118 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



number of the carpels of which the gynsecium is formed ; one in the 

 latter and two in the former. And even this character is not absolute. 

 It is indeed exceptional that one cell and. one ovule is observed in 

 the j%me?e«;i but in certain species of PhaUria, a genus of 

 Aquilariece, there is nearly as often one ovarian cell and one ovule 

 as two.^ 



This last character shows us plainly enough that, if the affinities 

 of this family with the Lauracece^ Hernandiece, Protacece were alone 

 perceived by early botanists, it is because they had to compare with 

 them scarcely any but the Thymelece — ^that is, types with uni- 

 carpellar gynsecium and parietal placentation ; ^ but we must 

 now inquire to what families the Thymelacece ally themselves 

 by their highest types, those whose gynsecium is formed of 

 more than one leaf and contains two cells, complete or incom- 

 plete. These are the Penceacece, the Rhamnacece (especially the 

 Colletiece) and the Celastraceoe. The 'tube' of the flower, we have 

 repeatedly said, appears to have the same morphological significa- 

 tion in the Thymelacece and in the plants of these families which 

 have a perigynous androecium. But in the Rhamnacece and in 

 those of the Penceacece which have in each cell only two ovules, the 

 latter are always ascending. Moreover, the Rhamnacece are dis- 

 tinguished by their oppositipetalous stamens, and the Penceacece^ by 

 the quite special organization* of their ovarian partition. The 

 Celastracece are generally hypogynous; and, in this case, they 

 nearly approach, by their entire floral organization, one of the 

 Thymelacece scarcely perigynous, such as Octolepis. But in those of 



' Peddiea has been cited as sometimes having present day to understand the opinion of 



two ovnles- in one and the same cell, and Db authors who placed them among or after the 



MABims has seen two or three ovules and as ThymeUa, perhaps on account of their induviate 



many stones in Funifera utilis. fruit. The Froteacea frequently have one 



^ H. Bn. Adanamia, xi. faso. 10. The gy- ovule like the Thymelece ; it is then either 



nsecium of AqmUria is sometimes tricarpellar. orthotropous and descending, or anatropous and 



^ The Lauracea are everywhere distinguished ascending ; which is never seen in the latter, 



from the Thymele<e : 1. by the perianth formed The stamens, always the same in number as 



of two or more verticils; 2. by the character, the divisions of the perianth in the Proteacece, 



quite peculiar, of their valvicide anthers; 3. by are superposed to those divisions, whilst in the 



the position of the micropyle, which, in the isostemonous Thymelacea (except in Schceno- 



desoending ovule, is interposed between the biblits, a genus still imperfectly known) the 



hiluTTi and the placenta. The HernmtdimB are stamens alternate with the sepals, and, when 



Lawacea, and have besides, as we have seen they are opposite, as in Pimelea, they are 



{vol. ii. 449), a double perianth, free stamens fewer, 



and an inferior (adherent) ovary, surmounted * See p. 96, fig. 60-63. 

 by an epigynous disk. It is difficult in the 



