and on various Plants related to them. 341 



and Reichenbach refer it to Cytinece* ; Lindley to Cynomoriacea^f ; Endlicher 

 to Balanophorecel^. To all these, insurmountable objections appear to me to 

 be presented. Even if the structure of the male flowers be as described by 

 M. Endlicher, the females are widely different from those of Balanophorece (to 

 which botanists seem perhaps most disposed to refer the genus), particularly 

 by their general structure, their much greater general perfection, the union of 

 the ovaria, and the obvious stigmatic surfaces. Perhaps on the whole the 

 general tendency of the plant is towards Urticince. 



§ 7- Thismia. 

 Thismia, Grrlff. 



Locus Naturalis, subregnum Monocotyledones inter Tacceas et Burmanniaceas. 



Char. Gen. Perianthium superum, campanulatum, (caducum,) 6-partitum, laciniis 3 exteri- 

 oribus (brevibus), oblongis; 3 alternis, interioribus, longissimis, subulatis; faux annulo 

 semiclausa. Stamina 6, fauci inserta, perianthii laciniis opposita, deflexa insuper pari- 

 etem tubi internum; filamenta brevia, discreta; anthera (maximae) secus margines 

 connatae, membrana bilamellosa terminataj, biloculares, loculis parvis distantibus ad- 

 natis. Ovarium inferum, 1-loculare; placentae 3 parietales, supra medium ovuligerae; 

 ovula indefinita, anatropa. Stylus brevis. Stigmata 3, bifida. Fructus carnosus, trun- 

 cato-turbinatus, apice pericarpii circumscisso dehiscens, 1-locuIaris. Semina indefinita, 

 placentis 3 parietalibus, demiim liberis affixa. Embryo indivisus, homogeneus. 



Planta pusilla, radicum parasitica, a^pectu cereaceo. Perianthium luteum, coccineo pictum. 



Thismia Brunoniana. 



Descr. Planta aphylla, radicum parasitica, spithamaea vel digitalis. Caulis simpliciusculus, 

 dimidia sua longitudine humo obtectus, crassitie pennae anserinae, angulatus. Squamae 

 (loco foliorum) alternantes, adpressae, lanceolatae, acutae. Bracteae squamis similes, vel 

 solitariae sub floribus, vel imbricatae in pedicellis, interdum flori unico ternas. Flores 

 pauci, in racemum brevem terminalem dispositi, saepius breviter pedicellati, pro ratione 

 plantae magni, pulchre colorati, inodori. Perianthium superum, campanulatum, extus 

 verrucis plurimis, parum elevatis, sine ordine evidente dispositis, ovato-oblongis, sub- 

 lobatis insignitum; tubus basin versus ovario adnatus, anthesi peracta paullo supra 

 apicem ovarii citissime circumscissus ; faux annularis, circumferentia exteriore obsolete 



* Ord. Plantar. 81. Conspectus Regn. Veg. 78. f Intr. Nat. Syst. 394. 



: Melet. Botan. i. 11. Gen. PI. 73. 



