256 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 
more closely allied to the Zerastremiacee. Besides, these latter have 
some genera (all the Bonneliee except Marila) where the corolla is 
contorted as in Dipterocarpacee. But in this case the fruit is cap- 
sular, polyspermous, and the habit is different as well as the foliage, 
and it is very rarely that the calyx is accrescent round the fruit of the 
Ternstremiacee ; it never forms round or above it one or several 
large membranous or ligneous wings. But we should not really de- 
ceive ourselves as to the value of these latter differential characters. 
We ought to say as much of the character presented by the indu- 
sium of Chlenacee. These (which might possibly be admitted as a 
series in this family) are always distinguished by the three follow- 
ing points :—within the sac of the indusium traces of the true 
calyx are always found; the pieces are smaller in number than 
those of the corolla; the stamens are inserted within a tube of 
variable length, which in the monadelphous 7er»s/ræmiaceæ is 
formed by the base of the staminal filaments themselves.* We shall 
see subsequently that the Zerastrwmiacee with opposite leaves are 
very difficult to separate by absolute characters from [Hypericacee and 
Clusiaceæ, with which they have usually been considered as very 
nearly allied, and that they also present incontestable affinities, 
although more distant with some Sapotacee and Ericacee. By Acti- 
nidia, extremely analogous to Saurauja, they approach Dilleniacee by 
Dillenieæ series ; and there are some Ochnacee of the Luxemburgia 
series which ranged sometimes among the Zerustremiacee, may be 
confounded with them by their habit, their foliage, and their inflo- 
rescence, so that we should not be able to distinguish them without 
having recourse to the observation of their tolerably developed sti- 
pules, to their more or less oblique ovary, and to the characters pre- 
sented by the insertion of the style, the organization of the anthers, 
and the direction of the ovules. Let us conclude, that the limits of 
this family are extremely artificial. 
The Zernstremiacee are about two hundred and sixty-eight* in 
number. They are scarcely ever found farther north than the Asiatic 

1 Certain Dipterocarpacea, like Pachyno- asked if Rhodolena is not one of the Chlenacee 
carpus, have the fruit destitute of wings, and the 
calyx is accrescent after anthesis in Visnea and 
Anneslea. 
? Chlænaceæ belongs evidently to a region 
where there are scarcely any Ternstræmiacee ; 
there are only one or two species, little known 
and doubtful, in Madagascar. But it has been 
(B. H., Gen., 195). 
3 Linpuey (Veg. Kingd., 397, Ord. 142) 
admitted a hundred and thirty in 1846, without, 
it is true, counting Marcgravie and Caryocareæ, 
which, according to him, comprised thirty-four 
species. 
