114 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



region. Sc/wenobiblus, of which only one woody species from Brazil 

 is known, has membranous alternate leaves, and male flowers disposed 

 in terminal umbels. The perianth presents a short, infundibuliform 

 tube, covered with hairs at the bottom, with four linear open lobes, 

 to which are superposed an equal number of exserted stamens, with 

 oblong and introrse anthers. The female flower is unknown. Still 

 more rarely there are less stamens than parts in the perianth, and 

 the small subseries (Pimelcœ) in which this is observed, comprises 

 the single genus Pimelea (fig. 87, 88), which has only two stamens 

 superposed to the most exterior of the four divisions of the perianth, 

 and which includes shrubby, subshrubby or herbaceous plants, natives 

 of Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and, very rarely, of Java. In 

 nearly all cases the leaves are opposite and the inflorescence capitate 

 and terminal. 



This very natural family is of very ancient origin. Adanson } 

 had very clearly indicated it in 1793, in section II of his Family of 

 Garou ( Thymeleœ 2 ). A. L. de Jussieu 3 gave to the same group the 

 name of the order Thymeleœ, but he introduced into it wrongly 

 Quisqualis (Combretaceœ). Lindley 4 and Endlicher 5 fairly limited 

 this family for which C. A. Meyer proposed the name Daplmaceœ) ; 

 but the former included Exocarpus (Santalaceœ G ), and Ilernandieœ, 

 which we have referred to Lauraceœ ; 6 and the latter retained 

 Cansjera (of the Santalaceœ) and Hcrnandiaceœ ; but he added, 

 as a doubtful genus, however, Phaleria which Jack 7 had published 

 some fifteen years previously. In fact Endlicher, in 1836, admitted 

 fourteen of the genera now preserved, Dirca, Daphne, Dais, Lachnœa, 

 Passerina, Diarthron, Drapetes, Pimelea, Struthiola, Gnidia, Lino- 

 stoma, Wikstrœmia, Lagetta and Phaleria. Meissner, who at various 

 times s occupied himself with this family, in 1857 added to it the 

 genera Ovidia and Lophostoma, at the same time ascribing to it in 

 their respective order the ancient genus Thi/melœa of Tournefort, 



1 Fam. des PI. ii. 278, Fam. 40. 6 See Nat. Mist, of Plants, ii. 449. 



2 Veprecu/ech. Phil. Bot. (1751), 33. 1 Mal. Mise. (1820-22). 



3 Gen. (1789), 76, drd. 2. 8 Liiuuea, xiv. 3S5 ; Denkschr. Bot. Ges. 

 * Introd. (ed. 2), 194; Veff. Eingd. (1846). Pegensb. iii. 274; Gen. 323, 330 (242); Mart. 



530, Ord. 203 {Thymelacea). Fl. Bras. Thymel. (fase. 14) ; DC. Prodr. xiv. 



» Gen. 329, Ord. 109 {Daphnoidecc). 493 (1857). 



