OASTANEAaEM. 249 



lection of characters. It is scarcely separable from the tUmaceoe to 

 which, as we have seen, Adanson had united it. Only normally 

 among the Gastaneacece, there are not the polygamous flowers of the 

 Elms, nor the stipules characteristic of the ArtocarpecB, nor the 

 peculiar disposition of the staminal filaments of the Morece, nor the 

 opaline or milky latex of the two latter groups. Moreover, at adult 

 age, the greater part of the Gastaneacece preserve in the ovary more 

 than one ovuliferous cell, which is the case with no one of the 

 Ulmacece. On the other hand, by the Betulece, the family before us 

 borders on the amentaceous groups of the Euphorbiacece, such as the 

 ScepecB and Antidesmece ; and by the Gorylece, to the series of Saxifra- 

 gacecB which comprise the Platanece and Hamamelidece. In fact, as 

 we have elsewhere said,' it is not simply a resemblance of foliage and 

 of habit that is found between the Alders and certain Foihergilla or 

 Parrotia, or between Gorylopsis and Gorylus ; for these latter, with 

 their inferior ovary and descending ovules, perfectly definite in number, 

 in cells at first incomplete, seem to be only amentaceous and ape- 

 talous representatives of Gorylofsis and neighbouring Hamamelidece. 

 Hence an analogy between the Quercinece and Gorylece and the 

 GornacecB, which themselves have so many points of agreement with 

 the Hamamelidece. Take away the involucre and all those accessory 

 organs of tardy growth, which form the cupules and spinous sacs of 

 the Gorylece and Quercinece, and the flower with inferior ovary of 

 the Oaks, Chestnuts, &c., is altogether, in construction, that of the 

 apetalous Gombretacece, notably of Terminalia, which often also 

 have apetalous, diclinous flowers in spikes, or amentiform capitules 

 {Anogeissus, Bamatuella, Gonocarpus), and the placentse of which, 

 parietal at flrst, like those of Quereus or Gastanea, but remaining 

 so to the end, bear in like manner ovules definite in number, de- 

 scending, with micropyle exterior and superior. Finally, by the 

 Myricece, this family approaches the Juglandece, the unilocular ovary 

 of which likewise encloses a single orthotropous and erect ovule ; ^ 

 but the independence of the gynsecium in Myrica suffices to dis- 

 tinguish it immediately from them.^ 



collateral to tlie superior Cupuli/era and to the considers Myrica, as intermediate between Amm- 



AquilarinecB, pointing out also, in the same tacece and Urticeoe. 



■work, their affinity with the BetulecB. ' Leitneria seems to unite the Amentacem to 



I See Adansonia, x. 137. the Willows. BaUnops lias a fruit and habit 



s M. Clarke (4 «». Nat. Sist. (1858), 100) Tesevahliag the Sapotacece ; it represents perhaps 



an apetalous and amentaceous form of it. 



