POSTSCRIPT. 
37 
Dr. Lindley proposes to preserve, and I have given the most 
unprejudiced consideration to his remarks on that subject. 
It is for the purpose of bringing Haemodoraceae and Brome- 
liaceae into the group of plants with the ovary inferior, that 
the limitation of leaves equitant or scurfy has been devised 
to stand in lieu of the inferior ovary in plants which have 
the ovary superior, viz. equitant leaves to bring in the Has- 
modoraceae, and scurfy to include Bromeliaceae. There is, 
however, no connexion between those two qualities of the 
leaf which are severally assumed, nor have either of them 
any relation to the quality of which they are made to com- 
pensate the absence ; nor are they qualities generally be- 
longing to the plants with which an association is to be 
effected through their means. Dr. Lindley says he is not 
aware that scurfy and equitant leaves are found amongst 
other plants with superior ovary. Undoubtedly they cannot 
be so found, if he takes out all that have them, but we have 
no other scurfy-leaved plants, and only one order with equi- 
tant leaves, in the group to which he has transferred them. 
Scurfy leaves or equitant leaves may be thought sufficient 
grounds for detaching plants from those which have them 
not, but not for superseding a more important point of dif- 
ference. If the leaves standing edge to edge is of more con- 
sequence than the position of the ovary, we ought to have a 
primary division of leaves equitant and not equitant, but 
scurf, I think, could never be taken to characterize a high 
division. There seems to be no other feature than equitant 
leaves to separate the hexandrous epigynous Haemodoraceae 
from Amaryllidaceae, for the equitation of the sepals is almost 
obsolete in Alstroemeria, and I doubt its being absolutely 
wanting in Haemodoraceae ; the woolly surface is a very 
weak feature, and their limb is not in fact smaller when 
compared with the tube than it is in some Cyrtauthi and 
Cooperia, supposing such a feature to be more important than 
I consider it to be. Taking, therefore, leaves equitant to be 
the true distinction by which it is proposed to hold together 
the discordant order Haemodoraceae, a very important 
question arises whether leaves equitant or standing edgeways 
with respect to each other, like those of Iris, instead of face 
to face, is a feature which ought to have general priority 
over the position of the ovary and the number of the 
stamens ? The effect would be to sever Iridaceae, which are 
defined as having leaves equitant, together with Haemodo- 
