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with its thin, large, foliaceous cotyledons, and its short radicle 
turned upwards towards the hilum. 
This appears to be a very rare plant, since I do not: recol- 
lect seeing it except in one spot, and that was in a sandy soil, 
twining among hedges at Vellenganny, bearing both flower 
and fruit in the month of November. Some ofthe stems were 
upwards of 10 feet high, yet their greatest thickness did not 
exceed that of my finger. 
[I have borne testimony to the fidelity of the above descrip- 
tion, by an accurate analysis of the flowers, both male and 
female, and fruit. Dr. Wight has added in his MSS., * The 
plant appears to constitute a new genus, but it will probably 
rank in the Nat. Order among the Amentacee or Urticea, 
and in the character of its flowers it approaches Nageia."— 
As to its genus, I quite agree with my valued friend that it 
does form one distinct from any yet described, and since it 
was sent to me without a name, I have ventured to call it 
Pyrenacantha, from the remarkable spinous processes which 
line the inside of the nut. In regard to its Natural Order, it 
behoves me, like Dr. Wight, to speak with great caution. 
In habit and in its milky juice, it approaches near to some 
Euphorbiacec ; but neither its fruit nor its flowers correspond 
with any of that family. In the circumstance of the two in- 
verted ovules, and, indeed, in the general character of the 
fruit, it resembles Stilago: but its stamens are totally 
different, and they alternate with the divisions of the calyx, 
instead of being opposite to them. These, however, seem to 
me to be the only essential points of distinction; and hence, 
though doubtfully, I have marked it as belonging to the Nat. 
Ord. Stilaginee of Agardh and Lindley. —H.] 
SurPL. Tas. IX. Pyrenacantha volubilis; masc. Fig. 1, 
Portion of the spike of male flowers :—magnijied. 
Tas. X. Pyrenacantha volubilis; fem., Fig. 1, Portion 
. ofa female plant :—natural size. Fig. 2, Female flower. 
Fig. 3, Pistil. Fig. 4, Section of do. Fig. 5, Portion of 
` à female plant in fruit, and fig. 6, Nut, from the drupe 
natural size. Fig. 1, Inner view of the testa:—slighily 
S 
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