G AST ANE AC E&. 217 



to the group under consideration. A. L. de Jussieu i did not sensibly 

 modify its extent ; and it is not known why he changed the name 

 to Amentaceœ. In 1808, L. C. Richard 2 subdivided it into Myricece, 3 

 then into Betulince 4, and Oupuliferce. 5 B. Mirbel, in 1815,° dis- 

 tinguished the Family Gorylacece. To the older genera, eight in 

 number, constituting the three secondary groups, viz., Betula, 

 Aluns, Conjlus, Carpinus, Quercus, Gastanea, Fagus, and Myrica, 

 were added, in 1806, Didijrneles, of Dupet t t-Thouars ; 7 and, in 

 1860, Leitneria, discovered by Chapman. 8 In 1871 we published" 

 Balanops, bringing the total number of genera in this family up 

 to eleven, distributed in six series characterized as follows : — 



I. Betule.e. — Flowers with male perianth, incomplete or little 

 developed. Gynœcium superior, naked. Ovary bilocular. Ovule 

 in each cell solitary, 10 descending. Fruit dry. Trees or shrubs, 

 with alternate leaves, lateral stipules. Flowers in unisexual catkins. 

 — 2 genera. 



II. CoRYLEiE. 1 '—Flowers without male perianth. Gynœcium 

 inferior, surmounted by a short superior calyx. Ovary bilocular. 

 Ovule in each cell solitary, descending. Fruit dry, with mem- 

 branous sacciform or expanded induvium. — Leaves alternate, with 

 lateral stipules. Flowers in unisexual catkins ; the females bud- 

 like. — 2 genera. 



III. Quercine.e. 12 — Flowers with male perianth complete or 

 nearly so. Gynascium inferior, surmounted by a superior calyx. 

 Ovary 2-10-locular. 13 Ovules geminate, descending in each cell. 

 Fruit dry. Involucre hard, covered with excrescences very variable 

 in form, and surrounding one or more fruits. — Leaves generally 

 alternate, with lateral stipules. Flowers in simple or mixed catkins, 

 or in cyines. — 3 genera. 



1 Gen, (1789), 407, Ord. 4. ° Blém. de P/ii/s. Vig. et de Bot. ii. 906. 



2 Anal, du Fruit, 193. ' Gen. Nov. Madag. 89. 



3 Myriceœ. A. Rich.— Bartl. Ord. Nat. 96. s FI. S. Unit. tit. 427. 

 — Endl. Gen. 271, Ord. 37. — Mgricactic Lindl. 9 Adansonia, x. 117. 



Veg. Kiugd. (1846), 256, Ord. 71.— C. DO. 10 Rarely two are observed in each cell, ono 



I'rodr. xvi. sect. ii. 14 7. generally imperfect.. 



* Betulineœ L. C. Rich, ex A. Rich. EUm. " Payer, Fam.Ntit. 163, Fam. 73. 



(ed. 4), 562.— Betulacea Bartl. Ord. Nat. 99.— 12 J. Diet. Sc. Nat. Suppl. ii. 12 (1816),— 



Lindl. Introd. ed. 2, 171.— Endl. Gen. 272, Payer, he. cit. 164, Fam. 74.— Ouptdifera Rich. 



Ord. 88.— Reg. DC. JProdr. xvi. sect. ii. 161, (part.).— A. DC. Prodr. xvi. sect. ii. 1, Ord. 



Ord. 195. 194. 



5 Rich. Anal, du F, uit, 32, 92(1808).— Bartl. l3 The most ordinary numbers being 3 in 



Ord. Nat. 99. — 'Lindl. Introd. ed. 2, 170.— Quercus and 6 in Castanea, 

 Endl. Gen. 273, Ord. 89. 



