Page:Illustrations of Indian Botany, Vol. 2.djvu/284

150 here placed among the Rhamnals." The character of the Rhamnal Alliance, as regards the seed and albumen, is "definite seeds and an amygdaloid embryo, with little or no albumen," which, compared with the ordinal characters of both Sapotacea? and Styracaceoe, exhibits considerable discrepancy, more indeed than between them and Gentianales, the Alliance at the head of which he places Ebenaceoe, and characterizes as having "the cotyledons much smaller than the radicle, lying in a large quantity of albumen." In both Styracaceoe and Sapotaceoe, with a few excep- tions, there is a notable quantity of albumen, the embyro, except in Bassia and perhaps one or two others, not being amygdaloidal, but axile in the midst of copious fleshy albumen.

It is with diffidence I venture to differ from such high authorities, but still I cannot help thinking that the views of all are erroneous; misled, perhaps, by Jussieu's location of Symplocos in the first instance. I view the affinities of this order as remote, not merely from Ebenaceoe, but from the whole sub-class in which it is now stationed. In short, I consider that its true affinities must be sought for among Calyciflorce not Corollijlorce, and in the neighbourhood of Cap- rifoliacece. According to my ideas, Styracaceoe fluctuate between Myrtaceos, Barringtoniacece, Caprifoliacece, and Philadelphacece, but most nearly approaches Caprifoliaceoe by their adherent ovary, monopetalous corolla, few, pendulous ovules, and long, slender embryo, surrounded by much fleshy albumen. In offering this opinion I do not overlook the fact of Bentham's consider- ing the ovary as properly speaking free, being, according to his view, generally more or less so at the time of flowering, though afterwards adherent. He says, "In Symplocos, and in all the genera associated with it, the tube of the calyx is generally more or less free from the ovary at the time of flowering, but with the developement of the fruit it adheres to it more and more, till, at maturity, the tube of the calyx becomes entirely confounded with the fleshy pericarp, and the segments alone remain free, covering the fruit at the top." My acquaintance with the order is confined to the Indian species. Mr. Bentham, when he wrote the above sentence, had been engaged principally with the examination of American ones, and there may be a dif- ference, but so far as Indian species are concerned, I have no hesitation in saying, the ovary is as distinctly adherent in the flower-bud, as it is in the fruit or in any of the above named Calyciflorous orders, and hence, that his observations, if really correct, which I doubt, do not militate against my conclusions which are derived from the examination of other and, it would appear, totally distinct genera, though considered the same.

On turning to Caprifoliacece I find the essential characters of that order are : adherent ovary ; united petals (corolla monopetalous) ; fruit crowned with the lobes of the calyx ; embryo straight, in the centre of a fleshy albumen, with the radicle pointing to the hilum : all of which equally belong to Styracaceoe. There are others appertaining to both orders keeping them distinct, but the coexistence of so many, of the highest importance, show how nearly they are related and how perfectly distinct from all the orders among which the latter are now grouped. When constructing the preceding conspectus, I had only cursorally examined the affinities of this order and had not arrived at my present conclusions until after it had been sent to the press.

The species of this order are confined to the tropical and sub-tropical regions of America and Asia; only one is recorded from Africa and none from New Holland. In America they are much more numerous than in Asia. Those belonging to the Indian peninsula are alpine or sub-alpine plants, I do not recollect ever having met with any on the plains, while on both the Neilgherries and Pulney mountains, they are comparatively numerous, nine or ten species being indigenous to the former. A few extend as far north as the Himalayas, at the foot and at moderate elevations of which they are found. One is common at Mussuree.

These are not important. Benzoin and Storax are both derived from species of this family, and both form considerable articles of commerce and are to some extent used in medicine, especially in combination with expectorants, the operation of which they are believed to promote. Benzoin enters into the composition of Paragoric elixir and court-plaster. The leaves of some are used in dying, and the Bark of S. spicata forms a mordant for red dyes, for which purpose it is imported to some extent into Madras, though common enough in sub-alpine regions among ourselves.