R U T 



RUT 



Rut a, Peranum, and DiSamnus. 

 Sect. 3. Genera akin to the Rutactm. 



Alelianthus, Diojma, Empleurum of Solandcr, and Aruba 

 of Aublet. 



The author oblerves that the plants of the firit lection are 

 molt akin to his Gcrania, but differ from that order in hav- 

 ing a fieihy albumen and a ilraight eorculum. Their habit is 

 more like CaJJia, and its allies, among the leguminous fa- 

 mily, which have likewife abruptly pinnated leaves, at- 

 tended by ilipulas, as well as ten Itamens with one ltyle ; 

 but thefe Rutatet differ in having oppofite leaves, a fruit of 

 many cells, and especially llamens inferted into the re- 

 ceptacle, beneath the germen. He inquires whether (Juajfia, 

 ThryaUis, Trigotiia, &c. be akin to them ? Alfo whether 

 his two lections are with propriety combined together, and 

 whether they ought not rather to conititute different orders, 

 diftinguiflied by the fruit ? However this may be, he adds, 

 the Rutaces are diitinguifhed, by the definite number of 

 their Itamens, from both Tdiacet and Cifli, while the alter- 

 nate iituation of thofe organs with refpect to the corolla, 

 dilhnguilhes this order from the Berberides. 



The true idea of the order before us muft be taken from 

 Juflicu's fecond feCtion, compofed of Ruta, Peganum, and 

 DiSamnus, to which are., molt indubitably, to be added 

 from his third, Diojma and Empleurum ; but fcarcely the 

 Aruba of Aublet, and certainly not Melianthus. The dif- 

 coveries in the fouthern hemifphere have made botanilts ac- 

 quainted with many new genera of this tribe. (See Phe- 

 balium, Corr/EA, Crowea, Eiuostemon, and Mei.i- 

 cope. ) Tetratheca, however, is erroneoully mentioned, 

 under the hit article, as belonging to the fame family. We 

 have always been inclined to refer Oxalis to it, (fee that 

 article,) rather than to the Gerania, on account of the 

 elaltic arilius of its feeds, fo analogous to what occurs in 

 many Rutacea ; at leaft Oxalis is a connecting link between 

 the two orders. 



The Rutacede are nearly all fhr:bby ; their leaves without 

 flipulas, coriaceous, or flightly flefhy, moltly fmooth, full 

 of refinous dots (trongly fcented, fometimes acid ; ufually 

 alternate and fimple ; in fome inltances oppofite, whorled, 

 or compound. Flower-Jlalks moltly axillary, either fimple, 

 aggregate, or forked. Calyx in four or five deep fegments. 

 Petals four or five. Stamens almolt always twice as many as 

 the petals ; their filaments often peculiar in ftructure, with 

 fome fort of appendages ; the anthers not always terminal, 

 fometimes fupported on a partial flalk. Style fimple, con- 

 nected with the inner angle of each cell of the germen, either 

 at the fummit or bafe. Capfule of four or five cells, each 

 lined with a membranous or horny, more or lefs elaftic, 

 tunic, ferving to fcatter the feeds. Moft of the flowers are 

 regular, DiUamnus being perhaps the only exception. It 

 is an obfervation of our learned friend Mr. Correa, that 

 every natural order feems to afford one genus, at leaft, with 

 an irregular flower. 



Our Zieria, Tr. of Linn. Soc. v. 4. 216, belongs to 

 this order, and we truft will appear, in its proper place, 

 hereafter. So likewife does Boronia, which, having been 

 accidentally omitted by the Rev. Mr. Wood, in vol. v. 

 we (hall here defcribc. 



Boronia was fo named, by the writer of the prefent ar- 

 ticle, in memory of his faithful fervant and friend Francis 

 Borone, born at Milan, April 6, 1769, who devoted him- 

 felf to botany with an ardour, which his Angular turn for 

 obfervation, and acutenefs of difcrimination, even with re- 

 gard to the technical characters of plants, promifed to render 

 eminently advantageous to the fcience. This ardour in- 

 duced him to vifit Sierra Leone, as alii it ant to Dr. Adam 



Afielius, with whom he returned, rich in dilcoveriei and 

 information, in the autumn of 1793. ^' ie ntx * vear ne at_ 

 teaded the late profeffor Sibthorp to Greece, and unfor- 

 tunately died, by an accidental fall, at Athens, in October, 

 1794. — Sm. Tracts, 287. Poiret in Lamarck Diet. v. 8. 

