VOCHYSIACE^. 99 



opposite simple leaves, accompanied by caducous stipules, and flowers 

 disposed in more or less ramified and compound termimal racemes. 



Idghtia^ which, connects the other Vochysiacece to Trigonia, is nearly 

 allied to the latter, but distinguished from it by its receptacle which 

 is more concave, and its perigynous petals reduced to three, the 

 fertile stamens being only four in number, didynamous, and the 

 ovary cells only containing two ovules. Two arborescent species ^ 

 have been described, one from Guiana, the other from the Amazon. • 



This small family, distinguished in 1820 by A. S. Hilaire,^ 

 has been considered by some as allied to the Combretacece and 

 Onagranece^ because of the perigynous character of most of its 

 genera ; by others to the Geraniacece, on account of the analogy often 

 presented by its spurred flowers to those of the Nasturtiums and 

 Pelargoniums ; Lindley, considering them as inseparable from the 

 PolygalacecB, with which he even connected the Trigoniece. By the 

 intervention of the latter, the Vochysiacece should perhaps be placed 

 in the same family ^i\h _^q Polygalacece, representing the perigynous 

 series of them. They would be distinguished by their mode of in- 

 sertion, although the concavity of the receptacle, so decided in Lightia, 

 disappears almost completely in most of the Trigonias ,- and still 

 more so by the irregularity of the androceum, normally reduced to 

 a single fertile piece in all the Vochysiece and Erismece. An afiinity 

 has also been indicated between the Vochysiacece and the ^apindacece. 

 It is principally manifest by the intervention of the Chailletiece with 

 irregular flowers like Tapura. When, however, we know the close 

 relationship of the latter with the Euphorhiacece proper, especially 

 Avith Pedilanthus, whose irregular flower much resembles that of the 

 Vochysiacece, we can understand that Trigonia has often been con- 

 nected with the family Euphorhiacece.^ 



The characters of the three series which we distinguish in this 

 family are the following : — 



1 ScHOMB. in LinncBa, xx. 757.— B. H. Gen. Spec. i. 123 (1824).— Ekdl. acn. 1177, Ord. 

 977 n. 7. 260. — Vochyncecs Lindl. Introd. ed. 2, 87 ; Veg. 



2 Waip. Aim. i. 190. Kingd. 379, Ord. 134. 



2 In Jf^m. Mus. ti. 253 [VochisUis). — Vochy- ■'The Clusiacece and the Marcgraviece {Tern- 



auia: DC. Prodr. iii. 25, Ord. 69.- E. Mey. in atraemiaoeis) have heeu compared with the 



Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. xi. 812.— Baktl. Old. Nat. Vochysiacece, hut we see scarcely any affinity 



320.— H. Bn. in Payer Fam. Nat. 350, Fam. hetween them. 

 155. — Vochy siacecB'ili.iL-B.i. et Zuoo. Nov. Gen. et 



