193 



Notes on North Brazilian GENTiANE^,/ro;;i the collections of Mw Spruce 



and Sir Eobert Schomburgk ; b^ George Bentiiam, Esq. 



ScHUEBLERiA, Murt,^ et Apophragma, Griseb. 



I have carefully examined the original specimen in the Hookerian 

 Herbarium marked by Griscbach Apophragma tenuifolium^ which ex- 

 actly corresponds with those I described as Schuehleria coarctata^ and 

 certainly has pentamerous as well as a few tetramerous flowers, and an 

 oblong-linear stigmate, like that of Schuehleria patula^ , The descrip- 

 tion of a broadly bilamellate stigmate, and of appendiculate filaments, 

 must have been taken by Aublet himself, as well as by Grisebach, 

 from the analyses represented at tab. 26, fig. 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the 

 ' Plantes de la Guyane/ which belong to fig. 1, Exacum Guianense 



2, Exacum temdfolium {Schulfesia), 



A further examination of numerous specimens from various parts of 

 tropical America has convinced me that the two plants I had described 

 as Schuehleria tenella and coarctata are, notwithstanding some slight 

 differences in the anthers, mere varieties of one species of Schuehleria, 

 distinct indeed from the ^S'. tenella of Martins, which I had not then 

 seen, and which is accurately described with a globose stigma, but 

 identical with the Exacum tenuifolium of Aublet, correctly referred to 

 Schuehleria by Don, I would characterize it as follows : 

 Schuehleria tenuifolia (Don, Gen. Syst. vol. iv. p. 202) 5 caule filiformi, 

 foliis parvis oppositis linearibus v. imis ovatis, cyma multiflora, calycis 

 segmentis capsulara superantibus, corolla calyce vix dimidio longiore, 

 antheris liberis, stigraate oblongo-lineari. — Exacum tenuifolium, Aubl. 

 Pi. Guy. p. 70. t. 26. fig. 2, et 9, Id.—Jpophragma tenuifolium, 

 Griseb. Gent. p. 163, et in DC. Prod. v. ix. p. h&, Schuehleria te- 

 nella, Benth. in TayL Ann. Nat. Hist, vol, ii. p. 442, non Mart., et 

 S. coarctata, Benth. 1. c— Corolla ex Aubl. violacea, ex Spruce et 

 Schomb. ffavescens v. alba, ex Gardn. pallide rosea. Antherm dis- 

 cretgdfloculis angustis approximatis nunc apice v- basi acutis nunc 



ntrinque obtusis. 



My specimens were gathered at Tocotepeque, in Central America 



(H 



), in British Guiana (Rob 



itigma of Schuehleria appears to consist, ia fact, of two 

 icL sometimes separate slightly after the flower has 



withered, but never spread horizontally. 



YOL. VI. ^ ^ 



