VOCHYSIACE.JS. 9!) 



opposite simple leaves, accompanied by caducous stipules, and flowers 

 disposed in more or less ramified and compound terraimal racemes, 



Lightia,^ which connects the other VocJtijsiaccce to Trbjunla^ is nearly 

 allied to the latter, but distinguished from it by its receptacle which 

 is more concave, and its perigynous petals reduced to thi'ee, the 

 fertile stamens being only four in number, did3mamoiis, and the 

 ovary cells only containing two ovules. Two arborescent species ^ 

 have been described, one from Guiana, the other fi'om the Amazon. 



This small familj-, distinguished in 1820 by A. S. IIilaire,^ 

 has been considered by some as allied to the Comhrctacac and 

 Onagrariecc^ because of the perigynous character of most of its 

 genera ; by others to the Geraniacece, on account of the analogy often 

 presented by its spurred flowers to those of the JN'asturtiums and 

 Fclargoniuim ; Lindley, considex'ing them as inseparable from the 

 Pobjgalacece^ with which he even connected the Trigoniew. By the 

 intervention of the latter, the Vochgsiacece should perhaps be placed 

 in the same family with the Polggalacece, representing the perigynous 

 series of them. They would be distinguished by their mode of in- 

 sertion, although the concavity of the receptacle, so decided in Lighfia^ 

 disappears almost completely in most of the Trigonias ,- and still 

 more so by the u-regularity of the andi'oceum, normally reduced to 

 a single fertile piece in all the Vochysiece and Erismece. An affinity 

 has also been indicated between the Vochgsiacece and the Sapinducccc. 

 It is principally manifest by the intervention of the CliuiUetiecc with 

 irregular flowers like Tapura. When, however, we know the close 

 relationship of the latter with the EuphorUucece proper, especially 

 with Pedilanthm^ whose irregular flower much resembles that of the 

 Vocliguucccc^ we can understand that Trigonla has often been con- 

 nected with the family Eiiphorhiacca'.^ 



The characters of the three series which we distinguish in this 

 family are the following : — 



I ScimMR. in Linii<ca,-s.-s.. 757.— B. H. Gen. Spec. i. 123 (1824).— Exdl. Gdi. 1177, Ord, 



977, n. 7. 260. — rccAyncer* Lindl. /H(/-orf. ed. 2, S7 ; VtiJ. 



■ Walp. Ann. i. 100. Kinijd. 379, Old. 134. 



' In .Ye'/B. Mas. 'vi. 2o3 (Vochi\Ua). — Vochy- ''The Clmiaccre and tlio Maycjraritcr [Tern- 



tiere DC. Pioilr. iii. 25, Ord. 69.— E. Mey. in si rwmi'acere) have lieen compured wit)i the 



Aov. Act. Nat. Car. xi. 812. — B.mitl. Ord. Xat. Voc/ii/siac<<f, hut wo sec scarcely any affinity 



320. — H. Bn. in Pai/er Fam. Nat. 350, Fain. hotween them. 

 155. — Vuehytiaeea Mart, et Zicc. Nov. Gen. it 



