to the Horticultural Society of London, as recorded in the ‘ Gar- 
deners’ Chronicle’ for 1847, p. 685. The plant is there rightly 
referred by Dr. Lindley to the Basella tuberosa, H. B. K., a “ native 
of the cool regions of Popayan and Pasto ;” but that able botanist, 
seeing at once the distinguishing characters, constituted of it anew 
genus, Melloca, the tubers being largely consumed by the Indian 
population under the name of “ Welloco.” It had, however, been 
previously described, as early as 1809, under the name of Ud/ucus. 
M. Louis Vilmorin gave a very interesting account of his attempts 
to cultivate this plant in France,* and he remarked a curious 
phenomenon, in the plant’s throwing out thread-like branches, 
which run over the plants or on the ground, and enter the soil to 
develope themselves into tubers. The largest of our tubers are 
about the size of a hasel-nut, of a rich yellowish colour and firm 
waxy texture. Mr. Pentland describes this plant as cultivated 
throughout the elevated regions of the Andes of Peru and Bo- 
livia (11,000-13,000 feet) under the name of “Oca quina.” The 
tubers are chiefly used by the Indians in the preparation of 
“ Chuno,” by alternately freezing them and steeping, by which they 
are changed into an amylaceous substance. 
Descr. Root fibrous, annual; but bearing, as does the Potato, 
numerous fleshy, yellow, firm éwéers, varying in size from that of 
a pea to a good-sized hasel-nut. Stems prostrate, one to two feet 
long, procumbent, or ascending rather than scandent, and with 
a disposition to twine, moderately branched, glabrous, as is the 
whole plant: stem and dranches rooting here and there, thick, 
succulent, watery, brittle, very angular, red, streaked with yellow. 
Leaves alternate on long petioles, cordate-reniform, acute, veined, 
entire, penninerved, somewhat fleshy, glossy: petioles longer 
than the leaves, thick, grooved, almost winged at the margin and 
there red. Peduncles about as long as the petiole, axillary, soli- 
tary, with a long setaceous bractea at the base, bearing flowers in 
a raceme from below the middle to the apex. Pedicels about a 
line long, red, subtended by subulate dracteas about their own 
length. oral bracteas (outer calyx of Moquin) two, large, op- 
posite, red, orbicular, membranaceous lobes, green in the lower 
half, which is united to the perianth. Sepals five, membrana- 
ceous, yellow, glossy, spreading, cordato-ovate, tapering into a 
long, subulate, flexuose tail. Stamens five, small, yellow; fila- 
ments very short, subulate, united at the base into a ring, which 
combines with the five sepals; anthers of two cup-shaped cells, 
each opening bya pore at the top. Ovary obovato-globose, green. 
Style short, green. Stigma obtuse. The fruit I have not seen. 
All our flowers prove abortive. W. J. H. 
* See ‘ Gardeners’ Chronicle,’ 1848, p. $28. 
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