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BOTANY OF CONGO.

bably, however, had not the means of ascertaining all their distinguishing characters, and therefore preferred leaving the order nearly as it was originally proposed by Bernard de Jussieu in 1759.

One of the orders included in Terebintaceæ, and which is proposed by M. de Jussieu himself, under the name of Cassuviæ, consists of Anacardium, Semecarpus, Mangifera, Rhus, and Buchanania, with some other unpublished genera.

The perigynous insertion of stamina in Cassuviæ (or Anacardeæ) may be admitted in doubtful cases from analogy, there being an unpublished genus belonging to it even with ovarium inferum. And the ovarium, though in all cases of one cell, with a single ovulum, may, at least in those genera in which the style is divided, be supposed to unite in its substance the imperfect ovaria indicated by the branches of the style, and which in Buchanania are actually distinct from the complete organ. The only plant belonging to this order in the herbarium, is a species of Rhus, with simple verticillate leaves, and very nearly approaching in habit to two unpublished species of the genus from the Cape of Good Hope.


AMYRIDEÆ, another family included in Terebintaceæ, and to which the greater part of Jussieu's second section belongs, may, like the former order, be considered as having in all cases perigynous insertion of stamina; this structure being manifest in some of its genera. Of Amyrideæ, there are two plants in the collection. The first of these is a male plant, probably of a species of Sorindeia;[1] the second, which is the Safu of the natives, by whom it is cultivated on account of its fruit, cannot be determined from the imperfect state of the specimens; it is, however, probably related to Poupartia or Bursera.


CONNARACEÆ, is a third family which I propose to separate from Terebintaceæ; it consists of Connarus Linn. Cuestis Juss. and Rourea of Aublet or Robergia of Schre-

  1. Aubert du Petit Thouars, nov. gen. Madagas. n. 80.