174 FLORA iNDlc.v. \_Menispermace<B . 



similar woods, but so have more distantly allied ones, as Limacia and Pachyt/one, 

 Coscinmim and Anamirta; and closely allied genera have occasionally very different 

 wood, as Tinospora and Parabmna. In short, the deviations fi'om a common type 

 presented by the' various species of Menispermacem are, perhaps, greater of their 

 kind than the deviation of the wood of the whole Order is from that of other Exo- 

 gens. 



Decaisne sums up these peculiarities with great neatness and precision, and with 

 so true an appreciation of their value, that, slender as were his resources compared 

 with ours, we have but few alterations to suggest ; and these we shall accordingly 

 append to the three heads under which he classes the peculiarities of the wood of 

 the Order. 



I. " Menispermacea differ from other Dicotyledones by the last annual deposit of 

 " wood not being separated from that of the former year by those large vessels which, 

 ** in other Exogens, indicate the annual increase ; by each wood-bundle remaining 

 " undivided ; and by the liber, once formed, not being added to." 



To the above general rule we find partial exceptions in Tinospora and others, 

 which have indications of annual growth in the wood, and iu Cosdnium, where there 

 are manifest signs of increment in those of the Uber. The liber of several species 

 increases annually, as in Pycnarrhenay Aspidocarya, Limacia^ Tinospora^ and others. 

 The wood-wedges become partially divided (as in Aristolochia) in Tinospora, or 

 rather two continuous wedges become confluent. 



II. " The wood-bundles of MenispermaceiB cannot be compared with those of Mo- 

 " nocotyledones, because they increase annually, are disposed in regular symmetrical 

 " circles round a defined pith, and because the liber does not form an integral part of 

 " each bundle." 



In this view we entirely coneur, adding that neither do the bundles of wood follow 

 the same course or development as in Monocotyledones. The liber does, however, 

 appear in some species of Limacia to be an integral part of the wood. The great 

 frequency of a portion of the pith being formed of woody tissue, consisting of long 

 cells with truncate ends, and passing insensibly into ordinary medullary tissue, is a 

 well-marked peculiarity of Menispermacem. 



III. " In some species {Cissampelos Pareira and Cocculus laurifolius), after the 

 " first-formed wood-wedges have continued to increase for several years, other wood- 

 " wedges, altogether similar to these, only without spiral vessels and liber, are depo- 

 " sited in a zone exterior to them, which operation being repeated, the stem finally 

 "appears to be made up of concentric circles of wood-wedges; and further, the 

 " liber, which is only fouad in the first-formed wood-zone, is placed much nearer the 

 " centre than the circumference of the stem, and hence not iu the bark." 



This account is perfectly accurate, and describes a structure which is very frequent, 

 and perhaps general, in the Order, and constitutes a remarkable deviation fi'om the 

 oi'dinary Exogenous type. Each zone is of several years' growth, and possibly the 

 outermost is not the only one which receives additions. 



The number of species of Menispermacea is probably about 150, or at most 200. 

 They are generally widely diffused, and are with few exceptions confined to tropical 

 and very hot subtropical countries. One inhabits Canada, and one Eastern Siberia, 

 and a few are found in the United States, China, and Japan. In Europe they 

 are unknown, as well as in New Zealand, Tasmania, and temperate South America. 

 Several species extend in Australia almost to the south coast, and they occur in all 

 parts of Africa from the Mediterranean to the Cape of Good Hope. 



Like Anonacem, they are most abundant in perennially humid climates, and they 

 occur in about equal numbers in Malabar, Ceylon, Malaya, Khasia, and Java. Less 

 than a third of the Ceylon species are common to that island and Malaya; but this 

 proportion being much larger than that which is found to exist in Anonacea, indi- 

 cates that the species of Menispermacea are much more widely diffused. Khasia 

 has nnuiy species common to it and Malaya ; but many have their southern limit in 

 Klnisia, and are found also in Sikkim and throughont the Eastern Himalaya, and 

 probably extend thence into the mountainous parts of West China. A few species 



