Philesiee ; but Dr. Hooker, in his Flora Antarctica, vol. ii. 
p. 355, considers that, along with Callivene, it naturally ranks 
with Smilacee: an opinion which is strengthened by the fact 
that, as related by Ruiz and Pavon, the roots are used by the 
Chilenos as a substitute for Sarsaparilla (Smilax Sarsaparilla). 
The large oblong, pulpy berry, which we have not seen, is 
prized as an esculent fruit, having a sweet and most agreeable 
flavour. The genus was named in compliment to Joséphine 
Lapagerie, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, who rendered great 
services to Botany by the cultivation of exotic plants in the 
beautiful gardens of Malmaison, and by the encouragement she 
gave to works on Botany. 
Descr. Stem many feet in length, climbing, terete, branched, 
naked below, here and there scaly. Leaves petiolate, ovato- 
lanceolate, coriaceous, glossy, acuminate, five-nerved and reti- 
culated. Peduncles axillary and solitary, longer than the pe- 
tioles, bearing a single, handsome, lily-like pendulous flower, 
of a deep red-rose-colour, internally especially spotted with 
white. * Outer sepals spathulate, with a gibbosity at the base, 
inner ones resembling them, but broader and more spotted. 
Stamen and style shorter than the perianth. W..J. H. 
Curr. Our knowledge as regards the culture of this plant is 
very limited. It is now rather more than two years since we 
received it from Chili, but owing to the circumstance of the 
roots having been injured in removing the plant from its native 
locality, and also to their monocotyledonous nature, they have 
continued to die back, and the plant has not yet shown 
symptoms of making a new growth. But judging from analogy 
there can be no doubt that this singular and beautiful plant, 
when once established, will prove to be of easy cultivation. Its 
habit is that of some species of Smilax, or rather more like 
fiustrephus and Geitonoplesium, the species of which are well 
known to be robust climbing plants in the greenhouse. Lapa- 
geria being a native of Chili, it may be expected to prove 
tolerably hardy ; but it is safest to keep it in the greenhouse 
till its nature is better known, which can only be learned by 
experience. J. 
