A SUBGENUS OF FLAGELLARIA. 199 
ture as that of many Bambusee and Panicee. Though differing in 
various respects from the well-known Flagellaria Indica, I am induced 
to refer it to the same genus with that plant, in preference to esta- 
blishing a new one; it may also (judging from the description) be al- 
lied to Susum, Blume, of Java, with which I am not acquainted. The 
dismemberment of genera of Monocotyledones has already been carried 
to an extreme in almost every Order; and in the present state of our 
knowledge of the species included under and allied to Flagellaria, it 
appears safer to enlarge its generic character, and to divide it into two 
subgenera, one for the present plant, and another to include F. Indica 
and its allies, than to add another genus which, upon a better acquaint- 
ance with its allies, may prove invalid. 
In habit, foliage, and inflorescence, the present plant accords very 
closely with Fvagellaria, especially in the long sheaths to the leaves, in 
the paniculate inflorescence, in the general appearance of the flowers - 
and structure of the organs of fructification; it differs in not being 
scandent, in the strongly plieate leaves, which are much larger, and. 
do not terminate in cirrhi, in the small petals, and usually three-seeded 
fruit. Of these characters the size of the petals is the only definite 
one that could be made available as generic, for there is a manifest 
tendency to plaiting in the young leaves of Flagellaria Indica, and the 
fruit of that plant being one-seeded, results from the imperfection of 
two cells of the ovary and their contained ovules. The sheaths of the 
leaves of Flagellaria are generally described as entire, but they are fre- 
quently split, especially the lower ones, and have often broad mem- 
branous margins, like those of Chortodes. I should therefore propose . 
to modify the generic diagnosis of Flagellaria thus :— 
FrAGELLARIA, L.—Perianthium persistens ; laciniis 6, 2-seriatis. Sta- 
mina 6, hypogyna ; filamentis filiformibus, liberis; antheris oblongis, 
medio dorso affixis, longitudinaliter dehiscentibus. Ovarium libe- — 
rum, sessile, 3-loculare ; ovulis in loculis solitariis basilaribus ana- 
tropis; stigmatibus 3, patulis, filiformibus. Bacca coriacea, pisi- 
formis, 1—3-loba, 1-3-locularis, stigmatibus coronata. Semina ob- 
longa v. subglobosa; testa membranacea, tenui; hilo basilari, cha- 
laza orbiculari; embryone lenticulari, minimo.—Herbæ ^ apweenra i 
caule erecto v. sarmentoso ; foliis sparsis, longe vaginantibus ; vM 
integris v. fissis, striatis plicatisve, interdum in cirrhos desinentibus ; 
floribus dracleolatis, in ramis panicule ample decompositee sessilibus, 
parvis, viridibus albisve. 
