46 MB. O. BENTHAM OK MEXISPERMACEJS. 



by most authors referred either to Cissampelos or to Cocculus. The 

 former genus is so easily recognized in its male flowers, aB well as 

 in the female flowers or fruit, that it remains almost undisturbed 

 within its own limits, although much reduced as to species ; for 

 Hooker and Thomson have shown that one tropical plant, com- 

 mon to the three great continents, has so wide a range and appears 

 so variable in the fragmentary state we often find it in our collec- 

 tions, that it represents nearly half the published species of the 

 genus. With regard to the Cocculi, Miers has pointed out differ- 

 ences in the structure of the seed, which, although not always 

 accompanied by tangible differences in the male flowers, appear 

 to be too important to be neglected in the circumscription of 

 genera ; and it is probable that, when better known, the group SO 

 characterized may be recognized by habit or other peculiarities. 

 The same author had, however, unfortunately referred a ripe 

 fruiting specimen of Cocculus doming ensis, DC, to flowering spe- 

 cimens oi Abuta, instead of to those of Hyperbcena ; and Grisebach, 

 in attempting to clear up this confusion, whilst he well distin- 

 guished Abuta in a note published in v. iii. p. 108 of this Journal, 

 has, in his ' West Indian Flora,' overlooked the fact that the fruit 

 of both the species he retains in Cocculus had been sufficiently de- 

 scribed by Miers or by Poeppig, to be removed from that genus as 

 characterized by him. Again, a female specimen in Seemann's col- 

 lection referred (Bot. Her. p. 76) to a male Abuta (although with 

 hesitation on Miers' part) as the BatscMa racemosa of Thunberg, 

 proves to belong to a very different natural order, and Triana, 

 from some memoranda in the Hookerian Herbarium, does not 

 admit that even Seemann's male specimen is that of Thunberg's 

 BatscMa, which he recognizes in a different-looking female speci- 

 men of his own, deposited in the same herbarium. To me, how- 

 ever, it appears that Seemann's male and Triana's female belong to 

 one species of Abuta, and that, as far as we can judge from de- 

 scriptions, BatscMa racemosa, Thunb. is the same. 



The American tropical cocculoid Menispermacese, sufficiently 

 known to be generically determined, may be classed as follows : — 



1. Chondodendron, Buiz et Pav. Habit, inflorescence, straight 

 fruit and albuminous seed of Tinospora, but with monadelphoua 

 stamens. 



2. Anomospebmtjm, Miers. Petals succulent, forming a flat 

 triangular, areolated disk, each compartment enclosing its stamen. 

 .Fruit and seed straight. Albumen very much ruminate. 



3. Abuta, Aubl. Petalless flowers, horseshoe seeds with a very 



