58 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



distinguished at a glance from the Malvacm and Geraniacew by 

 their entire leaves, and from the Caryophyllece by their alternate leaves 

 (with the exception of two species)." These differential characters 

 are however still too arbitrary, and they can only be artificially 

 separated. " We can only imagine," we have said,^ " that in the 

 lAnacecB the union of the carpels among themselves, according to the 

 axis of the gynseceum, is carried further than in the Geraniacew. 

 These are the only ones among which we observe the types with free 

 ovaries, as in Biehersteinia and Floerkea {Limnanthes\ and the only 

 ones consequently iu which the style can become more or less 

 completely gynobasic." By the series where the genera are formed 

 of plants with woody'or frutescent stems, the Linacece are connected 

 with certain other families, among which we find types of inde- 

 pendent or nearly independent ovaries J these are first the Mal- 

 pighiacece, then the Euphorhiacece and Ternstrcemiacece. These latter 

 have sometimes been placed with Ixonanthes, which may have as 

 many as twenty stamens ; but we know that these are perigynous, 

 and if we could hesitate between a woody species of Linacece and 

 an oligandrous Ternstrcemiacece, we should recall the fact that in 

 these the stamens, otherwise free, are united with the base of the 

 corolla, while in the Linacese it is not with the petals they unite, 

 but, when they are not independent, which is the rule^, it is among 

 themselves that they form a short tube or a sort of urceolum from 

 which the free part of the filament afterwards separates. It is so 

 in the Hugoniece and Erythroxylece. In doubtful cases there remains 

 the direction of the ovular regions, the micropyle being superior 

 and interior in the Ternstrcemiacece , but constantly exterior and 

 capped by an obturator in the Linacece, In the Malpighiacece, the 

 general floral organisation is nearly the same as in the woody 

 Linacece ; but they have opposite leaves, which is only the case here 

 with Aneulophus ; the sepals are generally furnished with one or 

 two exterior glands ; the seed is totally destitute of albumen ; the 

 embryo is not generally straight, and the ovary cells are uniovulate. 

 This is never the case here except in Erythroxylon, characterised by 

 its alternate leaves, axillary stipules, monadelphous stamens, and 

 ovary cells generally sterile, except one. The Euphorhiacece whose 



-. In Adammia, x. 360. 2 Except in the Koumirieai. 



