

INTRODUCTION. 



ni 



macosycea, including 12 species; Poyonotropte, including 1G species; Sycomoru*, in. ludin 

 12 species; Ficus, including 138 species; Covcllm, including 31 species; Symecia, includin 



2 species. These seven genera were formed solely on characters obtained from the f rue 



tr 



i* 



ture and disposition of the flowers, the number of the stamens and the character of the 



stigma forming prominent features in the diagnoses. Some of the characters were founded 



on undoubted errors of observation, as, for example, when the female flow rs of Covelt i 

 and those of both males and females in Synoecia are described as without perigoniun 

 This arrangement was subsequently abandoned by its author, and Miquol himself, tW' m 

 years later (in 1867), published, in the Ann. Mas. Luy<L Bat., vol. Ill, a rearrangement of 

 Ficus. In this new arrangement Miquol abandoned the idea of breaking up the .renin 



Ficus into genera, and substituted for that scheme one in which the reunited genus 

 subdivided into six sub-genera, as follows: — Uroitiyma, with 143 Old World, 310 American 



species, and 21 of doubtful nativity; Pharmacosyce, with IS species, all American; Eryth,,- 



gyne, with 2 species; Synoecia, with 3 species; Eu ice, with 20!) specie-: Corcllia, with 48 

 species. In this rearrangement three of Miquel'i old genera— Uroitiyma, Pkanuaeo , and 

 Covellia— appear, with enlarged and slightly altered characters, as sub-gen ra. The name «.£ 

 a fourth old genus, Synoecia, is kept up for a sub-genus ; but the name only, for a totally 

 different set of characters are given to the sub-genus from those which characterise I the 

 genus. And two entirely new sub-genera, viz. Erythrocyte and Eu /<a, are osta lished. 

 The total number of species included in this second enumeration of .Miquel's is 405 Old 

 World species, 128 American species, and 22 sped i of doubtful nativity. In this second 

 arrangement of Miquel's the flowers alone are not tru ted to entir ly for the sub • 



characters, but account is also taken of the form and situation of the receptacles, of tl„ 



form of the leaves, and of general habit. 



In the Genera Plantarum of the late Mr. Benthain and Sir J. D. Hooker four of 

 Miquel's sub-genera, viz. UroiligMa, Eu«yce, Synwck, and Covcllia, are admitt. i. I'Imr 



cosuce 



diandrous group of Urostiyua-Wko specu -) is accepted with doubt, and the sixth, 

 Erythrogyne, is suppressed. But these eminent botanists admit that the sections which 

 they adopt from Miquol are too loosely defined, and they commend the whole genus f 



the attention of the monographer. This advice, together with the kind personal 

 encouragement of Sir Joseph Hooker, induced me to carry throu h to ...mpl.-tion an 



attempt" which I had begun a year or two previously to elucidate the struct ore and 

 affinities of the species of Km found in the Indo-Malaj m r« ion. 



The flowers of the genus Km are collected in a cymosc manner on a fl -l.y axis. 

 which by the curving upwards of its circumferential part (or organic has ,, is »nve, ed 

 into a kind of flask, on the inner surface of the walls of which a number of flo. rs are 



arranged As the bottom of the interior of the flask corresponds to the apex of the ax, 

 the flowers developed there are the oldest, while those developed nearest the mouth 

 the organic base-are the youngest. These flowcr-bearing axes are called figs, recept 



