24^2 



On some remarkable Plants in the 



Loureiro, who published the genus under the name Ste- 

 mona,* (a. d. 1790,) referred it to Monadelphia Tetrandria ; 

 he notices the appendages as " laciniae," and appears to have 

 had a correct view of the anther cells, although his description 

 is not exactly applicable to either of the Indian species. 



Nevertheless, in M. Endhcher's Genera.f the view enter- 

 tained by Dr. Roxburgh is reverted to, with the differ- 

 ence, that the anthers are represented as 4, bilocular, and 

 the appendages as connectiva ! In addition, the ovarium is 

 said to be formed of two carpel leaves. 



There is a good deal of variety of opinion also regarding 

 the locus naturalis of this remarkable genus. Sir J. SmithJ 

 referred it without difficulty to the Asparagi of Jussieu. 



Lamark§, says, it appears to be intermediate between 

 Liliacese and Asclepiadese, an opinion he doubtless derived 

 from Dr. Sims.|| 



Reichenbachlf places it in his family (class) Aroideae 

 at the end of the second section Taccacese, subsection 

 Tacceae: the merit of this, however, appears to me reduced, 

 by his placing Nepenthes and Sarracenia with Peliosanthes 

 in the last section of the same family. 



Bartling** places it among the " genera Monocotyle- 

 donea dubia 1. incertae sedis." 



Dr. Lindleyff in WalHch's PI. Asiat. Rariores, charac- 

 terised it carpologically as a distinct family, Roxburghiaceae, 

 being evidently influenced a good deal by the supposed ab- 

 sence of the Aroideous form of embryo. The place of this 

 family is considered to approach the Aroideae more nearly 

 than any other tribe." 



* Fl : Cochincliin. 404. — This genns is also adopted, in the Encyclopedic 

 Methodique. Supp. 5. p. 244, and in the Dictionaire des Sciences 

 Naturelles, v. 50. p. 478, in which last it is referred to Tetrandria 

 Monogynia. f 157. No. 1197. 



X Ex. Bot. loc. cit. Rees' Cyclop, loc. cit. § Enc. Meth. loc. cit. 



11 Bot. Mag. loc. cit. ^ Consp. Reg. Veget. p. 44. 



** Ord. Nat. p. 76. ft 3.49. t. 282. 



