258 M. CORKEA DE MELLO 0>' SOME BRAZILIA^'^ PLAXTS. 



-which compose the ovary in this plant are very much intruded,^ 

 and meet in the centre of the ovary, but are not consolidated and 

 do not cohere with each other excepting close to the base of the 

 ovary. Each of these margins bears 3 pendulous and compressed 

 ovules (G in each false-cell). The seeds, large, orbicular, flat, 

 and bordered by a narrow membrano-suberos^ margin and im- 

 bricate one over the other, are pendulous, not from a trigo- 

 nous axis, but from the margins of the carpels, which have 

 become thick and fleshy, and with the ripening of the fruit have 

 withdrawn from each other, being contiguous and adherent only 

 close to their base. 



The genus Anisosperma^ Manso, whose typical and only species 

 is the A. passiflora^ Manso {FeviUea passijlora^ Velh Fl. Flum. x. 

 1. 101), is an excellent genus ; the name, however, is bad ; for it is 

 founded on an anomaly in the fruit examined by Manso, which 

 contained in one of the cells nine seeds, and in each of the two 

 others one large seed, which filled the whole cell, whereas in 

 one of these fruits lately examined there were eight seeds m 

 each cell. As, however, the name does not clash with any other, 

 and as, moreover, it is possible that the above anomaly may be 

 frequent, I see no inconvenience resulting from the use of the 

 name, nor any need of substituting any other for it. The prin- 

 cipal characters of the plant are the following : — - 



F/orei^ dioici, racemosi. Fl. c?« Calyx 5-fidus, externa pallidissime 

 vireiis et sparsim pubescens, basi liemisi)haericus5 lobi ovato-oblongij 

 erecto-pateutes, incurvi, leviter concavi, membranacei, obtusi, mtus 

 concolores glabri. Corollce petala 5, alba Isevissime virentia, linean- 

 lauceolata, per | altitudinis suae erecto-patentia, dein subito centrum 

 floris versus incurva, basi latiora carnosula et cuneiformia, apice 

 acumine acute terminata (3 in apicem gradatiui attenuata, 2 sub apice 

 abrupte contracta), in parte superiore menibranacea, in fundo calycis 

 inserta, et basi cum illo ita connata ut nonnisi laceratione separanda. 

 Stamina 5, libera, in fundo calycis inserta et cum petalis alternantia; 

 filamenta albida^ brevia, teretia, basi crassiuscula approxiraataque, apice 

 divergentia ; antherse elliptico-oblongae, introrsum adnatse, utrmque 

 obtusse, sulco unico longitudinali percursae, ibidemque debiscentes 

 pollen ex utroque loculo emittentes ; connectivum cum filamenti 

 parte superiore continuum, crassum, plano-convexura, loculos ante 

 dehiscentiam non excedentem et vix post pollen emissum eos su- 

 perans, intra antheram longitudinaliter penetrans et in loculos 2 di- 

 videns more antherarum Fevillece cordifoU(e,\e\l., et generis Cannee; 

 poUinis granuhc oblong:c. Ovarii rudinientum ct discus desunt. 



