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Notices of Books . 
with the family. Most recent botanical writers have followed them in 
this, and the form of the leaves has been generally taken as a useful 
character by which species may for convenience of reference be grouped. 
Against this system M. Planchon utters a protest. His complaint is 
that single characters such as the calyptroid corolla and its pentamery 
and tetramery have had assigned to them too much importance, and that 
in consequence the apparent simplification by reduction of genera has 
led to confusion, and that the grouping of the species by leaf-characters 
violates to a great extent natural affinity. He has therefore sought 
for a key to the alliance of species and a natural grouping in a 
combination of characters taken from such features as the constitution 
of the disk, the form and length of the style, the relation and surface 
of the testa and raphe, the presence or absence of a tendril upon the 
rachis of the inflorescence, the form of the inflorescence itself, and the 
state of sexuality in the flower. Of less importance are the calyptroid 
form of corolla and its tetramery or pentamery, and of still less value 
is the form of leaf. No one of these characters is of itself sufficient to 
diagnose a group, but together in various combinations they mark out 
aggregates which he thinks may be regarded as ten natural groups. 
The prime value of the groups based upon these trifling characters is, 
he admits, open to discussion. He himself calls' them genera, but 
others will regard them as no more than sub-genera or sections. 
The scope of his genera may be best understood by examination 
of their conspectus :■ — 
‘Conspectus Generum. 
Flores polygamo-dioici. Petala 5 in calyptram cohserentia. Stylus conicus v. 
saltern brevis basique incrassatus. Stigma punctiforme v. vix dilatatum. Bacca 
bilocularis 2-4-sperma ; semina saspius pyriformia, foveolis ventralibus brevibus. 
Frutices hemisphaerae borealis, plerisque e regionibus temperatis, fere omnes 
scandentes, cirrhosi. Folia simplicia, varie lobata (rarissime digitata). Thyrsi e 
cirrhosi v. cirrhiferi. ..... I. Vitis Toumef. L. (pro parte). 
Flores polygamo-monoici, partim pseudo-hermaphroditi. Petala 5 (rarius 4) sub 
anthesi patentia. Stylus brevis conicus, saepe 10-striatus. Stigma foveiforme, vix 
dilatatum. Discus annuliformis erectus, saepe io-striatus. Bacca saepius bilocularis, 
2-4-sperma. Semina cymbiformia v. trigona, facie late bisulca. Thyrsi cirrhiferi. 
Frutices scandentes, cirrhosi, utriusque orbis, plerique regionum calidarum in- 
colae. Folia simplicia v. palmata v. palmato-seu pedato composita. 
II. Ampelocissus Planch. 
Flores polygamo-monoici. Petala 4-5 sub anthesi patentia. Stylus brevis. Stigma 
minutum. Discus annuliformis, ovarii basin cingens. Bacca bilocularis, 2-4-sperma. 
Semina trigono-ovata, ventre bifoveolata. 
