197 
no petals, both suspended ovules, a single style, and capitate stigma. I am 
indebted to Mr. Amott for an amended character of the order, so framed as 
to include Gyrinops, as also for new generic characters of the two genera. 
Mr. Amott remarks, in confirmation of the affinity between Aquilariaceae and 
Thymelaceae, that the latter have sometimes 10 stamens. 
Geography. Natives of the East Indies. 
Properties. Aloes wood, Agila wood, or Eagle wood, containing a fragrant 
resinous substance, of a dark colour, is the inside of the trunk of the Aquilaria 
ovata and A. Agallochum. It is considered a cordial by some Asiatic nations, 
and has been prescribed in Europe in gout and rheumatism. Ainslie, 1. 4/9. 
For a valuable account of this substance, see Royle, as above quoted. 
GENERA. 
Aquilaria, Lam, (24) 
Ophiospermum, Lour. 
Gyrinops, Gaertn. (25) 
Alliance III. PROTEALES, 
Essential Character. — .Estivation of calyx valvate. Stamens opposite its lobes. 
Fruit simple, follicular. 
All the plants of this alliance have a remai’kably hard cuticle ; they are 
clearly known by the above character. 
Order CXLVIII. PROTEACE.E. 
Proteace^e, Juss. Gen. (1789) ; R. Brown in Linn. Trans. 10. 15. (1809) ; Prodr. 363. 
(1810) ; Suppl.Prim. (1830). 
Essential Character. — Calyx 4-leaved, or 4-cleft, with a valvular aestivation. Sta- 
mens 4, sometimes in part sterile, opposite the se^ents of the calyx. Ovary simple, supe- 
rior; style simple; stigma undivided. Fruit dehiscent or indehiscent. Seed without 
albumen ; embryo with two, or occasionally several cotyledons, straight ; radicle inferior, — 
Shrubs or small trees. Branches usually umbellate. Leaves hard, dry, divided or undivided, 
opposite or alternate, without stipules ; their cuticle often covered equally on both sides 
with stomates. 
Affinities. There is no difficulty in distinguishing this order ; the hard 
woody texture of whose leaves, and irregular tubular calyxes having a valvate 
aestivation, stamens placed upon the lobes, along with a dehiscent fruit, at 
once characterise it. By these marks it is known from Elaeagnacese, and 
aU other orders. One of the most complete systematic monographs is 
Brown’s upon these, in the Linnsean Society’s Transactions, from which I find 
much to extract. According to this botanist, “ the radicula pointing towards 
the base of the fruit in aU Proteacese, is a circumstance of the greatest im- 
portance, in distinguishing the order from the most nearly related tribes ; and 
its constancy is more remarkable, as it is not accompanied by the usual posi- 
tion or even uniformity in the situation of the external umbilicus.” Linn. 
Trans. 10 . 36. Brown has also remarked, with his usual acuteness, that in 
consequence of the presence of hypogynous squamae, we may expect to find 
octandrous genera belonging to this family. See Flinders, 2. 606. The same 
writer observes {Flinders, 568), that there is a peculiarity in the structure of 
the stamina of certain genera of Proteacese, namely, Simsia, Conospermum, 
