Mr. J. Miers on the genus Liriosma. 107 



ments are easily detached, and then the united petals separate of 

 themselves, thus showing the corolla to be in no degree gamo- 

 petalous ; the four anther-cells open by two longitudinal lines, as 

 above described, and are filled with a number of pollen-grains, 

 aggregated into a mass, by a quantity of loose yellowish grumous 

 matter : the pollen-grains are roundish, with three globular 

 equidistant, marginal vesicles, each terminated by a mammillary 

 point ; they are extremely thin in texture : all the filaments, both 

 sterile and fertile, are covered with long white cottony hairs, 

 which ultimately become glued to the petals. The ovarium is 

 half immersed in the cupuliform disk ; the exserted moiety is 

 covered by the fleshy epigynous gland, which is hairy : before 

 aestivation, the lower portion of the ovarium is quite free from 

 the enveloping disk, but it soon becomes agglutinated to it, by 

 the same mucilaginous exudation (probably evolved by the disk) 

 that glues the base of the stamens to the petals : even after the 

 ripening of the flower, the cupuliform disk is most easily separated 

 from the ovarium, without the slightest rupture of the parts ; but 

 it cannot be torn away from the calyx without laceration. 



4. Liriosma Velloziana, A. DC. Prodr. viii. 673. Olax Velloziana, 

 Bth. Lond. Journ. Bot. ii. 375 ; — ramulis glabris, foliis 

 obovatis, acuminatis, et mucronulatis, basi obtusiusculis, re- 

 ticulato-venosis, nervis divaricatis, utrinque glaberrimis, petiolo 

 brevi, canaliculato ; racemo brevi, axillari, 3-5-floro; ovario 

 pubescente ; fructu ovali, incarnato, pulpa molli. — Rio de Ja- 

 neiro. 



The leaves are smaller than the last species, about 2 or 2| inches 

 long, 1^ inch broad, on a petiole 3 lines in length; they are 

 acuminated from the middle of the leaf, and are more fleshy and 

 opake : the raceme is shorter ; the drupe is oval, 9 lines long, 

 6 lines in diameter, polished, and of a light scarlet colour, with a 

 circular brownish depression in the apex ; it is soft and fleshy, 

 inclosing a thin subosseous putamen ; the details of the structure 

 of its seed will be found in the following remarks on the affini- 

 ties of the natural order to which it belongs*. This is a low 

 growing tree, which I found in the wooded margins of the bay 

 of Jurujuba; it is among Gardner's collection, no. 5380f. 



* These will appear in the next Number of this Journal. 



f A representation of this plant and an analysis of its fruit, together 

 with the details of the floral structure of the preceding species, will be given 

 in plate 3 of the ' Contributions to Botany/ &c. 



