LETTER XXVI. 



flowers, and the Tsjmnpaca, the most heautiful of 

 trees, beneath whose majestic foliage the native 

 Indian constructs his cottage of Bamboo stakes and 

 Palm leaves, the essence of the Magnolia perfume is 

 developed in all its power. These trees are indeed 

 the living altars from which a perpetual cloud of 

 incense is ascending unto heaven day by day, as if in 

 gratitude for the profusion with which the gifts of 

 Nature are so prodigally poured forth from the lap of 

 earth in those favoured regions. 



After such an account as this you will be surprised 

 to hear that Magnolias are nearly akin to the Crow- 

 foot tribe (Vol. 1. p. 13. t. 1. 1.) ; that those beau- 

 tiful trees, with their fragrant flowers and noble leaves, 

 are related to such weeds as the wild Ranunculus, 

 and the Thalictrum. And yet, such is undoubtedly 

 the fact. Just observe the construction of the flower of 

 this heart-leaved Magnolia (Plate XXVI. 1.). You 

 see it has a calyx of three small reflexed sepals (fi^. 

 1. a.) ; and six upright, yellowish, rather leathery 

 petals, of which three are something narrower than 

 the others. Within these are placed many stiffs 

 stamens (Jig. 2.), arranged in several rows upon a 

 receptacle of a somewhat conical figure (Jig. 3. a.) ; 

 each anther has two cells placed at the edge of a 

 stiff* fleshy filament (Jig. 4.), and the cells are so 

 situated that when they open the pollen will fall 

 out on the side next the petals (Jig. 3.) ; this kind of 

 anther is what is called technically extrorsal. In the 

 centre of the flower is a large number of carpels, 

 each of which contains one cell with two ovules in it 



