 

 Africa, and there are no Buizias nor Astirias but in the Masca- 

 renes islands nor probably any Cheirolana but in Madagascar; in Ame- 

 rica Tkeobroma, Ochroma, Cavanillesia, and especially all the species 

 Herrania, Gatl/ca, and Napcea only belong to a very restricted zone. 1 

 We do not cite any absolute character for this family, for there is 

 not a single one which really merits this name. We will only state 

 what is to be frequently observed here : pentamerous flowers, a 

 valvate calyx, hypogynous stamens and corolla, monadelphous and 

 polyadelplms ovules with exterior microp} r le when they are ascen- 

 dent, interior when they are descendent, leaves alternate exstipulate. 2 

 The anatomic structure of their stems in the few where it has been 

 studied presents also a very great many variations. 3 We shall see, 

 moreover, presently that two of their principal properties are due to a 

 special organization of their liber and the facility with which their 

 parenchyma sustains the mucilaginous transformation. 



Properties and uses. — The herbaceous Malvaceai of our countries 

 are known by two principal properties : Their roots, leaves, and 



M. A. Di: Candolle are : for Sicily, 1/S6 ; 

 France, 1/145; Sweden, 1/233 ; the temperate 

 parts of N. America, 1/125; the regions of 

 equinoctial America, 1/47. 



1 The only countries where, in the special works 

 (A. DC. Geoff r. Bot., 1207-1230), the relation 

 Malvaceae (100) to the other phanerogamous 

 families is found cited, are: the isles of Loo-choo 

 and Bonin, 3; English India, 1, 5; the district 

 of Banda, 3; the Sandwich Islands, 4; Timor, 3^ 

 5 ; the Society Islands, 4 ; the Cape Verd 

 Islands, 3, 5 ; Nubia, 6 ; the Mauritius, 3 ; Congo, 

 3; the Isle of St. Thomas, 5; Barbadoes, 3; 

 the western coast of intertropical America, 3, 5 ; 

 East Cape, 4, 5. The Malvaceae, then, are in general 

 from two to six times less numerous thsm the 

 Leg ii m Inoxce, the G-raminacece,the Comjioailce, &c. 



- The relationship with the neighbouring 

 families has already been opportunely stated, as 

 regards Urticacece and Pliylolaccete; it shall be so 



subsequently as regards Tiliacece, Chlenacece, 

 Geraniaceae, Euphorbiacea, &c. 



3 See Schleid., Gntuch., GO, 62. — Henfr., 

 Mierosc. Diet., art. Wood. — Oliv., Stem, in 

 Dicot., 7. M. Schleiden (in Wigem., Arch., 

 1839) has proved in certain Bombaceae the 

 rarity of fibrous tissue in the zones of the wood, 

 formed almost entirely of vessels and cellular 

 tissue. Oliver has seen in a Stercidia {Dela- 

 bechea rupestris), a wood with large tubular 

 cavities due, without doubt, to the absorption of 

 the enormous mass of cells, and in the persistent 

 parts, vessels and a particular parenchyma 

 sprinkled with masses of thick elongated cells. 

 Walpers has especially studied the wood and 

 the bark of the Baobabs. Almost everything 

 remains to be done on th ; s question ; the wood 

 of Sterculiece and Buettneriem, among others, 

 will offer to the observer very numerous and 

 varied subjects of research. 



