Ua NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



feiy/s, Rt/ssopteri/s, and Hiptaffc, all belong to tropical Asia and Oce- 

 ania. There is not one species of the Malpighieoi and Gaudichaudiece 

 series that is not American. Nine genera of Banisterice and seven of 

 Hircecv are so likewise. "Brazil," says A. de Jussieu, " seems the 

 true country of the McdpighiacecB, so noticeable are they by their 

 number and variety in this part of the earth more than in any other." 

 There are, in fact, twenty-five of the American genera represented 

 in that country, and by a considerable number of species (nearly two 

 hundred and ninety). Some American genera, monotype or with 

 very few species, belong only to Guiana and Columbia, as Coleo- 

 stachys, Dlacidia^ Lophopter/js^ Diploptcrys^ and JithcUna. Mexico, 

 where the species of Mcdpighiacece (many of which remain to be 

 described) are not rare, owns the monotype genera, Lasiocarpus and 

 Echinopterys. To Chili or the neighboui-ing parts of Peru belong 

 the two exceptional (or perhaps congeneric) types Dinemandra and 

 Dinemagonum. Tricomaria is still more southern and also more 

 abnormal as to aspect and foliage, analogous to those of certain 

 Rhamnacece of arid countries. No Malphic/iacece of North America 

 have been observed above 40° north latitude; there are only three 

 or four- at the Cape, a couple in Australia, and at the most half-a- 

 dozen in the rest of Oceania. They are then, especially, plants of 

 tropical regions, and the majority American. 



Their affinities with the Erythroxylece and Nitrariece have been 

 recognised by all writers. They rarely have the alternate leaves of 

 Erythroxyhn, but in that case, they do not possess theii- so charac- 

 teristic intra-axillary stipules. Aneulophus, on the contrary, has 

 petiolate leaves and intra-petiolate stipules ; but is distinguished by 

 the geminate ovules in each cell, with the micropylc tm-ned dii-ectly 

 upwards and outwards. The Erythroxylece have an abundant fleshy 

 albumen in the seed. In Niiraria the leaves are alternate, the 

 petals valvate-induplicatc and not twisted, and the ovule, suspended 

 next its funicle, turns its micropyle directly upwards and inwards. 

 But the Sapindacece especially are closely allied to the MalpigUacca;, 

 having nearly all their important characters particularly in the regular 

 types. The MalpicjUacew., however, have no appendages to the 



