nORANINOW’S SCIT AMINE A3. 
225 
open air, will probably result in very considerable reduction in their 
number. 
Hr. Horaninow has not made many additions to the received 
genera of Scitaminese, and of those which he has added, Nicolaia 
had been indicated by Bojer, Hooker, and Lindley; and Dymczewyc- 
zia is a well-marked section of Zingiber , characterised by terminal 
inflorescence. Geocallis is only known from a drawing, so that it is 
premature to make a genus of it; and Achirida is the well-known 
Ganna iridiflora. His only other new genus, JEJnsete, does not seem 
sufficiently distinct from Musa. The genera are grouped under 
4 cohorts, viz. Marantaceae, Oannaceae (C. Koch), Amomaceae, 
and Musaceae. 
It is to be regretted that our author should have introduced into 
his descriptions a number of new terms not in the least better than 
those which they are intended to replace, as they make the generic 
characters quite unintelligible without previous study. The use of 
the term parapetala for the petal-like barren filaments of the outer 
staminal verticil, may perhaps be found convenient, but hypanthium* 
for inferior ovary, and amalthaea for the fruit which results from it, 
are terms which do not appear to offer any advantage over those in 
ordinary use, and are therefore not likely to be adopted. Still less 
justifiable, if not indeed positively reprehensible, is the transfer of the 
term rhizoma, which is in common use to designate that peculiar 
underground form of the 4 ascending axis’ which has a prima facie 
resemblance to the root, and was formerly confounded with it, to the 
true root. In a preliminary dissertation on terminology, our author 
has entered into details on these definitions, and has suggested various 
other modifications of the received terminology, all of which he con¬ 
siders important, but which seem to us to be sometimes, as in the 
above instance, really injurious, or for the most part useless. As 
one instance, we may cite the proposed change of the term labellum % 
as applied to the posterior petal of Orchids to labrum, because it is 
not smaller but larger than the other petals. Tor others we may 
refer such of our readers as may be desirous of pursuing the subject 
to the work itself. 
In the preliminary remarks which introduce the main subject of 
the work, Hr. Horaninow adverts briefly to many interesting points 
of botanical classification, chiefly relating to Endogens. He finds 
great fault with the names Monocotyledon and Dicotyledon, and 
proposes to substitute for them the words Coccospermae and 
JEuspermae. These terms we quote for the benefit of such of our 
readers as feel scruples of conscience at the employment of terms so 
incorrect as those in common use. Our author’s emendations, are,how¬ 
ever, not confined to nomenclature, as he proposes to transfer from 
* This terra is applied by Berg to the free portion of the calyx-tube in 
Myrtaceae and allied Families. 
N. II. R.—1863. 
Q 
