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Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



in which it is now placed, will show how much more it differs from 

 than it accords with them. For instance : Four out of the six 

 genera, viz.: Drosera, Drosophyllum, Roridula and Byblis, are cir- 

 cinate in venation, and have glandular stems and leaves. Dioncea 

 is not circinate and is smooth. Four have a definite number of 

 stamens (5), Dioncea has from 15 to 20. Five have either a two 

 or three-celled, or a one-celled capsule with five valves. Dioncea 

 has a one-celled, but a five-lobed capsule. Four of the genera 

 (Drosera being world-wide, but with its metropolis in Australia), 

 are Old World forms ; Dioncea is American. So that when all 

 things are taken together, Dioncea differs in more ways than it 

 agrees with the family. 



There is another order, however, that Dioncea does seem to 

 agree with in many particulars. This order is Sarraceniacece, 

 though with it Dioncea does not seem to have been associated since 

 Lindley's time. The following table shows the characters of the 

 genera and of the order Sarraceniacece : 



Drosera. 

 Circinate. 

 Glandular. 

 Petals 4—5—8. 

 Sepals 4—5 — 8. 

 Stamens 8. 

 Styles 2—5. 

 Ovary 2 — 5-valved. 

 Hab — The whole 

 world. 



Drosophyllum. 

 Circinate. 

 Glandular. 

 Petals 5. 

 Sepals 5. 

 Stamens 10 — 20. 

 Styles 5. 

 Ovary 5-valved. 

 Hab -Old World. 



Aldrovanda. 

 ? 



Smooth. 

 Petals 5. 

 Sepals 5. 

 Stamens 5. 

 Styles 5. 

 Ovary 5-valved. 

 Hab— Old World. 



Roridula. 

 Circinate. 

 Glandular. 

 Petals 5. 

 Sepals 5. 

 Stamens 5. 

 Styles 5. 

 Ovary 3-celled. 

 Hab— Old World. 



Byblis. 

 Circinate. 

 Glandular. 

 Petals 5. 

 Sepals 5. 

 Stamens 5. 

 Styles 1. 

 Ovary 2-celled. 

 Hab- Old World. 



Dioncea. 

 Non-circinate. 

 Smooth. 

 Petals 5. 

 Sepals 5. 

 Stamens 15 — 20. 

 Styles 1. 

 Ovary 5-lobed. 

 Hab— New World. 



Sarraceniacece. 

 Non-circinate. 

 Smooth. 

 Petals — 5. 

 Sepals 4 — 6. 

 Stamens 12 to 00. 

 Styles I. 



Ovary 3 — 5-celled. 

 Hab— New World. 





This table shows that in four most important respects Dioncea 

 agrees with Sarraceniacece and differs from Droseracece. These four 

 points are the smooth leaves, non-circinate vernation, numerous 

 stamens and habitat. This last has not, seemingly, been taken 

 into sufficient account in considering the affinities of plants. Es- 

 pecially is it so with small and natural orders. Yet these are the 



