618 PLANTS JAVANICiE RAEIOUES. 



the character of the genus. Besides these improvements in 

 the account of the genus, he has given the distinguishing 

 characters of several new species. 



In 1805 M. Pahsot de Beauvois, in his 'Flore d'Oware 

 et de Benin/-^ in describing his StercuUa acuminata, in- 

 troduces several alterations into his character of the 

 genus, most of which belong only to the species he has 

 there described, and some of which may be considered 

 of generic importance, especially the remarkable structure 

 of antherse. 



In 1806 Salisbury proposes a new genus, SoutJiwellia, 

 formed of all such species of StercuUa as have the seg- 

 ments of the calyx connivent with cohering apices ; this 

 being the only character distinguishing it from the rest of 

 the genus. 



In the same year Poiret, in the article StercuUa of the 

 Botanical Dictionary of the 'Encyclopedie Methodique,'^ 

 233] considers the flowers as hermaphrodite, and adopts the 

 explanation given by Forskael, Cavanilles and de Jussieu. 

 In his generic character there is no improvement ; but he 

 suggests the probable expediency of afterwards dividing the 

 genus, when the structure of the various plants referred to 

 it is better known. 



In 1819 Sir James (then Dr.) Smith, in Rees's 'Cyclo- 

 pedia,^ in his account of StercuUa, takes no notice of the 

 structure of seed, and is inchned to agree with Schreber 

 and Willdenow in referring it to Dodecandria. If the 

 genus should be hereafter subdivided, he seems more dis- 

 posed to trust to differences in the styles and stigmata than 

 to those very remarkable modifications of fruit, with some 

 of which he was acquainted, believing them not to be sup- 

 ported by other characters, and in proof of this instancing 

 St. platanifolia and colorata, so similar in fruit, and so 

 unlike each other in the form of the flower. 



In 1824 DeCandoUe, in the first volume of his 'Prodro- 

 mus,' forms a tribe which he calls Sterculiece, consisting of 

 StercuUa and Heritiera, referring it to Buttneriacece,. The 



' Vol. i. p. 40. " Vol. vii. p. 428. 



