ASCLEPIADEZE. LXII. Cynancuum. 
rona cylindrical, 5-cleft. Follicles oblong, acuminated, tomen- 
tose. Stigma sessile, ovate-oblong, large. 
Scentless-flowered Cynanchum. Shrub twining. 
68 C. ru'scum (Schultes, syst. 6. p. 111.) stem rooting at the 
base, and branched at the apex; leaves cordate-lanceolate, 
small bearded at the base; umbels axillary, twin. 2. 
G. Native of Cochinchina, on old walls, and among ruins. 
Asclépias füásca, Lour. coch. p. 170. Leaves small. Flowers 
brownish purple, small; corona of 5 auricles, without horns. 
Follicles 2, small, subulate, ventricose outside, and flat inside. 
Seeds curved, comose. 
Brown-flowered Cynanchum. PI. creeping. 
69 C. mucrona‘tum (Andr. bot. rep. t. 515.) stems hairy ; 
leaves subcordate, mucronate; umbels interpetiolar, axillary, 
compound ; corollas rotate, greenish purple; segments acute, 
reflexed, twisted. 5 .^. S. Native of Trinidad. Pollen masses 
pendulous. 
Mucronate-leaved Cynanchum. 
Shrub tw. 
70 C. versicoLor (Bunge, in mem. acad. petersb. 2. p. 118.) 
corona simple, bluntly 5-lobed ; segments of corolla ovate, acute, 
downy; umbels axillary, sessile; leaves oblong-ovate, or cor- 
date, acute, downy; stem twining. kh. ^. G. Native of 
China, on mountains, near Lun-zuan-ssy, and Zui-wey-skan. 
Corolla at first greenish, then brown. Nearly allied to C. viri- 
diflórum. 
Parti-coloured-flowered Cynanchum. Pl. twining. 
71 C. atra‘rum (Bunge, l. c. p. 119.) corona simple, bluntly 
5-lobed; corolline segments oblong, emarginate at the apex, 
downy outside; calyxes and pedicels tomentose; umbels axil- 
lary, sessile ; leaves on short petioles, broad-ovate-oblong, acute, 
with undulated edges, densely downy above, tomentose beneath, 
as well as the stems. Y.%.G. Native of China, near Ssi-jui- 
ssy, and Tan-schan. Flowers dark brown. 
Dark-flowered Cynanchum. PI. 1 to 2 feet. 
N.B.—What is C. cirrhosum, Swartz, in cat. hort. Dorp. 1810, 
and Hort. Gorenk. 
Cult. For the culture and propagation of the hardy species, 
see Asclépias, p. 143.; and for that of the tender species see 
Pergularia, p. 133. 
Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1804. 
LXIII. METAPLE'XIS (from pera, meta, with, and zAexo, 
pleco, to fold; in reference to the cucullate leaflets of corona). 
R. Br. in wern. soc. mem. 1. p. 48. 
Lin. syst.  Pentándria, Digynia. Corolla subrotate. Sta- 
mineous corona 5-leaved ; leaflets small, cucullate, alternating 
with the anthers. Anthers terminated by a membrane; pollen 
masses ventricose, pendulous, fixed by their sides. Stigma fur- 
nished with an undivided elongated beak.  Follicles unknown. 
—A twining glabrous subshrub. Leaves cordate, opposite. 
Racemes pedunculate, interpetiolar. Limb of corolla bearded. 
1 M. Staunton (Roem. et Schultes, syst. 6. p. 111.). kh. 
^.G. Native of China, in the province of Peckeley, Sir G. 
Staunton. The only certain species. 
Staunton's Metaplexis. Shrub tw. 
2 M.? mucrona‘ta (Spreng. neuw. entd. 1. p. 269. syst. 1. 
p. 854.) leaves subcordate-oblong, mucronate, glaucous, gla- 
brous; peduncles umbellately 6-flowered, shorter than the 
petioles. h. ^. S. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 
Ascl. mucronàta, Thunb. Corolla urceolate, white inside ; teeth 
alternating with the pollen masses, which are cream-coloured 
and oblong, united under the plicee of the column into a fulvous 
heap. 
Meenas dese Metaplexis. Shrub tw. 
Cult. See Pergulària, p. 133. for culture and propagation. 
LXIII. Merartexis. 155 
$$. Gynostegium appendiculate. 
series; each series with a distinct insertion. 
without scales. 
