CELASTRACE^. 21 



with cylindrical superior radicle and linear fleshy cotyledons. The 

 only Geissoloma known^ is a Cape shrub, with the habit of a Box. Its 

 tetragonal branches are clothed with opposite leaves,^ oval or nearly 

 so, sharp, entire, coriaceous, penninerved, accompanied by two 

 very small lateral stipules.^ Its axillary solitary and nearly sessile 

 flowers are accompanied by from six to eight unequal, decussate, 

 imbricate bracts, the shorter the more exterior they are. 



The family Celastracece was proposed by R. Brown* in 1814. 

 It did not exist with Adanson and with A. L. Jussieu, who left the 

 genera of this group which were known to them, the former in his 

 Jujube^ family, the latter, following his example, in the order of 

 Nerprun.^ With both of them, it is true, these genera were com- 

 prised in a separate section on account of their alternipetalous 

 stamens and the configuration of their receptacle. A. P. de 

 Candolle,^ in 1825, retaining the Celastrinece as a distinct order of 

 Rhamnem^ placed the Staphylece with the former as forming a first 

 tribe, and the Jquifolice (Holly) as constituting a third. The second, 

 Euonymce, alone corresponding to the Celastrinece of R. Brown and 

 more recent standard authors, comprised eight genera — Euonymus^ 

 Celastrus^ Maytenus^ Alzatea^ Polycardia^ Elceodendron^ Ptelidium^ 

 and Ti^alliana.^ Endlicher^ enumerated seventeen genera in his 

 Celastrinece^ besides some doubtful types, among which are found 

 Carpodetus {Rosacece) and Phyllonoma {Saxifragacece). In 1862 

 Bentham and Hooker^^ reunited in this family forty genera, one of 

 which, Llavea^^ of very doubtful affinity, comprised three genera. 



' G. marginatum A. Juss. — Tencca marginata ^^ Liebm. Kjoben. Ted. MedcUl. (1853), 95. — 



L. Mantiss. 199.— Thunb. Berl. Mag. 1,' t. 3; B. H. Gin. 370, n. 39.— Walp. Ann. iv. 424.— 



Fl. Gap. (ed. Sch.) 150. — Vent. Malmais. t. 87, Very ramose small shrubs from Mexico (two 



fig. 1. species), with alternate leaves, unisexual, pen- 



2 Covered with simple hairs when young, tamerous, apetalous flowers, and trilocular ovary, 

 thickened at the edges. The cells are pluriovulate, and the fruit is dry 



3 Glanduliform, blackish. and furnished with three large wings. The 



4 FUnd. Voy. Bot. 22; Misc. Works {edi. Benn.) male flower is unknown. The genus Fiptocelus 

 i. 27 {Celastrintce).—CelastracecB Lindl. Veg. Presl (ex TuRCZ. ^wZ^. Afosc. (1858). i. 449), has 

 Kingd. (1846), 586, Ord. 325. also been doubtfully referred to this family, but 



6 F«w. c^es P^. ii. 303, sect. 1. Bentham and Hooker {Gen. 360) say of 



6 Gen. 376, Ord. 13 (1789). it: "Verisimil. ab Ord. expellend. ob calyc. 



7 Frodr. ii. 2, Ord. 55. longit. ruptum, petalabasi calyc. adnata, anther. 



8 Lour. Fl. Cochinch. (ed. 1790), 157.~DC. acum. incurv. arillumque hirsutum." The 

 P/-o(?/-. ii. 11.— Endl. G'e;/. n. 5694. "Whether genus Cienhowskia (Reg. et Rach, Ind. Sem. 

 Caryospermum Bl. ?" ( B. H.). Jiort. Petrop. (1858), 48, has been shown by us 



9 Gen. 1085, Ord. 236. {Bull. Soc. Linn. Par. 143) to be synonymous 



10 (rm. 357, Ord. 47. with Paiagonula {CoTdieae). 



