12 Mr. J. Miers on the Tribe Colletieje. 



which are about a line apart ; they are very minute, scarcely 

 more than a half-line in length and diameter*. 



Species dubia, 



4. Scypharia tetragona ; — Colletia tetragona, Brongn. Ann. 8c. 

 Nat. x. 366 ; — ramosa, ramis ramulisque elongatis, virgatis, 

 patentibus, tetragonis, angulis prominulis, spinosis, glaber- 

 rimis, nodis remotis ssepius aphyllis, spinis validis, subulatis, 

 valde divaricatis, apice calloso-pungentibus ; stipulis rudi- 

 mentariis, calloso prominentibus, apice (e petioli delapsi 

 articulatione) cicatricosis, sub spinis ortis, foliis deficienti- 

 bus; racemis aphyllis, spina longioribus, inter stipulas et 

 spinas enatis, tetragon is, sub-6-floris ; floribus decussatim 

 oppositis, pedicellis brevissimis, imo articulatis, calyce persis- 

 tente, breviter campanulato, membranaceo, 15-striato, mar- 

 gine breviter 5-lobo, lobis obtusis, mucronulatis. — " Peruvia." 

 — v. s. in herb. Mus. Paris. (Dombey). 



I have seen the above-named original specimen, which has nei- 

 ther flower nor fruit ; but its racemes remain, showing a few of its 

 persistent calyces. After examining it attentively, I have come 

 to the conclusion that it is not a Colletia, though probably be- 

 longing to the same tribe. Attached to the sheet in which it is 

 enclosed is a small cartouch, containing some loose drupes, and 

 labelled " Volkameria calva." These drupes are without any 

 calyx, are fleshy, dark-coloured, apiculated by the base of the 

 style, and 5 lines in diameter ; they contain each two nuts, which 

 quite correspond with the structure of that genus. We may 

 therefore inquire, do these drupes belong to the specimen 

 in question ? It appears to me they do not ; for if they had 

 been there when Brongniart described his " Colletia tetragona," 

 he would not have failed to notice so manifest a clue to the 

 nature of the plant. It is therefore most probable that these 

 seeds have been since placed there by mistake. This conclusion 

 is confirmed by an examination of the specimen. In Volkameria 

 and other Verbenaceous plants of the same tribe, the occasional 

 presence of spines is owing to the growth of the petiole of abor- 

 tive leaves; and we invariably find in all such cases both the 

 inflorescence and young branchlet sprouting out from above 

 such spine. But in the specimen in question, as in all the 

 Colletiea, the spine is not produced from a petiole : it is superior 

 not only to the floriferous branch, but also to the peculiar process 

 which served as a support to the fallen leaf; for that calloid 

 process shows a scar upon its extremity, indicating the articula- 

 tion of the petiole upon it, similar to the same structure seen in 



* A drawing of this species will be given in PI. 42 c of the ( Contributions.' 



