150 ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY.
Affinities. These appear to be very imperfectly understood at least if we may judge from
the different positions in which different authors place the order, which however is not a good
criterion. Jussieu placed it between Meliacece and Geraniaceae—DeCandolle retains it in the
same situation, Bartling (Ord. Naturalis) forms a class of this and Meliaceae, but still retains
it beside Geraniaceae, Lindley in the first edition of his Introduction places it between Mai-
pighiaceae and Meliaceae, but far removed from Geraniaceae and Pittosporeae, and still further
from Berberideae, while in the second edition it is placed between Berberideae on the one
side and Pittosporeae on the other, but still far from Geraniaceae. Meisner retains it nearly
in the old place between Meliaceae and his class Malpighinae, (see page 137) which last is followed
by his class Geraniodeae. To decide between such authorities is more than I dare attempt,
but upon the whole feel disposed to adopt in preference the Jussieuian arrangement,
though it places the order in a situation where, so far as I can see, it has no very close relationship
with those on either side, nor indeed do I think its affinities well made out any where. In
tfie artificial arrangement of the orders adopted by Jussieu it is very conveniently placed at the
end of a series of orders, having some well marked affinities, and separates another set, forming
the Gynobasious group of Lindley, at the head of which the Geraniodeae may be, and is by most
authors, placed; though in Lindley’s arrangement, they form the second of the four Alliances
into which he divides that group. As a strictly natural arrangement Lindley s perhaps
approaches the nearest to perfection, but with this evident disadvantage that the gtoup in
which he places the order (Albumenosae) is distinguished by a character not always easily made
out, and subject to some striking exceptions, such as excluding many genera in which albumen
abounds, and including at least one order ([JSTelumbiaceae) in which it is wanting. One half of
Meliaceae and of Cedrelaceae, have each, with many others, albuminous seed, but in smaller
proportion, yet do not find a place in this group. From this, and innumerable similar instances
which may be cited of irregularities in this part of the structure of seed I do not see, even taking proportion
into consideration, how any arrangement made to depend on it, can be good in practice, as
applied to orders until a higher value is assigned to it, though perhaps it may occasionally be employed
as a useful generic character, though even that is doubtful. The genus Cassia, for example, as
now constituted has at least two species C.fistula and C. Roxburgii, having very copious albumen
while most of the others are exalbuminous. In such cases the presence of albumen may be
advantageously employed to aid in removing badly associated species from an otherwise natural
genus, and in this instance confirms the judgment of those who had previously separated the
genus Cathartocarpus, on account of the irregular structure of its legumes. But while we
meet with similar irregularities of structure, in so far as this organ is concerned, in almost
every family, it is surely a questionable arrangement which brings together a series of upwards
of twenty orders, many of them, so far as I can see, having scarcely any other mark of relationship,
merely because they agree generally, but not universally, in having seed with a-copious
albumen and small embryo. For these reasons I am not yet prepared to adopt Dr. Lindley’s
arrangement in that particular group, though far from thinking that we ought to lose sight of the
idea which led to its formation, since, if thoroughly investigated some important relations may
be found to exist between albuminous seed and vegetable structure generally, which has not yet
been discovered, but which may ultimately tend to modify our whole system, much in the same
way as the discovery of Exogenous and Endogenous structure, being connected with the structure
of the seed, has given stability to the classification of the whole vegetable kingdom according
to that structure. Upon the whole then I think we may safely conclude that our knowledge
of vegetable structure is not yet sufficiently advanced to admit of our constructing a system on
such principles, and that therefore, for the present the safe course to pursue is to arrange our
natural orders according to some convenient artificial system suited to facilitate the investigation
of new plants, though we ought never to forget for a moment, that such is not the objec
of our studies, but the discovery of a truly natural system throughout. Here I leave the subject
merely observing that Araliaceae is the order to which this seems most nearly to approximate,
though abundantly distinct, and in the structure of the seed, even to Rubiaceae.