LXIV. DITA'SSA (from vc, dis, double, and raeccw, tasso, 
to dispose ; in reference to the double corona). R. Br. in mem. 
wern. soc. 1. p. 49. Mart. nov. gen. bras. 1. p. 51. 
Lin. syst. Pentándria, Digy'nia. Corolla subrotate. Sta- 
mineous corona double : outer one 5-parted; the segments acu- 
minated; inner one 5-leaved, shorter, opposite the exterior ones 
and anthers. Anthers terminated by a membrane; pollen 
masses ventricose, fixed beneath their apexes, pendulous. Stigma 
ending in an obtuse point. Follicles smooth ?—T'wining, gla- 
brous shrubs, natives of Brazil. Leaves opposite, flat. Umbels 
interpetiolar. 
1 Ba/wxsu (Roem. et Schultes, syst. 6. p. 112.) glabrous ; 
leaves flat; flowers umbellate. ^.^. S. Native of Brazil, 
near Rio Janeiro, where it was collected by Sir Joseph Banks. 
Banks’s Ditassa. Shrub tw. 
2 D. vecussa‘ra (Mart. nov, gen. bras. 1. p. 51. t. 31. f. 1.) 
shrubby, erect; leaves sessile, approximate, ovate-cordate, with 
reflexed sides, inversely navicular, wrinkled, hairy ; peduncles 
many-flowered; flowers subcymose. 5. S. Native of Brazil, 
in the diamond district of the province of Minas Geraes, in 
rugged mountainous places, at Lavras da Pindaiba. Stem vil- 
lous. Corolla whitish green outside. 
Decussate-leaved Ditassa. Shrub erect. 
3 D. mucrona‘ta (Mart. l. c. p. 52. t. 31. f. 2.) frutescent ; 
stem twining ; branches usually erect; leaves ovate-lanceolate, 
downy, on short petioles, bluntish, but mucronate, with reflexed 
edges; flowers umbellate, larger than those of the preceding 
species. h.^.S. Native of Brazil, in the province of Minas 
Geraes, on hills at Morro de Villa Rica. 
Mucronate-leaved Ditassa. Shrub tw. 
4 D. rassEeniNOlpzs (Mart. l. c. p. 53.) frutescent, erect ; 
leaves cordate at the base, ovate-lanceolate, acute, quite entire, 
almost sessile, approximate, with reflexed edges; umbels few- 
flowered. h. S. Native of Brazil, on the alps in the diamond 
district of the province of Minas Geraes. Very like D. decus- 
sata, and probably only a variety of it. 
Passerina-like Ditassa. Shrub erect. 
5 D. AcEROsA (Mart. l. c.) frutescent, erect; leaves linear, 
somewhat acerose, sometimes 3-4 in a whorl, villous ; flowers 
umbellate. h. S. Native of Brazil, on mount Itambe da 
Villa do Principe. 
Acerose-leaved Ditassa. Shrub erect. 
6 D. rz vis (Mart. 1. c.) frutescent, nearly erect ; branches 
loose; leaves on short petioles, linear-lanceolate, mucronate, flat, 
glabrous on both surfaces; umbels many-flowered ; peduncles 
shorter than the flowers. kh. S. Native of Brazil, on the 
ascent to mount Itambe, in the province of Minas Geraes. 
Smooth Ditassa. Shrub erect. 
7 D. rixEA'nIs (Mart. l. c.) suffrutescent, twining ; leaves on 
short petioles, linear, acute, mucronate, flat, glabrous on both 
surfaces ; umbels few-flowered ; pedicels equal to the flowers. 
5.^.S8. Native of Brazil, in Morro de Villa Rica. Flowers 
larger than any of its congeners. 
Linear-leaved Ditassa. Shrub tw. 
8 D. retv'sa (Mart. l.c.) frutescent, twining; leaves petio- 
late, obovate-lanceolate, retuse, mucronate, glabrous, with flat 
edges; flowers umbellate. h. ^. S. Native of Brazil, in 
the province of Minas Geraes, on the ascent to Serra do 
Caraca. 
Retuse-leaved Ditassa. Shrub tw. 
9 D. oscorpa`ra (Mart. l. c.) frutescent, twining ; leaves pe- 
tiolate, ovate-roundish, reflexed, complicate, glabrous on both 
x 2 
LXIV. Drrassa. 
Corona compound, in 2-8 
Throat of corolla 
