ON THE NATURAL ORDER TACCACE. 291 
to Dioscoreacee ;* and Eichler, who alludes to eg under that 
family, avows that he can say 1 nothing of the om his own 
as avery fairly limited distinct order.{ And finally, to close this 
long, and I fear, to the re pene 0 recapitulation, Beccari has 
sn expressed his opinion that Taccacee are closely allied to 
Dioscoreacee, rhatapatonroe tes ‘Cnelddine Thismia), Rafflesiacee, and 
Aristolochiacee, all of which orders he regards as belonging to 
Monocotyledons. § 
rom the above view it will, I think, appear that a moe a 
most n 
also regarding the relationship with Aspidis ed, a and 
especially Partin’. which later botanists have been disposed, as 
it seems to me, to rate too low, as very close indeed, more so than 
with eget notwithstanding their hypogynous flowers an 
few-seeded fruit; and the varying degree of cohesion with or 
eedom from 7 ovary of the calyx-tube in Bromeliacee may, 
I suppose, be adduced as an argument in favour of my view. I 
believe also that there is a singular analogy, if nothing more, 
l 
Feoemonninins plants. I fail torecognise any direct affinity with 
chidacea. 
As already observed, the order has hitherto consisted of but 
two genera, Tacca and Ataccia, the latter differing in comparatively 
few particulars, so that it has been admitted with hesitation by some 
writers, || and together ee by others, as Miguel, Bentham, 
and J. D. Hooker rential characters, as given by authors, 
may be thus frrsulnted 
Ataccia. 
. Poienadan nearly equal.  Perigone-lobes ——— 
2. Filaments cucullate upwards. Filaments concave pwards. 
8, Style 8-lobed at apex, lobes Style 8-lobed at at, tobe 
emarginate. 
4. Fruit 1-celled. Fruit semi-trilocular 
5. Binbero next the basal hilum. Embryo basal, remote from 
the ventral hilum 
6. Leaves much divided. Leaves quite entire. 
* Bull. 270} Journ. Linn. Soe. xv. 493-4 (1877). 
ull. soc. bot. de France, xxii. H Soa i. 248 (1978) 
+ Bliithendia ramme, i. 159 (187 
I] “An pecne hese a Tacca (i ”? (Endl. Gen. 159 i Baath, Enum, 
Plant. v, 464). “Genre & peine autonome” (Baillon, Dict. de bot. i. 307). 