G eographical D istribution. Principally confined to the tropics and warmer countries
of the temperate zones, very numerous in India, less so in America and Africa, but foun iQ
both- According to Wallich’s list there are 53 species of Vitis including Cissus, in India, wni e
in the Peninsula we enumerate.26. He again has 13 species of Leea, while we have only t iee-
ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 151
DeCandolle has of these genera 107 for the whole world. How far these numbers will require
to be modified by future experience it is not easy to say, but I suspect when all the species
are well examined, and with sufficient specimens, many will be reduced, and leave the numbers,
when many new ones are added, nearly the same as they now stand. This I think will prove
the case because the leaves, from which specific characters are usually taken; of no set of
plants I have ever examined, afford specific characters less to be depended upon than those of
the genus Vitis, unless perhaps Bryonia the forms of the leaves of some of the species of which
are to the full as variable.
Java according to Blume has 34 species of the order, and 5 genera. India has 4 genera including
Cissus and Ampélopsis. The former of these however only differing from Vitis in having
a quaternary in place of a quinary order of parts, with some difference of habit, and the latter
being similarly situated, agreeing with Vitis in having a quinary order, but with the habit of
Cissus, cannot be kept distinct.
P roperties and Uses. The properties of the Grape whether recent or dried, not less
than the products of its fermented juices, the various kinds of wine, are too well known to
require to be dwelt upon here. The leaves of some, or perhaps most, of the species are acid,
and some astringent, while the fruit of several are intensely acrid. The berries of the Cisstis
quadrangularis, the young shoots and leaves of which are used by the native as a pot herb, are
so exceedingly acrid, that it is sufficient to taste one, to cause in a short time the most insufferable
sense of burning all over the mouth and fauces of several hours duration. How many
more produce similar effects I confess I have not had the -courage to try, having suffered so
severely in that instance. Generally speaking, however, I believe it may be safely assumed,
that with the exception of the Grape-vine, none of the species possess valuable properties. I
have heard that the fruit of one or more species is used in this country for making vinegar, but
as this product of fermentation can be procured from so many vegetable juices this application
can scarcely be viewed an exception to the general rule. -
R emarks on G enisra and Species. The genera of this order, which are few in number,
divide themselves as already observed into two tribes or sub-orders, the Leeaceae and Viniferae!
Of the former Leea is the type, and indeed only certain genus, two others being placed here with a
doubt, but neither natives of India ; the latter is represented by Vitis including Cûswsand Ampélopsis
, which are undistinguishable by any set of marks on which even good sectional differences
m any other order would be established. These therefore, Mr. Brown has very justly proposed
to unite, though in this, he has not been followed by the generality of writers. Cissus
has a 4-lobed calyx, with 4 petals, 4 stamens, and a 4-angled disk. Vitis and Ampélopsis have
each 5 petals and stamens, with some slight differences of habit which may enable a person
conversant with either to distinguish the other, but a Cissus with pentandrous flowers would
at once become an Ampélopsis or Vitis according as it retained the habit of Cissus, or approached
that of Vitis, and a tetrandrous specimen of either of the others, would become a
Cissus. Characters so entirely dependent on number not being admitted in other families,
neither ought they to be in this. The only other genus therefore referable to this section is
Blume ^ Pterisanthes, a Java plant, with quaternary flowers, but otherwise well distinguished
by a foliaceous lobately winged involucrum, with which they are furnished. Blume considers it
intermediate between Cissus and Ampélopsis which it may be, if both are retained.
The discrimination of the species of this order is unquestionably difficult, and if the characters
by which this is attempted, be taken from the foliage, the species so formed will rarely
prove permanent, as there is no end to the variations of form to be met with in the same species
; nor is it easy to say which set of organs afford better characters, hence, to succeed, all
must be laid under contribution as much so as in defining a genus in any other order. On this
principle the specific characters of our Prodromus were constructed, and are I believe the most
perfect so far as they extend (the Peninsular species) yet extant, but even with these, the discrimination
of species from varieties is not always attainable. Subsequent experience, since
preparing that Monagraph of the Peninsular P'itices, has not enabled me to add either new
species or new marks for their more certain determination, on which account, I beg to refer to
at work for all the information I myself possess respecting the species of this order apper-
aining to the Flora of southern India. The plates exhibit a species of each section. This