Tab. 5472. 



VITIS Bainesit. 



Bainess Gouty Vine. 



Nat. Ord. Am¥elide;e. — Tetrandria Monogynia. 



Gen. Char, (including Cissus, Linn.). Calyx lsevis, integer vel 4~5-dentatus. 

 retala 4-5, libera v. apice calyptratim cohserentia. Discus varius v. obsoletus. 

 Stamina 4-5, infra marginem disci inserta ; anthera liberse. Ovarium ovoideum 

 v. subquadratum, 2-loculare (interdura imperfecte), rarissime 3-4-loculare. 

 Stylus v. brevis, conicus vel subulatus; ovula in loeulis 2. Bacca ovoidea 

 vel globosa, 1-2-locularis ; loeulis 1-2-spermis. — Frutices cirrhosi, sarmentosi, 

 s&pe alte scandentes. Folia simplicia vel composita, rarissime bipinnata, foliolis 

 mtegerrimis serratis v. dentatis nunc pellucido-punctata. Pedunculi oppositifolii 

 v. rarissime axillares, s&pissime versus apices ramulorum siti. Flores parvi, um- 

 oellati, cymosi paniculati racemosi v. spicati, ebracleati, non raro polygami. 

 Renth. et Hook. 



Vitis Bainesii ; succulenta, glauca, trunco ovato carnoso napiformi, ramis sub- 

 spithamseis erectis simplicibus ecirrhosis ; foliis ternatis breviuscule petio- 

 latis (infimis nunc simplicibus), foliolis ovatis oblongisve grosse insequa- 

 liter serratis penniveniis (venis subtus prominentibus), stipulis binis oppo- 

 sitis subulato-lanceolatis, pedunculis terminalibus longitudine caulis, floribils 

 cymosis, pedicellis glandulosis, petalis coheerentibus ealyptrifonmbus vei 

 demum patentibus. 



I believe botanists have generally agreed that Cissus and Vitis 

 constitute but one genus, hardly affording sectional characters. 

 Recent researches in tropical Western Africa have made known 

 to us a remarkable form of this genus, with a very podagrous 

 stem, and short, very succulent leafy branches, of which the Cissus 

 macropus of Angola and Benguella, admirably described by Dr. 

 Welwitsch in the ' Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnasan 

 Society' for September, 1864, p. 77, must be considered the 

 type. The description is prefaced by some admirable remarks 

 on the Ampelidece of the countries just mentioned. " Among the 

 numerous groups of plants," says this accomplished botanist, 

 " which more or less affect the physiognomy of the vegetation of 

 Western Africa, the Ampelidece hold a prominent position. They 

 are interesting also to phytographists, from the fact that the nu- 



october 1st, 1864. 



