Petals five, oval, concave., white. Stamens numerous. 

 Filaments flexuose, with a thickened or dilated extremity, 

 at the top of which are the two transverse cells, opening 

 above by a longitudinal fissure. Pistil one : Germen ob- 

 lique, gibbous, subovate, gradually tapering upwards into 

 a filiform style, and containing 9 — 11 abortive (?) ovules 

 at the base of the cell : Stigma dilated. Fruit (in dried 

 specimens from Pulo Penang) an ovato-acuminate gla- 

 brous follicle, opening on one side, and containing one 

 globose, dark -brown seed, surrounded by a beautiful, white, 

 cup-shaped, fringed arillus. 



For the introduction of this little-known plant to Britain, 

 we are indebted to Dr. Wallich, who sent seeds of it to 

 Bretton Hall, whence the specimen here figured was oblig- 

 ingly communicated in November, 1830. It is a native of 

 China, whence I have received dried specimens from my 

 valued friend Charles Millett, Esq., of Ceylon and Mala- 

 bar, and I possess the same species from the Horticultural 

 Society of London, gathered in Prince of Wales's Island, 

 differing only in the fruit being slightly pubescent. The 

 Delima nitida of the New World, which I have received both 

 from Mr. Parker, gathered in Demerara, and from Mr. 

 Lockhart, gathered in Trinidad, very much resembles this, 

 but its leaves are less rough, and the style is much shorter: 

 or this latter may be the D. hebecarpa, which appears to me 

 to differ only in the downy fruit from the D. sarmentosa. 



Again the Tetracera multijlora, D C. is closely allied to our 

 plant, and at any rate should, I think, be placed in the same Genus ; 

 for the pistil is solitary : and although the flowers were unknown 

 to De Candolle, they are figured in De Lessert's Icones; and 

 the whole representation has the most perfect accordance with 

 the present individual. 



Burman tells us, upon the authority of Hermann, that the 

 plant is called Koroswel by the Cingalese, which signifies to 

 polish, and that the rigid and scabrous leaves are used for that 

 purpose. Lotjreiro says the same of his Act*;a aspera, which 

 grows about Canton, nor is his description of it much at variance 

 with specimens which we have from the same country; so that 

 I am rather inclined to reduce that plant, as a synonym to 

 D. sarmentosa. De Candolle has of that (and the same author's 

 closely allied Calligonum asperum) constituted the Genus 

 Trachytella, on account of the berried, many-seeded fruit; 

 but Loureiro expressly says, that he had not noticed the form 

 of the seeds. In our plant, in which are probably abortive ger- 

 mens, I find many ovules. 



Fig. 1 Flower, scarcely expanded. 2. Expanded Flower. 3. Stamens. 4. 

 pistil, a Section of the Germen. 6. Capsule (nat. size). 7. One half of 

 the Capsule with its Seed and Arillus (from a dried Chinese specimen). 



