PULYOALACE.E. 81 



detail the characters of the various genera. Since then the limits 

 of this family have scarcely been altered ; and in 1862 Bentham and 

 HooKEE in their Genera only added the old genus Moutabea of 

 AuBLET,^ formerly connected with the Ebenaceœ ; Xanthophyllmn of 

 RosbiTrgh,^ whose mode of placentation had hitherto separated it 

 from this group ; Carjjolohid of DoN,^ long imperfectly known ; and 

 the genus Phlchokenia, then recently established by Grisebach.'* By 

 reducing to simple sections several genera preserved by these authors, 

 we find only twelve remaining grouped into three series of which 

 the following are the distinctive characters. 



1. PoLYGALE^. — Flowers ii'regular. Ovary with two cells or with 

 only one, the posterior aborting (rarely with three cells). One 

 descendent ovule inserted in the inner angle of each cell. Fruit 

 dry or fleshy. Embryo albuminous or exalbuminous. — 9 genera. 



2. Xanthophylle^. — Flowers irregular (of Polygalu). Ovary 

 unilocular, with parietal placentas. Ovules 2-go . Fruit fleshy. 

 Embryo albuminous or exalbuminous. — 1 genus.^ 



3. KfeAMEEiEiE. — Flowers irregular, resupinate. Petals 3, 4, pos- 

 terior. Stamens 3-5 posterior. Ovary xmilocular (by abortion), 

 furnished with two large anterior-lateral glands. Single cell (an- 

 terior) with two descendent collateral ovules. Fruit dry, indéhiscent, 

 and monospermous. Embryo exalbuminous. — 1 genus. 



Some five hundred species of Polygalaceœ are reckoned. All those 

 of the Krameria series are American ; and all of the genus 

 XnnfhophyUum belong to tropical Asia and Oceania. In the 

 Polyyaleœ series, which alone contains about five hundred species, 

 thi-ee-fifths are American ; Phlebotœnia and Monnina are exclusively 

 so, while Muraltia and Mimdtia^ containing some fifty species, belong 

 to South Africa ; the two known Carpolohias are from tropical western 

 Africa ; Tn'yoniastrmn from Malaysia. The Comesperma proi:)er are 

 all Australian, and the species of the section Bredemeyera are from 

 tropical America. Polygula and Securidaca are common to both 

 worlds, the latter to the warm regions only.*" 



' Guian. (1775). series, whose characters should then be slightly 



^ PL Coromaiid. in. (1819). modified, the placentation of Mmitabea being 



^Gen. Sijst. i. (1831). really axile. 



^In PI. Wright. Cub. (1861). « It would be useful to study histologically 



" Or two, if Moutahea is connected with this the stems of the Pulygalacere^ especially those 



VOL. V. M 



