402 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 
which is inserted round a horizontal circle in Helicia, but more or 
less obliquely in Guevina. Only in the last place comes the cha- 
racter of the fruit; this is indehiscent in an Andripetalum and one 
Helicia, but dehiscent in Xylomelum and Roupala. In other series, 
such as Stirlingiee, the genera are distinguished by other characters. 
The syngenesious androceum is regular in Stirlingia, which has all 
four anthers equal and fertile. In both Conospermum and Synaphea 
one of the four anthers becomes quite sterile, and two others are 
half fertile; but the stamen in which both anthers are fertile is 
posterior in the former genus, anterior in the latter. 
By applying these principles, we have divided Proteacee into SIX 
series, of which we proceed to give the general characters :— 
I. Emporurizz.—Ovules 2-4 or «©, anatropous, ascending, in- 
serted in two collateral rows. Fruit one-celled, dehiscent or inde- 
hiscent. (20 genera.) 
II. Banxstr#.—Ovules 2, anatropous, ascending. Fruit dehis- 
cent; cell divided into two one-seeded chamberlets by a free false 
dissepiment formed by the union of the coats of two collateral 
‘seeds. (3 genera.) 
III. Pzrsoonres.—Ovules one or two, orthotropous, descending. 
Stamens free, inserted at middle or base of perianth. Fruit inde- 
-hiscent, with one or two one-seeded cavities. (6 genera.) 
IV. Franxianpiza. —Ovule solitary, orthotropous, descending. 
Stamens almost completely united to perianth. Perianth regular, 
induplicate in the bud. Fruit indehiscent. (1 genus.) 
V. Prorex.—Ovule solitary, anatropous, ascending. Anthers free. 
Fruit indehiscent. (13 genera.) 
VI. Stiriinciz#.—Ovule solitary, anatropous -ascending, or or- 
thotropous descending. Stamens syngenesious. Fruit indehiscent. 
(3 genera.) 
The vegetative organs also present common and differential cha- 
racters in this group. The Proteacee are, generally speaking, 
woody, arborescent, or frutescent; very rarely herbaceous.' The 
wood has usually marked features in the sharpness, straightness, and 
regular arrangement of the medullary rays; the alternation of fibres 
and dotted vessels in the wood ; the segmentation of the liber fibres 
into islets; the presence of fibrous bundles, even internal to the 
1 R. BRown only cites one instance: Symphyonema paludosum., 
