396 Mr. J. Miers on the Calyceraceae. 



Hse plerumque sursum porrectae, interdum reclinatse, liquore 

 vitali torrentis instar fluente spectabiles. Subtua series duplex 

 verrucarum ciliatarum, seu setis tribus instructarum, pedum 

 vices agit. 

 "Hab. In sedimento rivorum arenoso." (Verm.Terrestr. &c.i. 22.) 



The figures which illustrate this paper are copied from Miil- 

 ler's ' Wurm/ plate 5. The only locality in which I have found 

 Proto digitata is a small strip of water in Malvern Park, Solihull. 

 The worm is about \ inch long, and £ inch broad. 

 I remain, Gentlemen, 



Truly yours, 

 Solihull, Oct. 16, 1860. William Houghton. 



L. — On the Calyceracese. 

 By John Miers, F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 



[Continued from p. 356.] 

 5. Calycera. 



The type of this genus, Calycera Cavanittesii, was the earliest 

 known species of this family, having been described and figured 

 by Cavanilles in 1797, under the name of Calicera herbacea. 

 The genus is distinguished by the extreme growth of its calycine 

 segments, which become expanded into very long spines. In 

 this respect it approaches Anomocarpus . and Acicarpa. From 

 the latter it is distinguishable only by its free achsenia and by the 

 much greater length which their spinescent lobes attain ; from 

 the former it is distinguished by the much greater length of the 

 peduncles that support the capitula, and by the different form 

 of its seeds. 



The genus Gymnocladus has been proposed by Dr. Philippi 

 (Linnsea, xxviii. p. 705) upon the slender character of the partial 

 abortion of the leaves of the involucre and a globose receptacle, 

 in a plant which otherwise possesses the habit and all the floral 

 characters of Calycera. Upon these features we may remark 

 that Richard (Mem. Mus. vi. 34), in his description of the typical 

 species, Calycera Cavanillesii, shows that the leaflets of the invo- 

 lucre are wanting, and figures the receptacle as globose, both 

 in that species and in C. balsamitcefolia (I. c. pi. 10 a and 10b). 

 There does not exist, therefore, a single feature in Gymnocladus 

 distinct from Calycera. In DeCandolle's Monograph of the 

 family, he enumerates only two species of this genus : four other 

 species are here contributed, with the following amended generic 

 character : — 



Calycera, Cav.,Rich. — Char, reform. : Involucrum polyphyllum ; 

 foliola 5-7, uniserialia, imo ad torum accreta, subinsequalia, 



