[ 1169 ] 



Siaprlia Picta. Painted Stapeiia. 



$ -*- $ * •-*-•# 3iHiMNt * iMNHfr 4 £ 



CA?/J rt«*/ Order. 



PENTANDRIA D I G Y N I A. 



Generic Character. 

 Contorta. Neclar. duplici fteilula tegente genitalia. 



Specific Charatler and Synonyms. 



STAPELIA pitla ; rarnis fimplicibus quadrifuicatis torulofis, 

 corollis femiquinqtiefidis nudis.: laciniis ovato- 

 acuminatis rugofis : annulo orbiculari elevato 

 rugofifjjmo medio depreflb papulofo, neclarii 

 infimi laciniis patentibus apice biiidis. 



STAPELIA pitla. Donn Uort. Cant. p. 53. 



STAPELIA variegata. Jacq. Mifc\ i. p. 27. /. 4. f 



Though nearly s'lied, we believe that this plant and 

 Stape i.i a variegata, No. 27 of this work, are fufficiently 

 uiftincl; but S. variegata of Jacqbtin, above quoted, is pro- 

 bably the fame fpecies with the one here figured. For 

 although there appears to be a confiderable difference in their 

 ftems, yet, in this genus, thefe are fo fubject to vary from 

 age, that characters drawn from them are feldom excellent ; 

 the parts of the flower afford much better, and, of thefc the 

 different forms of the nectaries, though hitherto negleftcd, 

 appear to us by far the bed. 



We long ago (vide No. 585) remarked, that we could not 

 agree with Jacquin and others, in confidering thefe plants 

 as properly belonging to the clafs Decandria ; nor can we 

 aflent to the propriety of removing -them to the clafs Gynan- 

 dria. A perpendicular feftion of the flower of any of the 

 Stapelias, through the centre of the germens, will {hew that 

 the ftamens are fupported entirely upon organs which take 

 their rife from the corolla; and even in thefe cafes where 



they 



