ANONACE OF BRITISH INDIA. 9 
Magnolhacee never, ruminate, The diclinous flowers of Stelechocarpus point to an 
alliance not only with the scandent Magnoliads Kadsura and Schizandra, but also with 
Menispermacee. The relationship to Menispermacee rests, however, on much _ stronger 
grounds than this: for in the seeds of that order albumen occurs which, although 
often curved in a fashion not obtaining in Anonacee, is in some species ruminate, and 
in not.a few is broken up into areole by the intrusion of membranous projections 
from the surface of the seed. Menispermacew, however, differ frem Anonacee in the 
small size of their flowers and the nature of the inflorescence, in the number of pieces 
of the perianth, the structure of the stamens, and in the form of the embryo. With 
Myristica there is an alliance through the copious ruminate albumen, the woody habit 
and the leaves; but the invariably diclinous apetalous flowers and the monadelphous 
stamens of the Nutmegs are characters which really place the two orders far apart. In 
the opinion of M. Baillon there is a relationship to Monimiaceee through Lupomatia. 
But the latter genus is aberrant from the Anonaceous type in so many particulars that it 
seems scarcely warrantable to found, on its characters, an alliance with a family which 
presents so few features in common with the majority of Anonacew. 
By far the larger proportion of the species of Anonacee are natives of warm climates, 
their distribution being confined between 40° North and 40° South latitude. They are 
most abundant in the tropics of the Old World, less so in the warmer parts of both 
North and South America, and altogether absent in Europe. The most anomalous genera 
of the order—Lupomatia and Monodora—are confined respectively to Australia and Africa 3 
while the species of the three genera in which the ripe carpels are united, viz., Aberemoa, 
— Rollinia, and Anona, are American, with the exception of a few of the latter which are 
natives of tropical Africa. It is true that some species of Anona are now very abun- 
dant in an apparently wild state im some parts of the Malay Archipelago and the 
continent of British India; but the researches of R. Brown' and of Von Martius’ have 
conclusively shown that they were introduced into India by the Portuguese on account 
of their edible fruits, and that they are really natives of South America and, according 
to the latter author, of the Antilles. The genera Sapranthus, Porceilia, Cunanga, Oxandra, 
the true Bocageas, Rollinia, Cymbopetalum and Heteropetalum are confined to America; 
while Cleistochlamys, Hexalobus, Enantia, Clathrospermum and Piptostigma are exclusively 
African. Uvaria, Unona, and -Xylopia are distributed im Asia, Africa, Australia, and 
America: species of Anazagorea and Pheanthus are found both-in Asia and in tropical 
America. Popowia and Miliusa extend to Asia and Australia; while Ozymitra and 
Artabotrys are distributed both in Asia and Africa. The remaining genera are exclusively 
Asiatic, viz., Stelechocarpus, Sagerea, Cyathostemma, Ellipeia, Spherothalamus, Tetrapetalum, 
Cyathocalyz, Drcpananthus, Canangium, Polyalthia, Disepalum, Gontothalamus, Orophea, 
Mitrephora, Melodorum, Saccopetalum, essai Kingstonia, Mezzettia, Eburopetalum, Eni- 
cosanthemum, and Marcuccia. 
Although I have considered it necessary in the preceding paragraphs to give an out- 
line of the arrangement of the whole family, the present monograph attempts to give 
a detailed account only of those species which are indigenous to British India proper, 
to that part of the Malayan Peninsula which is under British protection, to the islands 
1 R. Brown, Botany of the Congo, 6. (Misc. Works, ed. Benn, I. 105), 
2 Von Martius Fl. Brasil; Anonacea, 61. 
Ann. Rox. Bor. Garp. Carcurra Vou. IV. 
