89 
son of Padiham, to Mr. Spencer of Manchester, and to 
Mr. Griffiths of Liverpool, I am indebted for an abundant 
supply of these ropes. 
It is not so much my object on this occasion to give a 
detailed account of the many forms met with, as to give 
some general description of them, classifying them for the 
most part under the natural orders to which they probably 
belong ; but I may preface these notes with a short summary 
of the little which has already been written concerning them. 
One of the earliest to minutely study this class of plants 
was Charles Gaudichaud, a botanist who visited Chili, Peru, 
and the Brazil in 1830, and who subsequently published a 
memoir entitled, “ Becherches generales sur 1’organographie, 
la physiologie, et 1’organogenie des Vegetaux,” (Mem. Savans 
Etrangers, t. VIII, Paris, 1835,) in which will be found a 
large number of engravings of many lianas, but very little 
descriptive matter ; the memoir was written to support the 
views of du Petit-Thouars in regard to the growth of wood, 
and in opposition to the views of other leading botanists, but 
little is said about the climbing plants. The most complete 
general account of their structure which I have met with 
is that by Adrien de Jussieu — “ Sur les tiges de diverses 
Lianes, et particulierement sur cedes de la famille des 
Malpighiacees,” (Annales Sciences Naturelles, t. XV., Paris, 
1841) ; this was afterwards reprinted, with additions, and 
incorporated in the same author’s “ Monographic de la 
famille des Malpighiacees,” (Arch, du Mus., t. III., Paris, 
1843). Another account of their organisation is included 
in the eighth volume of the “Botanische Zeitung,” by 
Hermann Criiger, entitled “ Einige Beitrage zur Kenntniss 
von sogenanntnen anomalen Holzbildungen des Dikoty- 
lenstammes,” and published in 1850. Notices of the 
structure of other lianas are also to be met with in isolated 
memoirs, some of which will be referred to, and in most bo- 
tanical text books, particularly in those of Bindley, Schleiden, 
