22 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



of Hijppocratece, a small family the close affinity of which with the 

 Celastracece had already been perceived by R. Brown. Since then 

 we have shown^ that the genus Canotia^ previously referred to the 

 Rosacece^ and the Salvadorece^ till then considered as forming a 

 distinct family of plants with gamopetalous corolla, ought to be 

 included in the family of Celastracece.'^ We have elsewhere con- 

 tended^ that the Boxes ^ so loDg classed with the Euphorliacece ^ 

 should be separated from them and form, perhaps, diminished types 

 of Celastracece^ with apetalous and diclinous flowers. In a new and 

 recent examination of this family we have been confirmed in our 

 opinion by the study * of a small order lately considered autonomous, 

 and formed of a siDgle monotypic genus Geissoloma. This plant, 

 hitherto allied with the Penceacece^ though possessing none of the 

 essential characters, is, in our opinion, much nearer the Boxes^ 

 intermediate between the latter on one side, and the diplostemonous 

 Celastracece.^ such as Glossopetalon^ on the other. We have also 

 pointed out^ why Stackhousia^ whose floral organisation is exactly 

 that of the Celastracece^ could not be separated from them on account 

 of its habit and foliage, seeing that the peculiarities it presents in this 

 ]'espect are found in certain genera of the next family, and yet no 

 one has dreamed of separating them from the rest of the family 

 of Rhamnacece. Ca7iotia^ which, as we have just said, can be placed 

 only among the Celastracece^ has also much of the habit of Crumenaria 

 {Rhamnacece) and of Stackhousia, So we have comprised in this 

 family seven series, the general characters of which we thus re- 

 capitulate : 



1. EuoNYMEiE.^ — Flowers hermaphrodite or polygamous, isoste- 

 monous, rarely diplostemonous. Petals free, imbricate or valvate, 

 inserted with the stamens outside the margins of a disk variable in 

 form, convex, plane, or concave. Seeds ordinarily albuminous. — 

 Trees or shrubs. — 28 genera. 



2. Stackhousie^.7 — Flowers hermaphrodite isostemonous. Petals 



1 Adansonia, x. 18 (1871). trib. h—Celastreee B. H. Ge)7. 360, trib. 1.— 



2 Adansonia, ix. 277 (1870). Eleodendreae Endl. op. cit. 1087, trib. 2. 



3 Monogr. Buxac. et Styloc. 39 (1859). 7 StacJchou^ecB R. Br. Flind. Voy. ii. 55o.^ 

 . ^ Bull, Soc. Linn. Par, 31; Adansonia, xi. Stackhomiacea IjiSDh. Int rod. ed. 2, 118; Veg. 

 281 (1874). Kinffd. 589, Ord. 226— Endl. Gen. 1106, Ord.242. 



5 Adansonia, loc. cit. 290. — Stack housiece, Ag. Theor. Syst. Flant. 359, t. 26, 



6 DC. Prodr. ii. 3, trib. 2.— Endl. Gen. 1085, fig. 12.— B. H. Gen. 371, Ord. 48. 



