CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTAT^Y. 
21 
ties of the natural order to which it belongs. This is a low- 
growing tree, which I found in the wooded margins of the bay 
of Jurujuba; it is among Gardner’s collection, no. 5380*. 
Observations on the Affinities of the Olacace^e. 
The family of the Olacacea, first proposed by Mirbel, in 1813, 
under the name of Olacinea, w'as plaeed by him near the Auran- 
tiacem : J ussieu stationed it in proximity with the Sapotacea, 
while DeCandolle following the views of Mirbel arranged it close 
to Aurantiacea, a conclusion adopted by most succeeding 
botanists, and among these Endlicher and jMeissner, who dis- 
posed it w'ith Aurantiacete, Meliacete, Humiriacea, &c., in a class 
called Hesperides. Brongniart how'ever followed the original 
views of Mr. Brown, in regard to the affinity of Olax with the 
Santalacece ; but upon less satisfactory grounds, he associated with 
these the Loranthucea, excluding at the same time Ximenia from 
the family. Dr. Bindley in his ‘ Nixus Plantarum ’ and ‘ A^atural 
System ’ offered a new view, by placing it, under the designation 
of the Olacacece, in the same alliance with the Pittosjwraceee and 
Vitacea, for which position few and not very satisfactory reasons 
could be offered. Mr. Bentham, in an excellent memoir on the 
Olacineee (Linn. Trans, xviii. 676), proposed a new arrangement 
of the order into three distinct tribes, adding several new genera, 
together with his ingenious views in regard to its affinities, when 
he justly denied its relation with the Aurantiacece, although he 
admitted its approach to the Humiriacece, considering both these 
families to be approximate with the Styracece ; and lastly he 
allowed, that through Opilia and Cansjera, the Olacineee evidently 
osculate with the Santalacece. Finally, Dr. Bindley (Veg. 
Kingd. p. 43) repeated his former views, with some modifica- 
tions, placing it in his alliance of the Berber ales, together with 
Droseracece, Berber idacece, Vitacece, Pittosporacece, &c., an alliance 
which, as Dr. Asa Gray very justly remarks (Gen. PI. Un. 
St. i. p. 78), “is there placed on peculiar grounds by no means 
compatible with ordinary views of botanical affinity.” In 
estimating the value of these conflicting opinions, I will endea- 
vour to show, that notwithstanding their extreme divergence, 
they will allow of a considerable degree of approximation. 
We have the strongest evidence of the approach of the Ola- 
cacece towards the Santalacece, in the singular and important 
consideration of the structure of the ovarium and the seed and 
if we consider the biserial floral envelopes of many of the genera 
* A representation of this plant and an analysis of its fruit, together 
with the details of the floral structure of the precethng species, is given in 
Plate 3 of this work. 
