96 Mr. MiERS on a new Genus of Plants from Chile. 



deflexis. Tubus sfamineus cum tubo corollae adnatus, deinde liberus, medio inferne ven- 

 tricosus, valde pubescens : anthera; tres, ad oram tubi sessiles, extrorsae, 2-loculares, 

 dorso carinato medio affixEE, basi emarginatae, rima exteriore dehiscentes. Ovarium 

 inferum, lineari-oblongum, subtrigonum, erectum. Stylus filiformis, basi incurvatus, 

 deinde horizontalis, apice pari^m adscendens. Stigma integrum, inclusum, urceolato- 

 tubulosum; ore tubaeformi fimbriato, ultra tubum stamineum vix exserto. Capsula 

 coriacea, oblonga, utrinque attenuata, 3-gona, 3-sulca, S-locularis, 3-valvis, dissepi- 

 mentis valvarum medio affixis, ad axin 2-seriatim seminiferis, apice ab axi solutis, 

 loculicide dehiscens. Semina plurima, dimidiato-ovata, ab axi placentifera funiculo bre- 

 vissimo horizontaliter orta; testa dura, fusco-brunnea, favoso-punctata, punctis de- 

 pressis seriatim longitudinaliter dispositis ; raphe longitudinalis elevata, ab hilo basilari 

 sublaterali ad apieem carunculatum etiam sublateralem (chalazam) ducta ; integumen- 

 tum internum membranaeeum ; albumen corneum, depresso-punctatum ; embryo in 

 basi albuminis, fere ad mediam longitudinem attingens, inclusus, teres, sublinearis, sub- 

 incurvus ; radicula a cotyledone vix distincta, centripeta. — Herbae Chilenses perennes ; 

 radice fibrosa ; foliis ensiformibus, equitantibus, radicalibus bifariis, caulinis alternis ; 

 caule subancipiti, ramoso; floribus terminalibus, spatkaccis; spatha communi 2-valvi, 

 ensatd, valvis dorso sub apice mucrone erecto instructis ; spathis partialibus plurimis, 

 inclusis, 2-valvibus, membranaceis ; floribus breviter pedicellatis. 



1. SoLENOMELUs Chilensis. Foliis lineari-ensiformibus, corolla aurantiaca, 

 Cruckshanksia graminea, Miers, Trav. ii. p. 529. 



Habitat apud Concon, Chile, in locis umbrosis humidis. 



2. SoLENOMELUS PUNCTATUS. Foliis angustioribus, coroM aurantiaca ; laciniis singulis 



supra basin puncto sanguineo notatis. 

 Habitat prope Concepcion, Chile. 



The latter species, which I have had recently in flower, was last year raised 

 from seed sent from Concepcion in Chile. From all the inquiries I have made 

 I cannot learn that either species has before been cultivated in England, 

 although I sent home abundance of seeds of the first-mentioned in 1821 and 

 1822. 



The peculiarly curved form of the corolla, the confluence of the filaments 

 throughout their entire length, and the union of the stigmata into an urceo- 

 late tube, offer characters that sufficiently distinguish this genus from Sisyrin- 

 chium. In many works on botany the latter genus is described as having the 

 stamina " omnin6 connata," but in the numerous species that I have met with. 



