pendulous from an ascending parietal spermophore in the central angle of the cell; style terminal,
simple; stigma undivided, capitate or bifid. Fruit either capsular of 2-4, or rarely 6,
one-seeded oocci, separating at maturity, or drupaceous, I-2-celled. Seeds erect, axalbuminous •
embryo straight, cotyledons thick, oily; radicle inferior, short.—Herbs, shrubs, or large trees,
sometimes scandent, often furnished with resinous glands, thence aromatic or fetid : ramuli 4-sided'.
Leaves opposite, whorld or alternate, simple or pinnate, incised, divided or digitate; stipules
none. Inflorescence either indefinite (centripetal), racemoso-spicate, capitate or definite (centrifugal)
di- or trichotomously cymose; cymes axillary or forming terminal panicles. Calyx and
bracts often coloured, enlarging with the fruit. Corolla variously coloured, white, red, blue,
yellow; often small and inconspicuous.
This, as it now stands, is a large and heterogeneous order, which, it is my impression, will
yet be split into several. For the present, Schauer distributes it under the following tribes:
Tribe I. V e e b e n e ,®. Inflorescence indefinite, racemose, spicate or capitate. Ovules erect
from the base of the cell, anatropous.—Herbs or shrubs, very rarely trees. Leaves simple, often
cut, but never compound. '
Tribe II. Vitk.k. Inflorescence definite, di-trichotomously-cymose; cymes axillary or
collected into a compound panicle. Ovules inserted about the base of the cell, on the central
angle, pendulous, amphitropous or sub-anatropous.—Trees or shrubs, very rarely herbs. Leaves
simple or digitate.
Tribe I I I , A v ic e n n i e ®. Inflorescence capitate or spicate, centripetal. Flowers sessile,
opposite; each supported by a bractea and two imbricated scale-like bracteoles. Ovary 2-celled
with 2 ovules in each, pendulous from the apex of the central angle, amphitropous. Capsule
coriaceous, indehiscent, with the embryo germinating within the pericarp, at length bursting
forth. Tropical trees inhabiting salt swamps along with RMssophorce and Mgicerce.
A f f in i t i e s . Each of the above tribes, while certainly more nearly allied to each other
than to other families, seem to claim for themselves a different set of affinities. The first, as
here arranged between B<yrraginece and Labiatece, seem to occupy the most suitable place
that could be assigned to them, for the relationship between them and Labiatece is certainly
near but still they can scarcely be comfounded, They also approach HeUotropieoe of Borra-
'jlnea', but scarcely so nearly. The Vi/cie. excluding Symphoremece, on the other hand, recede
from Labiate* and Borrage* in their arboreous habit, but nearly approach both Cordiece and
Ehretiece, in that, and also in their ovary, fruit, and seed, but widely depart from them in the
characters of their flowers. Through these (their flowers), added to their spuriously 2-celled
ovary, exalbuminous seed, and opposite (often compound) leaves, they approach the Bignonal
Group. And lastly, AvicennecB is allied both by habit and structure to Rhixophorece, on the
one Side, and Myoporacece on the other; so nearly indeed to the last, that Mr. Brown has in his
Prodromes referred it to that family. Symphoremetx associate, by their ovarial structure and
solitary seed, with Avicennese, but depart from them in the structure of their seed and scandent
habit. Their more remote affinities are unknown to me. If these views are even approximations
to the truth, it follows that this large order is about as complex in its affinities, as
it is heterogeneous in its species.
G e o g r a p h ic a l D i s t r ib u t io n . The order Verbenacece, as a whole* is abundant within
the tropics of both hemispheres; Verbenece predominate in America, Viteos in Asia. A few
are found in Africa and Australia, aud a very few in Europe. Single species are found distributed
over vast tracts of country, especially in America. Some are natives of both America
and Southern Africa, a few are cosmopolite ( Verbena officinalis and Lippia nodiflora) in warmer
and temperate regions all round the world. Avicennece are natives of salt marshes within the
tropics of both hemispheres.
