Tas. 6039. 
BEGON IA HERBACEA. 
Native of Brazil. 
Nat. Ord. BEGONIACEA. 
Genus Begonia, Linn. ; (A. DC. Prodr., vol. xv. pt. 1, p. 278). 
Brconta (Trachelocarpus) herbacea; rhizomate crasso repente apice folioso, 
foliis subsessilibus v. petiolatis confertis elongato-oblanceolatis acumi- 
natis irregulariter denticulato-serratis viridibas basi contractis obtusis 
v. in petiolum angustatis, stipulis ovatis pectinato-ciliatis, floribus 
masculis ad apicem scapi elongati umbellatis, bracteis 2 oppositis con- 
cavis ciliatis, sepalis 2, petalis 0, femineis axillaribus sessilibus— 
3-sepalis, petalis 0, ovario lagenzformi, stigmatibus reniformibus 
apicibus brevibus tortis. 
Beconta herbacea; Vellozo Flor. Flum., vol. x. t. 533 A. DC. Prodr., 
vol. xv. p. 388. ‘ 
B. attenuata, Masters in Gard. Chron., 1873, p. 679, fig. 129 (not of A. DC.) 
This singular species of Begonia belongs to a small and 
very little known Brazilian section of the genus, of which 
there are three supposed species, all very imperfectly de- 
scribed. They differ from their congeners in the moncecious 
inflorescence, on which the male flowers are raised on long 
scapes, and the females are sessile in the axils of the leaves. 
The species here figured is a native of Rio de Janeiro, and 
is published in the ‘Flora Fluminensis,” a work equally 
remarkable for its pretentious character and the badness of 
its execution. The figure it gives of our plant forms no 
exception to this, omitting as it does the stipules, bracts, 
female flowers and all analysis, but being in other respects 
identical and very characteristic as to habit, I have no hesita- 
tion in assuming it to be the plant before me, and hence in 
adopting Vellozo’s name. It is very probable that the other 
species of the section, B. rhizocarpa, Fischer, and B. attenuata, 
A. DC., may prove varieties of it, the former differimg in the 
JUNE Ist, 1873. : 
