ON SOUTH-AMERICAN APOCYNACE.E. 33 
significant fact determines the nature of the pulpy substance that partially envelops the 
seeds in all the ZTabernemontanee, and which has been erroneously regarded as an 
arillus. 
PescHIERA, A. DC.: Tabernemontana (in parte) auct.: Sepala 5, subimbricata, subparva, seepius lanceo- 
lata, submembranacea, intus squamula basali plurilacinulata munitis: corolla hypocrateriformis ; 
tubus anguste cylindricus, imo paullo inflatus et staminigerus ` segmenta dolabriformia tubo triplo 
breviora, «estivatione simpliciter sinistrorsum convoluta. Stamina gracilime elongata; filamenta 
tenuia, circa basin tubi inserta; anthere conniventes, fere libere, apice cuspidate, imo tenuiter 
biaristate. Discus nullus. Ovaria 2, oblonga, usque ad basin libera. Stylus brevis, filiformis : 
clavuncula incrassata, cylindrice 5-angulata, apice breviter 5-dentata, glandulis 10 linearibus signata, 
basi membrana lacerata suffulta. Stigmata 2, terminalia, breviter subulata. Folliculi 2, divaricati, 
ovati vel oblongi, rarius rostrati, undique crebre muricati, vel aspere granosi, sutura ventrali late 
hiantes, sutura utrinque inflexa et placentifera. Semina plurima, compresse obovata, dorso parallele 
costata, ventre profunde canaliculata, marginibus elevatis sensim evanescentibus, et medium versus 
hilo oblongo signato, superne planata et chalaza parva fusca notata: testa pergaminea: integumen- 
tum internum tenuissimum, coalitum. Albumen conforme, carnoso-corneum. Embryo heterotropus, 
zquilongus: cotyledones 2, ovati, tenuissime foliacei, adpressi; radicula supera, equilonga, teres, 
obtusa. Funiculus crassus, molliter carnosus, coloratus, testa duplo longior, hinc ad placentam 
ligatus, illinc ad hilum affixus, et hoc modo semina laxata, mox in are biserialiter suspensa. 
Suffrutices Americe intertropice, debiles, ramosi ; ramuli teretes, dichotomi, ad nodos annulati : folia 
elliptica vel lanceolata, breviter petiolata; panicule subavillares, sepius multidivise, rarius de- 
pauperate ; flores submediocres, albi, aut sepius flavi. 
1. PESCHIERA ECHINATA, A. DC. viii. 360: Tabernemontana echinata, Aubl. Pl. Guian. i. 263, tab. 103. 
In Guiana (non vidi). 
A small lactescent tree, with several erect stems 4-5 feet long, with slender di- 
chotomous branches, annulated where the leaves have fallen off; opposite elliptic 
leaves, acute at the base, subacuminated, with undulated margins, green above, glabrous, 
with about 16 pairs of approximated ascending nerves, below covered with a slight 
white tomentum, 63 in. long, 23 in. broad, on petioles 2 lines long, conjoined across the 
node by a transverse ridge; panicles in the terminal axils, 2 in. long; peduncles as 
long as the petioles, bearing about 6 flowers on bracteolated pedicels 2-3 lines long ; 
sepals acute, 2 lines long; tube of corolla 4 lines long, with shorter segments, all spotted 
with red; stamens inserted near the base of the tube on a pubescent ring; 2 small 
divaricated subreniform follicles densely muricated, ¿ in. long, 3 in. broad. 
2. PESCHIERA HYSTRIX, A. DC. Prodr. viii. 360: Tabernemontana hystrix, Steud. Nom. p. 658: Taberne- 
montana echinata, Vell. (non Aubl.) Fl. Flum. p. 105; Ie. iii. tab. 17: Tabernemontana bracteo- 
laris, Müll. Fl. Bras. fasc. 26, p. 83; op. cit. fasc. 40, p. 184, tab. 54. fig. 3. In prov. Rio de Janeiro: 
v. v. et sicc. in hb. meo (n. 2971), in flore ad Engenho d'agua, circa Lago de Jacarepaguá. 
This specimen corresponds with the drawing of Velloz, who found the plant in about 
the same locality, near the southern shore of the metropolitan province. The branchlets 
are thick, fistulous, rugously striated, pale and opake, the lower portions, where the 
leaves have fallen off, being annulated at the axils, which are about 3 in. apart: the 
leaves are elliptic-oblong, somewhat acute at the base, obtuse towards the summit, with 
F 