^Pr o p e r t ie s a n d U s e s . With, the exception of the timber, of perhaps two or three
species, the Teak ( Tectona grandis) and Viteoo arborea^ and some others, the benefits derived
by man from this family are of very secondary value. As medicinal agents several are
employed in domestic practice but not one, so far as I am aware, in the practice of the
Physician. Nearly all the species of Premna exhale a heavy most disagreeable musky smell,
when bruised, and so do some if not all the Vitices—F. negundo and trifoliata certainly do—
and on that account are often dried and mixed with cloths or put between the leaves of books
to prevent attacks of Insects. The Natives hold the leaves of both in considerable esteem as
medicinal agents, and prescribe them in various forms, but I suspect faith in these supposed
properties has often more effect than any active property they possess.
The timber of the Tectona grandis is about the most highly esteemed of any in India;
that of nearly all other trees is spoken of as Jungle-wood, and inferior. Time does not now
permit, otherwise some remarks might have been offered on the subject of the preservation
of the Teak forests and the recent fearful waste and destruction of that valuable, 1 had almost
said invaluable, tree in all our teak forests, without a single step being taken either to keep
up the stock or preserve young trees from the ruthless hands of contractors and others licensed
to cut Teak timber. Measures are now, I believe, in progress to arrest the ruinous destruction
that has for some years been going on, and it is to be hoped the Directors will succeed in their
object, as otherwise the stock in hand will soon be exhausted. Griffith’s Hemigymnia, is
described as attaining dimensions nearly equal to the Teak, and yielding timber of great
strength and elasticity, but it does not seem to have such an extensive range, and possibly if
attempted to be propagated elsewhere would not succeed. Plants so local as it appears to be,
and so limited in their geographical range, being generally difficult of propagation.
R em a r k s on G e n e r a a n d S p e c ie s . For the reasons stated above, my observations under
this head, must unavoidably be brief, indeed almost confined to the subtribe SymphoremecB, which,
owing to my set being very complete and Walpers’ account of them imperfect, I was induced
to scrutinize with considerable care. The result of that examination I published in the leones,
in which I have given figures of 10 species ; Schauer’s list extends only to seven. A more
recent examination of the ovary has induced me somewhat to alter my views of its structure.
In the following remarks it is said to approach Myrsineacece. This is not exactly the case, as
I now find it is distinctly 2-celled, but with the partitions so thin that, in14 a vertical section, they
are easily torn and apt to be overlooked unless expressly looked for, giving the appearance of
an erect central placentiferous axis, from the apex of which the ovules are suspended. The
ovary is however correctly described by Schauer as 2-celled (except at the apex) with 2 collateral
ovules in each, pendulous from the apex, They are exactly as in AvicennecB, not amphitropous
but rather anatropous and, as in Avicennece, only one is fecundated. These striking agreements
between the two groups of plants led me then to suggest the elevation of SymphoremecB
to the rank of a distinct tribe, in place of retaining it as a subtribe of Vitece, a view which
my more recent; examination has greatly tended to confirm.
The difference of the inflorescence and flowers, and general habit, stand as an almost
insuperable obstacle in the way of its association with Avicennece as an order. On the genus
Avicennia I at the same time offered some remarks bearing on the discrimination of 2 species
figured in the leones; these also I introduce here in connexion with the remarks on Sym-
phoremeae. Beyond these, nothing occurs to me demanding notice, having already referred
to the discrepancies of Gmelina; Schauer’s Monograph being, so far as I can judge, generally
so perfect as to leave little to be desired.
SXMPHOREME-SS.
This small group of plants, brought together as a subtribe
of ViticecB, ought, it appears to me, to constitute
the type of a tribe, or even a separate order, allied to,
but distinct from, Verbenaceib,. differing as they do from
the rest of the order in the inflorescence, the ovary,
the placentation, and the seed. It is thus defined by
Schauer, in DC.’s Prod.:
“Sub-tribe S ymphoreme®, cymes contracted glomerate,
few-flowered; involucrate. Corolla regular or bilabiate.
Stamens 4-5, or indefinite. Capsule coriaceous,
indehiscent, 1-seeded by abortion.—Flowering shrubs
with simple leaves.”
T his definition, so far as it goes, seems correct. The
cymes might, perhaps, with equal or greater propriety
have been called simple umbels, and, having an involucre,
they convey the idea of an umbel, rather than
that of a cyme. The involucre itself, constitutes a
peculiar feature, erroneously described in the generic
character of Symphorema as “6-8-phyllum,” but correctly
in the description of the species, as being composed
of 2 bracts and two bracteoles to each. Such is