1836.] made at Sadiyd, Upper Assam. 811 



station in the sexual system ; nor can there be at present any doubt 

 of its neither belonging to Heptandria, Polyandria, or Monsecia." 

 Thunbbrg was, however, so far as I can see, right ; for he paid, in all 

 probability, exclusive attention to the composition of the terminal 

 flower, on which, in certain cases, the Linneean rules lay much stress. 

 Taking this into consideration, Houttuynia may be referred to Hep- 

 tandria, Polyandria, or Monsecia ; most correctly to the latter, and 

 least correctly to Polyandria. But as, — so far at least as regards the 

 Linneean system, — the most obvious characters are the best, it is ad- 

 visable to keep the plants still in Triandria Trigynia The structure 

 of the seed has been likewise totally mistaken. In the Flora Indica, 

 loc. cit. the embryo is placed at the wrong end of the albumen, and 

 is mistaken for the embryonary sac. The real embryo is a much 

 more minute organ contained in this, " the vitellus," or membrane 

 of the amnios of Mr. Brown. Dr. Hooker describes Dr. Wallich's 

 account as most correct ; but he does not define the situation of the 

 embryo otherwise than by saying that it is situated at one end of 

 the seed. Lastly, the plant does not belong to Aroideae, nor even to 

 Monocotyledones. Notwithstanding the apparent solidity of true em- 

 bryo, yet the more important nature of the structure of the stem is 

 sufficient to point out that it is Dicotyledonous, or rather Exogenous ; 

 and among these, its true place is, beyond doubt, Saururese. 



Of Tht/melece one species only occurs, which is apparently referrible 

 to no published species of the order. To this I have attached the MSS. 

 name of Jenkinsia, in compliment to Captain F. Jenkins, Agent to 

 the Governor General on the North-East Frontier, to whom Botany, 

 among other sciences, is considerably indebted. 



Of Menispermea the majority are interesting. Cissampelos is the 

 only genus with which I am acquainted, in which the ventral suture of 

 the ovarium is anticous, or not next the axis. I am not certain whether 

 the most correct way of understanding the curious structure of the 

 female flowers is not to assume the aggregation of four flowers, which, 

 in the only species I have examined, appears constant, as a complete 

 quaternary division of one only. It remains to be ascertained whether 

 the singular reversion of the situation of the ventral suture is more 

 uncommon in aggregate than in solitary carpella. 



Of the genus Stauntonia, Assam has two species, but only one is 

 contained in my collection. The anomalous structure of the fruit has 

 no doubt been explained by Dr. Wallich in his Tentamen Florae 

 Nipalensi.s, in which it is published under the name Holbollia, but 

 which I am at present unable to consult. 1 find that the placenta- 

 tion of this genus is similar to that of Flacourtianeae, with which 

 5 n 2 



