2 DR. B. SEEMANN ON THE CRESCENTIACEJE. 



Gemeracece. Gardner (Hook. Journ. ii. p. 424) erected it into a separate natural order, 

 in whicli he was supported by Lindley (Veg. Kingdom, p. 673) and myself (Proc. Linn. Soc. 

 ii. p. 268, and Bot. Herald, p. 181). CrescentiacetB seem to me to stand between CyrtandrecR 

 and Bignoniacece, wbere they are placed by Lindley : they differ from Cyrtcmdrece in the 

 transverse position of their seed ; from Bignoniacece in their indehiscent fruit and wingless 

 seed. Respecting their claim to the rank of a separate natural order, it must be conceded 

 that it depends entirely upon the subjective importance attached to certain characters upon 

 which the various orders composing the great class Bersonatts {Bignoniales, Lindl.) are 

 founded. Por instance, if Orodancliece, in vktue of their spherical pollen, capsular fruit, 

 parietal placentae, anatropal ovule, and albuminous wingless seed, are held to be a separate 

 order of plants, as is done in most systematic works, there is no option but to acknow- 

 ledge the independence of the Crescentiacece, unless indeed the whole of the Bersonatce 

 are looked upon as one great natural order, and Crescentiacece, Accmthacece, Bignonlaoece, 

 Scrophularinece, etc. as merely so many suborders or tribes. In the former case there 

 would be 10 separate natural orders ranged under Bersonatce, the differences of which 

 often rest upon only a single constant character. This will be seen from the following 

 sketch, which wiU also show that, if any of the distinctive characters pointed out be 

 disregarded, several large groups fall together, 



Personate {Bignoniales et Orobanchece, Lindl.). 

 5 I. Pl.ace?it(S parietales. 



Pedaliacem. Pollen .... Ovula anatropa. Drupa vel capsula. Semina erecta v. pendula, aptera? 

 exalbuminosa. 



Besleriacece. Pollen ellipticum. Ovula anatropa. Bacca. Semina pendula, aptera, albuminosa. 



Gesneracets. Pollen ellipticum. Ovula anatropa. Capsula. Semina pendula, aptera, albuminosa. 



Orohanchecs. Pollen sph^ricura. Ovula anatropa. Capsula. Semina aptera, albuminosa. 



Didymocarpets. Pollen .... Ovula anatropa. Capsula. Semina pendula, plerumque aptera, 

 albuminosa. 



Cyrtandrece, Pollen .... Ovula anatropa. Bacca. Semina pendula, aptera, exalbuminosa. 



Cresceniiaceae. Pollen sphaericum. Ovula anatropa. Bacca. Semina transversa, aptera, ex- 

 albuminosa. 

 § II. Placenta axillares. 



Bignoniacece. Pollen ellipticum. Capsula. Ovula anatropa. Semina transversa, alata, exalbuminosa. 



Acanthacem. Pollen sphEericum. Ovula amphitropa v. campylotropa. Capsula. Semina erecta, 

 aptera, exalbuminosa. 



ScrophularinecB, Pollen ellipticum. Ovula anatropa v. amphitropa. Capsula*. Semina erecta, 

 aptera, albuminosa. 



§ III. Placenta centrales. 



Lentibularia. Pollen ellipticum. Ovula anatropa. Capsula. Semina .... aptera, exalbuminosa. 



* Miers (Illustrations of South American Plants, i. App. p. 164) has incorporated all the baccate genera, fornierly 

 placed in ScrophularinecB, in his order Atropacece, standing between Scrophularinece and Solanacece. 



