Mr. J. Miers on several genera hitherto placed in Solanaccae. 181 



in the genus Campylanthus^ the seeds of which have a perisphe- 

 rically-curved embryo, a character that by itself would place it 

 in Atropacece; but that distinguished botanist fixes its position 

 among Scrophulariacece, on account of the form of its corolla and 

 of its anthers, notwithstanding, as he observes, that it bears little 

 analogy with any other genus contiguous to it. The principal 

 reason however that appears to me to give the Verbascece the pre- 

 ference of a place among the Scrophulariacece is the truly axillary 

 origin of the floral peduncles, a character that in all such doubt- 

 ful cases may be employed as a decisive line of demarcation be- 

 tween that order and the Atropacece. The position of the Ver- 

 bascece should then appear at the head of the Scrophulariacea, 

 occupying the place of a suborder in the manner of the Salpi- 

 fflossidea of Bentham (DeCand. Prodr. x. p. 190), where they 

 would serve as a connecting link of the closest affinity between 

 these two families. 



Retzia. — This anomalous genus* has never yet found a cer- 

 tain or satisfactory place in the system, and its position must 

 remain problematical until the structure of its fruit and seed be 

 more accurately investigated. By many botanists it has been 

 placed in Convolvulacets ; others have indicated its relation to 

 Apocynece; some have again referred it to Polemoniacecs, with 

 which it certainly offers no affinity ; and Bartling proposed for it 

 a new natural order, under the name of Retziacece, but this stands 

 upon too insufficient grounds. Endlicher places Retziacece as a 

 doubtful order after Solanacece, and Dr. Lindley arranges the 

 genus Retzia among Solanacem, after Sessea. In the form of ita 

 calyx and of its corolla, the number and position of its stamens, 

 its bilocular ovarium with placentae attached to the dissepiment, 

 the structure of its capsule and of its seeds as far as they are 

 known, offer characters strictly conformable with those of Sola- 

 nacea ; but it would now rather fall among the Atropacece, on ac- 

 count of the aestivation of its corolla, which is said by Endlicher 

 and Lindley to be imbricate, and not valvate : the form of its 

 embryo, which on the authority of Brown (Prodr. 482) is terete 

 and straight, necessarily, if it were admitted into this family, 

 would point to its situation as a tribe near the Solandrece. 



Thus far every feature appears in conformity with such an ar- 



* Retzia, Thimb. Calyx tubular, 5-fid, lobes lanceolate, somewhat unequal. 

 Corolla tubular, elongated, straight, tube in no degree plicated, border of 

 5 short equal lobes imbricated in aestivation. Stamens 5, equal, nearly ses- 

 sile in mouth of tube, alternate with its lobes, Jilamenis extremely short. 

 Anthers oblong, cordate, 2-celled, cells parallel, bursting longitudinally in 

 front. Ovarium oblong, ?eated on a fleshy gland, 2-locular, ovules upon 

 placentae adnate to the dissepiment? Stijle longer than corolla, filiform. 

 Stiyvia very sbort, bifid, with divaricate linear segments. Capsule bisul- 

 caLe, bilocular, bivalved. Seeds several. Embryo straight, terete. 



