158 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



a short distance from th.e leaf an annular cicatrice. The true affinity 

 of the EuphorUacece with many highly organised polypetalous 

 families, has been especially supported by R. Brown, and, after him, 

 by LiNDLEY.^ The latter has placed them by the side of Malvacece, 

 and is imitated in that by a large number of contemporary 

 botanists.'^ " For myself," T said, in 1858, " I consider the 

 Euphorhiacece as so closely allied to Malva, that I look on them 

 as constituting two perfectly parallel series. In applying to each 

 this prolific principle of collateral deTolopment, I succeed, in fact, 

 if I am not mistaken, in establishing two series where each limit 

 is represented, always with the differences of numerical proportion 

 which have here only a secondary importance." In the first of 

 these series is found the Malvas as they are limited by Lindley. 

 In considering principally the plants with monospermous or 

 dispermous cells, we find the fiowers generally hermaphrodite, more 

 rarely unisexual, often petal ous, more often apetalous, albumen 

 scarce, more rarely in large quantity, and the anatropal OTule with 

 inferior micropyle. In the second, which represents the EuphorhiaceoB^ 

 according to us, hermaphrodite flowers are to be met with in only a 

 couple of types, usually unisexual, more often destitute of than pro- 

 Tided with corolla, the perisperm in an always noticeable quantity, 

 and the anatropous ovule with the micropyle turned upwards. On 

 the other hand, the Geraniaceoe and Linaceoe are also closely allied to 

 the EuphorUacece? Linum does not differ from certain EuphorUacece, 

 such as Jatropha, except in the hermaphrodite flowers, the organisa- 

 tion and consistence of the pericarp, and the large development 

 of the embryo in proportion to the inconsiderable albumen. The 

 EwphorUacece affect also a more distant resemblance with the 

 RhamnacecB and Celestracew by medium of the Buxece, Quassiece, the 

 Tartri [Picramnia\ and allied genera, the Burseracece, and above all 

 the Ulmacew, which would differ very little from Ilymenocardia, if 

 one of the ovary cells was not arrested in its development.* 



The EuphorUacece present every possible variation in their organs 



1 Introd. ed. 2, 112 : Veg. Kwg. TiS. over, for the detaUs of the question, refer to 



2 Ad. Bb. Enum. (1843), 79, Fam. 140.— this passage. 



Endl. Gen. 1107, Ord. 243. " See H. Bn. loc. cit. 249-264.— J. a. Ao. 



' Et Gen. EuphorUac. 247. We might, more- Theor. Si/st. Flant. 294. 



