360 
Order CCLVIII. ROXBURGHIACE^. 
Roxburghiace^, Wall. Plant. As. Ear. 3. 50.(1832); Lindl. Nixus, 23. (1833). 
Essential Character. — Perianth of from 4 to 6 large petziloid divisions, occasionally 
subtended by membranous bracts. Stamens 4 to 6, sub-hypogynous ; anthers opening 
inwards. Ovary superior, 1 -celled, with polyspermous placentae, which are either parietal 
or situated at the base of the pericarp ; style filiform or none ; stigma capitate, lobed, or 
roundish. Pericarp 1 -celled, 2-valved, or valveless, either with 3 parietal polyspermous 
placentae, or with 2 clusters of seeds at the base. Seeds (in Roxburghia) with a taper 
embryo in the axis of fleshy albumen. — Twining shrubs. Leaves either reticulated and 
coriaceous, or thinner with parallel secondary veins connecting several primary ribs. 
Flowers large and showy. 
Affinities. This character, imperfect as it is, is framed for the purpose 
of comprehending’ the three genera mentioned below ; I am by no means cer- 
tain, however, that the two South American genera ought to be actually com- 
bined in the same natural order with that from India ; they correspond very 
much in habit, and also in their parietal polyspermous placentae ; this I am 
able to state from having examined the ovary of both Lapageria and Philesia. 
In Roxburghia the placenta occupies the base of the shell of the fruit, in Phi- 
lesia it runs up the side about half way, and in Lapageria it extends through 
the whole side. But on the other hand the structure of the flower of Rox- 
burghia is dimerous, that of the other two trimerous ; Roxburghia has no style 
and peculiar stamens, the others a long style like that of Lilium, and stamens 
of an ordinary character. Moreover the fruit of Lapageria is only known from 
the imperfect figure in the Flora Peruviana, and that of Philesia has never yet 
been even described. These genera, therefore, require to be examined in much 
more detail before they can be considered settled. Let me add, that in Lapageria 
the ovules are enveloped in mucus, and have the foramen at their point. Rox- 
burghia is said to have stems 100 fathoms long. Rees’ Cycl. 
Geography. Natives of the hotter parts of India, and the temperate 
or cool parts of South America. 
Properties. The roots of Roxburghia previously prepared with lime- 
water, are candied wdth sugar and taken with tea. Tlieir flavour is insi- 
pid. Roxb. 
GENERA. 
Roxburghia, Dryand. ? § PhilesiejE. 
Stemona, Lour. Philesia, Comm. 
Lapageria, R. et P. 
Group V. 
Essential Character. — Flowers usually imperfect, with scales in the room of calyx 
and corolla, or naked; often unisexual; in most cases arranged on a spadix within a 
spathe. Embryo usually with a lateral cleft for the emission of the plumule. 
The genus Arum will furnish the student with a good illustration of this 
group. He may consider that there is a tendency on the one hand to be- 
come arborescent, bear drupaceous fruit, and produce a larger number of sta- 
mens, as in Pandales ; and on the other hand to lose the spadiceous character, 
firstly, by the production of ordinary spikes as in Juncaginaceae ; and secondly, 
by the reduction of the inflorescence to a single flower as in some Fluviales 
and in Pistiaceee. It is not unworthy of remark, that in all these Endogenous 
