24< T.ETTER XXVII. 



in a natural arrangement. Observe, the Vine is a Vi- 

 taceous plant, the Hemlock an Umbelliferous plant ; 

 to state this is to simplify the discussion. 



Umbelliferous plants are allowed upon all hands to 

 be distinguishable from Araliaceous plants, only by 

 their fruit consisting of two parts instead of more, and 

 by their fi'uit being dry instead of succulent. 



Araliaceous plants are therefore Umbelliferous plants 

 with succulent fi'uit. The common Ivy may be taken 

 as a representative of the former. Many of the East 

 Indian Ivies have their fruit in just such clusters as 

 the Grape, and their leaves as much divided as in the 

 Virginian creeper, so that they differ from Vitaceous 

 plants only in their inferior fruit, pendulous seeds, 

 and stamens alternating with the petals. Their close 

 relationship is therefore unquestionable. 



Then, if Vitaceous plants are closely akin to Ara- 

 liaceous, and Araliaceous to Umbelliferous, it fol- 

 lows that Umbelliferous must be nearly allied to Vi- 

 taceous through Araliaceous, and consequently the 

 Hemlock must be related to the Grape, as I at first 

 told you. I hope you are now satisfied. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE XXVIL 



I. The Gooseberry Tribe. — 1. A twig of the common Gooseberry 

 {Ribes Grossularia) in flower, natural size — 2. A separate flower mag- 

 nified, with the bractlets at a, and the inferior ovary at b. — 3. The 

 same divided in two, perpendicularly, and still more magnified ; at the 

 base is seen the one-celled ovary, with the wo parietal placentae b. ; a 

 points to the petals. —4. Shews the appearance of a magnified transverse 