 503.. Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 2. 348 — Clafs and order, Oc- 

 tandria Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Rntacea, .lull. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, in four deep, equal 

 legments, permanent. Cor. Petals four, equal, alternate 

 with the calyx and much longer, leflilf, withering. Nec- 

 tary a glandular ring, furrounding the bafe of the germen. 

 Stam. Filaments eight, fhorter than the corolla, inferted 

 into the receptacle, alternately oppofite to the petals and 

 calyx, flat, tapering, fringed, terminating varioufly, four 

 of them a little the ihorteit ; anthers of two cells, roundifh, 

 incumbent, inferted on the infide below the fummit of each 

 filament, pift. Germen luperior, Handing on the neftary, 

 conical, with four furrows : (lyle vertical, fhort ; (ligma 

 roundifh, fmooth, with four notches. Peric. Capfule of 

 four dillindt lobes, foon feparating, compreffed, each of one 

 cell, and two equal valves, lined with a bivalve elaftic tunic. 

 Seeds one or two, oblong, compreffed, fmooth, polifhed. 



Ell. Ch. Calyx in tour deep fegments. Petals four. 

 Anthers ftalked, below the fummit of the filaments. Style 

 terminal, very fhort. Stigma capitate. Capfule of four 

 compreffed lobes. Seeds with an elaftic tunic. 



Sett. 1. Leaves compound. 



1. B. pinnata. Hawthorn-fcented Boronia. Sm. Tr. 

 290. t. 4. Ait. n. 1. Andr. Repol. t. 58. Venten. 

 Malmaif. t. 38. Poiret n. 4. — Leaves pinnate, entire, 

 fmooth. Flower-ltalks axillary, forked. Filaments obtufe 

 and glandular at the fummit. — Found in the neighbourhood 

 of Port .Tackfon, New South Wales. Firit railed in Eng- 

 land by Meffrs. Lee and Kennedy in 1794. It proves a 

 favourite, but not common, green-houfe fhrub, flowering 

 throughout the fpring, and much admired for the beauty 

 as well as fcent of its flowers, which lait refembles haw- 

 thorn, approaching to Heliotropium pcruvianum. The plant 

 is fmooth, fhrubby, two or three feet high, with many 

 roundifh, reddifh, leafy branches. Leaves oppofite, rarely 

 three together, without Jlipidas, of from three to five pair 

 of feflile, lanceolate, pointed, entire leaflets; the terminal 

 one rather fmaller than the reft ; the common flalk jointed, 

 channelled, (lightly winged, fmooth. Panicles axillary, 

 forked, fmooth, with fquare (talks, fwelling upward. 

 BraSeas fmall, thick, oppofite, acute. Calyx reddifh. 

 Corolla of a delicate pink. Filaments fringed with white 

 woolly hairs to the very top, which terminates in a blunt 

 glandular body, fometimes flightly hairy alfo, rifing above 

 the anther, whofe flalk is curved downwards, over the 



Jligma. Germen fmall, with a hairy Jlyle. Seeds folitary, 

 black, in a white, polifhed, rigid, elallic tunic. The dried 

 petals retain fomewhat of an acid tafle. 



2. B. alata. Wing-ftalked Boronia. Sm. Tranf. of 

 Linn. Soc. v. 8. 283. — Leaves pinnate, crenate ; their 

 common (talk hairy. Flower-ftalks forked. Filaments 

 obtufe. Anthers nearly terminal. — Gathered by Mr. 

 Menzies, at King George's found, on the weft coafl of 

 New Holland. Rather larger, and more handfome, than 

 even the preceding. The branches are hairy, as well as the 

 under fide of the common footjlalks, efpecially at their joints. 

 Thele (talks have alfo a more dilated wing, refembling Fa- 

 gara in that refpect. Leaflets, moftly five pair, broad, el- 

 hptical, revolute, and crenate, with a hairy rib beneath. 

 Panicles axillary, but all crowded about the tops of the 

 branches, hairy, with fringed Iracleas. Flowers larger than 

 in B. pinnata ; their dried petals with an opaque whitenefs 



5 F 2 on 



