THE BAEKSIAX BOTAXIST-LIBRAKIAXS. 
I 13 
I had a letter from Sir Jos. Banks lately, so much better as to handwTiting 
than I have seen from him for a long while, that I trust it is a good proof of his 
health. 
Brown to Smith. (?) Februar3', 1810 . 
I was highly gratified by j'our kind and instructive letter, which I should have 
immediately answered, had I not intended first carefullj' to examine and compare 
Brunonia with Dipsacew. but this the extreme coldness of the weather and the 
darkness of the forenoons have prevented me from accomplishing. I am there- 
fore, obliged to advert to j'our ingenious observations* respecting its affinitv, 
with such knowledge only as had formerlv determined me to place this remarkable 
plant between Catnpanidaceoe and Compositce. The view which j'ou have taken of 
the matter, had not entirely escaped me, but 3’ou have stated it more full3’ and 
with greater perspicacit3' than I had done. I was, however, deterr’d from referring 
my genus to Dipsace e on account of the differences which even taken singl3' 
though not of universal are of ver3' general importance, and when united appear 
to me to have more than twofold weight — these are germen superum and embryo 
rectus in Brunonia oppos’d to germen inferum and embr3'o inversus in Dipsaceoe. 
I have just looked at Scabiona graminifolia anrl cretica, must acknowledge that 
the resemblance in habit between them and the Xew Holland plants is very 
striking, and I full3’ acquiesce in the justness of 3'our observations respecting 
the difference between Scabiosa and these plants in so much as relates to the 
cal3'.x and germen, for thougli Jussieu’s observation quoted In’ 3’ou seems onlv 
to regard the outer eal3’x or bracteae, yet it is surel3' quite as applicable to the 
inner or true calyx, for when indeed is in any case the difference between calyx 
superus and inferus unless in the former its accretion to, and in the latter its want 
of cohesion with the ovarium? Nevertheless this circumstance is found to be 
upon the whole so constant in natural families, witness Dip.<<acc e Beinseloex jsfc.] 
(and Si/ngene-iicB, I confess also), that it must alwa3’s have considerable weight in 
determining our ideas of the aftinit3' of new genera, and when coupled with another 
circumstance (that, viz., of the direction of the embr3’o), of similar importance 
and equally constant in the two families just mentioned, it seem’d to me to go 
verv far in deciding the place of the Xew Holland genus in a natural series at 
least if not an3’ given order. Other circum.stances might be mentioned, such 
as the .')-fold division of the flower and vhe cohesion of the Antherae, which would 
remove tlie genus in some measure from Dipsaceae and approximate it to Coni- 
posit®, to wliich, indeed, it would be ver3’ clearly referable if 3’Ou only suppose 
the bod3’ of the cah'x glued to the ovarium, whereas to assimilate it to Dipsace® 
you must not only su])i)o.se this, but also invert the embr3'o. But there is still a 
peculiarity- in which it differs from both, and that is in the structure of its stigma, 
to which I know nothing similar e.xcept in 3’our Goodenia, 8c®vola, and some 
nearly-related genera of Cami)anulace», and this, in fact, was my chief reason 
for putting the genus between that order and Composit®. 
But the circumstance which I apprehend must have had considerable weight 
with you in placing it with Dipsace® is the existence of the outer calyx or bracte®. 
There, tlierefore, woidd be one peculiarity oppos’d to another, and both of them 
confessedly important, neither do I know in what scales to weigh their relative 
importance to you in your favour, though I might adduce .Jasione and Platynema, 
and I conceive I have structure of important parts of fructification, though to 
weaken my first argument Globularia might be brought forward, but then this 
genus, which in many res))ects nearly approaches Brunonia quite as nearly as 
Scabiosa, wants the outer calyx entirely-. 
’ Brunonia is a remarkable genus classed by modern botanists in the Goodeniacese. Its position 
was long a matter or difficulty and elucidation of its affinities hence had a fascination for th» 
mind of Brown. See in particular his observations at vol. ii. p. 310 of his Collected Worl;s 
(Ray Soc.) 
