260 Mr. D. Don's Descriptions of new Genera and Species 



Frutices (Amer. Austr.) scandentes, Yicias facie cemidantes. Folia 

 alterna, pinnata v. simplicia, apice cirrho (foliolis abortivis 

 aut costcB elongatione) pinnate partito v. simplici, spirali in- 

 structa ! Flores solitarii, magni, speciosi, purpurei v. lutei. 



The presence or absence of the labellum in the rays is evi- 

 dently a character of no importance in this genus. Its muta- 

 bility even in species otherwise intimately allied, shows that it 

 cannot be employed with advantage as a sectional distinction ; 

 and in those species where it is less developed, I hardly think it 

 of specific importance. The younger Linnaeus in his description 

 of Mutisia Clematis appears to have mistaken the two lobes of 

 the labellum for the rudiments of stamina. Humboldt and Bon- 

 pland have represented and described their Mutisia grandiflora 

 {PL Eq. i. t. 50.) as having the florets of the disk tubular, and 

 equally five-toothed. This is clearly an error, for the origin of 

 which it is difficult to account, as we know of no species with a 

 similar structure ; and indeed this character, if really present, 

 would alone be sufficient to justify its removal from Mutisia: but 

 its evident affinity to M. Clematis, which would also have led us 

 to expect the presence of an interior labellum in the rays, in- 

 duces us to reject this opinion, and to regard the description and 

 figure in the Plant es Equinoxiales as erroneous in these respects. 

 I am not satisfied that this is really distinct from M. Clematis of 

 the Supplementum, Plantarum, as the sample of the latter pre- 

 served in the Linnaean herbarium appears to approach very near 

 to it, even as regards the size of the flower, which is erroneously 

 compared by the younger Linnaeus to the Dianthus caryophyllus. 

 They both agree in having the leaflets on distinct footstalks, 

 which the plant of Cavanilles appears to want entirely. This 

 last being from Peru, may prove to be a distinct species. The 

 most remarkable character in Mutisia is the number of vessels 



in 



