Tab. 5492. 



MORENIA FRAGRANS. 



Fragrant Morenia. 



Nat. Ord. Palm.e. — Dicecia Hexandria. 



Gen. Char. Flores dioici in spadicibus ramosissimis, spathis pluribus basilari- 

 bus, apice apertis cinctis, sessilibus, ebracteati. Masc. : Calyx cupularis, triden- 

 ticulatus. Corolla tripetala; petalis carnosulis, late ovatis, asstivatione valvatis. 

 Stamina 6, e fundo corollas; filamenta filiformia; anthera oblongs, basifixaj. 

 Ovarii rudimentum. Fcem. t Calyx cupularis, tridentatus. Corolla gamopetala, 

 rotato-campanulata, tubo brevi, Umbi trilobi laciniis ovatis acutiusculis, restiva- 

 tione valvatis. Staminum rudimenta 6. Ovarium ovato-subglobosum, trilocu- 

 lare. Stigmata 3, sessilia, deltoidea. Bacca monosperma, parce carnosa. Al- 

 bumen aequabile, corneum. Embryo supra basim dorsalis. — Paluia? Peruana, ru- 

 picola; caudice tenero arundinaceo, annulato ; frondibus terminalibus, pinnatis ; 

 Tpinnis planis, aut leviter reduplicatis, inermibus,lcevigatis,glabris; spadicibus infra 

 comam verticillatis, simpliciter ramosis ; spathis membranaceis, primum spadicis 

 ramos omnino obtegentibus, tandem in pedunculo persistentibus ; floribus albis v.fia- 

 vidis ; baccis olivaformibus, viridibus. Endl. 



Morenia fragrans; caudice arundinaceo subsexpedali gracili, frondibus ovatis 

 obtusis sublonge petiolatis, petiolo basi longe vaginante, pinnis pedalibus 

 anguste lanceolatis acuminatis planis elevatim venosis iiiermibus, pedunculis 

 aggregatis copiose spathaceis, spatha suprema seu florali longe rostrata, spa- 

 dice nutante pedali ramosa alba. 



Morenia fragrans. Ruiz et Pav. Ft. Per. et CM. Prodr. p. 152. t. 32. Syst. 

 Veget. Fl. Per. et Chil.p. 292. Mart. Palm. v. 3. p. 162. 



Morenia Lindeniana. Herm. Wendl. in Herb, nostr. 



Cham^edorea Lindeniana. Wendl. Index Palmarum, 1854, 60. 



The genus Morenia, next of kin to Chamcedorea, Willd., was 

 established by Ruiz and Pavon in 1794, on a small graceful 

 Peruvian Palm ; and the only species known to those authors 

 was the M. fragrans. To this Martius added a second species, 

 M. Pceppigiana, figured in Mart. Palm, at tt. 140, 141, and 

 which so far resembles our plant, that if I had been uninfluenced 

 by any other authority, I should have been disposed to consi- 

 der the two the same. He described it as scarcely differing 

 from M. fragrans, except in the "taller caudex and inodorous 



FEBRUARY 1ST, 1865. 



