THE BOTANY OF SOUTH AMERICA. 147 



From the above description, no doubt can any longer 

 exist as to the true position of Metternichia, which has 

 hitherto been considered doubtful. It was placed by Dr. 

 Lindley in Solanea, near Solandra : others have arranged it 

 in Bignoniacea, and ultimately, on the authority of Fenzl, 

 Dr. Endlicher has doubtfully assigned it a position in the 

 subtribe Vestiece, among Solanacece, Its true place is cer- 

 tainly next to Sessea, with which it agrees in its 2-locular 

 capsule, with the dissepiment parallel to the valves, which 

 are both nearly cleft to the base, in its erect seeds, fixed by 

 their base to the bottom of the dissepiment, and in having a 

 lengthened straight embryo, with linear cotyledons, in which 

 respects it differs from Vestia, Cestrum, and their congeners. 

 As those two genera exhibit such distinct characters, I pro- 

 pose to arrange them under a separate section, to be called 

 Metternichieee. On examining many of the Solanaceous 

 genera, I have found some among the Nicotianeee, that 

 possess very distinct characters, very closely approaching the 

 Lestrinea:, on which account I have ventured to arrange 

 Fabiana, and Nierembergia, in juxtaposition with them, 

 placing these two genera, because of their capsular fruit, as a 

 separate subtribe, under the name of Fabianece : as in Ces- 

 trinea, they offer, among other features, a bilamellar stigma, 

 a nd a decidedly stipitate ovarium. I also propose to remove 

 Vestia from the Cestrinea, and to place it in Nicotianece, 

 which subtribe 1 have arranged in the Rectembryea, for they 

 mostly present an embryo as straight as that of Cestrum, 

 together with similar small ovoid cotyledons. The attachment 

 °f the seeds in Cestrinece is by a ventral hilum, but in Nicotiana, 

 and Petunia, the seeds are quite oval, so that it is impossible 

 to say whether the hilum be ventral or marginal : among the 

 Vurvembrya, on the contrary, the seeds are reniform, and 

 compressed, and the hilum always marginal. In a general 

 review of the natural order, Solanacea, I would therefore 

 Propose the following arrangement and division : 



m 2 



