HYPERICACEM. 389 



generally punctate ; definite inflorescence ; numerous stamens ; sep- 

 ticidal or septifragal (not loculicidal) fruit ; seeds destitute of wing 

 and an embryo without albumen. About two hundred species l have 

 been described ; it will doubtless be necessary to reduce them by 

 one fourth. They are found in both worlds; more frequent in the 

 temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, they are less numerous 

 in the southern and in the mountains of tropical countries ; there 

 are few in south Africa and Australia, and they are wanting, it is 

 said, in the arctic and antarctic regions. 



This small family was established by A.-L. de Jussieu in 1789, 2 

 under the name of Hyper ica, St. John's Worts ; it included Ascyrum, 

 Brathys, and Hypericum. Choisy published at Geneva, in 1821, the 

 Prodrome d'une Monographie des Hi,pericinees, and wrote the expo- 

 sition of this family for the Prodromus of A. -P. de Candolle; 3 it 

 there comprised Haronga, Vismia, Androscemum, Hypericum, Lan- 

 cretia* Ascyrum, Carpodontos, and Eucryplria. h Twelve years later 

 Spach, 6 studying this family fundamentally, distinguished twenty-six 

 genera, and afterwards 7 twenty-eight, nearly all dismembered from 

 the old genus Hypericum. In 1861, Tueviranus 8 re-established this 

 genus in its former integrity, and was followed therein, the following 

 year, by Bentham and Hookee, 9 who described the genus Endodesmia 

 and retained only eight genera, reduced here to seven by the union 

 of Ascyrum to Hypericum. The species comprised, numbering about 

 two hundred, are pretty equally distributed over both worlds, especially 

 the St. John's Worts, which, wanting only in the arctic and antarctic 

 regions, are found in all five divisions of the world. Haronga and 

 Psorospermum are from tropical western Africa, the native country 

 of Endodesmia, and from Madagascar where Eliœa grows. Grato- 



1 H. B. K. Nov. Gen. et Sp. y. 185, t. 455-460. 320 (Elodes).—Bot. Mag. t. 137, 146, 178, 4949, 



—A. S.-H. PI. Us. Bras. t. 61, 62.— Deless. Ic. etc.— Walp. Rep. i. 383 ; ii. 805 ; v. 141, 142 



Sel. iii. t. 27.— Jaub. and Spach, III. PI. Or. i. (T/iymopsis), 143 (Admotrias) ; Ami. i. 126, 960 ; 



t. 16-33, 34-36 (Drosanthe), 37 (Thy mopsis), 38 ii. 184; iv. 357, 359 (Noryeca), 360 (Roscyna, 



(Androsœmum), 39 (Adenotrias). — Keichb. Ic. Brathys, Elodea) ; vii. 327, 332 (Norysea). 



Ft. Germ. vi. t. 342-351.— Gkiseb. Fl. Brit. W.- 2 Gen. Plant. 254, Ord. 8. 



Ind. Ill (Ascyrum).— Thw. Enum. PI. Zeyl. 48. ■> I. 541 (1824), Ord. 84 (Eypericineœ). 



— Mm. Fl. Ind.-Bat. i. p. ii. 513 (Brathys), 514 4 Syn. of Bergia (Elatineœ). 



(Norysea). — Hook. f. Handb. N.-Zeal. Fl. 28. — 6 Abnormal Rosacea (see vol. i. 401). 



Bexth. Fl. Hongk. 23; Fl. Austral, i. 181.— d Huit, à Bufuii, v. 335 ; Ann. Sc. Nat. eér. 2, 



Tki. and Pl. Ann. Sc. Nat. aér. 4, xviii. 290.— v. 157, 349. 



Harv. and Sond. Fl. Cap. i. 117.— Oliv. Fl. 7 III- PI- Or. i. 31-77 (1842). 



Trop. Afr. i. 154. — Boias. Fl. Or.i. 783 (Tria- 8 Hyper. Gen. et Spec. Animadversion, 



dénia), 7S4.— Gkex. and Uodk. Fl. de Fr. i. 314, 9 Gen. i. 163, Ord. 26. 



