82 REVISION OF THE GENUS TANjECIUM. 



T. oTUoigemm is the old Bigyionia crucigera of Linnaeus, well figured 

 in Burrmann's edition of Plumier's work; T. albifiorum is the T. Ja- 

 roba of Swartz, the alteration of the names having become necessary, 

 as the " Jaroba " of Marcgrav, from which the old specific name was 

 borrowed, is not, as Swartz supposed, a synonym of this plant, but, 

 judging from the indifferent description and the rude woodcut, a Cu- 



* 



curbitacea;* T. parasiticum is a very characteristic species, the only 

 one hitherto introduced into our gardens, which has fortunately no con- 

 flicting synonymy; T. lilacinurn was originally founded by me upon 

 Miquel's Schlegelia lilacina ; latterly I have had reason to add to it S. 

 elongata of the same author, and the doubtful Besleria ? violacea and 

 B. ? ccerulea of Aublet. There are some discrepancies in the state- 

 ments respecting the colour of the corolla. In the specimens I saw in 

 Darien it was lilac; some people might call it pink. But Aublet had a 

 specimen with blue corollas, and others with violet ones. I am not 

 disposed to attach any specific importance to these differences, and 

 shall look upon them merely as varieties. 



Tan,ecium, Swartz. 



Calyx persistens, globoso-cylindraceus, obsolete 5-dentatus. Corolla 

 tubulosa, infundibuliformis, limbo 5-fido subaequali, lobis tubo bre- 

 vioribus, 2 superioribus erectis approximatis paulum minoribus, in- 

 ferioribus patentibus. Stamina 4, didynama, cum rudimento quinti ; 

 anthera 2-loculares, loculis divergentibus. Discus glandulosus ovarii 

 basin cingens. Stylus elongatus ; stigma bilamellatum. Ovarium 

 1-loculare, multiovulatum, placentis parietalibiis. Bacca oblonga vel 

 globosa, cortice fragili corticosa, 1- vel spurie 2-locularis; semina 

 plurima A compressa seu angulata, in pulpa nidulantia ; albumen nul- 

 lum. — Prutices America tropica scandentes, sape radicantes ; foliis 

 oppositis petiolatis simplicibus integerrimis, trifoliolatis vel geminatis 

 cum cirrJw intermedio ; foliolis petiolulatis integerrimis ; floribus ra- 

 cemosis axillaribus vel terminalibus bracteatis bracteolatisque^ corollis 



The description runs as follows : — Jaroba Brasiliensibus dicta, Casaca amargosa 

 Lusitanis. — Altissiraas arbores hsec plauta ascendit, caule lento, tereti, qui hinc inde 

 in longis pediculis tria folia opposite habet Phaseoli modo, sunt autem plane similia 

 foliis Mucuua. Fractus autem similis fructus Cnete, sed ut plurimum minor, eadem 

 pulpa, iisdem seminibus, ejusdem quoque usus. — Marcgr. Historic Reg. Nat. Brasil. 

 lib. i. p. 25. — The figure represents a climbing stem, with alternate, tripartite or 

 trifoliolated leaves, and obovate, dotted fruits. 



