Tad. G938. 



OX ERA PULCHELLA. 



Native of New Caledonia. 



Nat. Ord. Verbenace.e. — Tribe Vitice.e. 

 Genus Oxera, LabilL; (Benlh. et Hook.f. Gen. PI. vol. ii. p. 1155.) 



Ox era pulckella ; frutex glaberrimus scandens, ramis teretibus, foliis oppositis 

 breviter petiolatis oblongiy v. ovato- v. oblongo-lanceolatis obtusis v. acutis 

 integerrimis v. grosse erenatis basi acutis v. obtusis, cymlt axillaribus multi- 

 floris, floribus gracile pedicellatis pendulis, sepalis ellipticis acutis punctatis 

 pallide viridibns trinerviis, corolla 2-pollicari alba infundibulari carapanulata 

 lobis latp oblongis, staminibns longe exsertis, ovario 4-lobo disco crasso inserto, 

 staminodiis brevibus nliformibus. 



Oxera pulchella, Lahill. Sertum Austro-Calednn. p. 23, t. 28; ScJtctuer in DC. 

 Prodr. vol. xi. p. 676; Fenzl in Dcnlsh. Naturf. Vcrxamml. Berickt., 1843, 

 t. 2, 3 ; Boquill Rev. Verhen. p. 124, t. 19, and in Adun.soniu, vol. ii. p. 294, 

 and vol. iii. p. 220; Vieillard in Bull. Bot. Soc. Nurmand. vol. vii. p. 98. 



Oncoma pulchellum, Spreng, Syst. Veg., Cur. Post. 18. 



This very handsome climber is the type of Labillardiere's 

 genus Oxera, discovered in New Caledonia during the 

 Voyage a la Recherche de La Perouse, and well described 

 and figured in that author's " Sertum Austro-Caledonige." 

 For many years it was the only species of the genus known 

 to exist, but the late French botanical explorations of their 

 penal settlement in the Pacific, have added nine others. 

 The genus is closely allied to Clerodendron, of the climbing 

 species of which it has the habit, but differs in having only 

 two stamens and a deeply-divided drupe. The genus is 

 confined to New Caledonia. 0. pulchella was flowered by 

 Sir George McLeay, K.C.M.G., in his fine garden at Pendell 

 Court, Bletchingley, Surrey, in December of last year, and 

 he kindly forwarded to Kew the specimen from which the 

 accompanying drawing was made. 



Desob. A woody climber, quite glabrous ; branches 

 slender, terete, smooth. Leaves two to five inches long, 

 opposite, petioled, bright green, upper on the branches 

 oblong obtuse or subacute, lower larger, oblong-lanceolate, 

 obtusely acuminate, quite entire or with broad shallow 



juke 1st, 1887. 



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