of the Keeling Islands. 341 



6. Acacia (Farnesiana ?) — The specimen has no signs of in- 

 florescence, but the herbage closely resembles that of Farne- 

 siana ; and as that species grows in Timor, it is probably the 

 same, 



" On the same islet with the last." — C. Darwin. 



J. Urera Gaudichaudiana. Plate XI. 



Caule lierbaceo; foliis longe petiolatis, late cordatis, sub-acuminatis, 

 grosse serratis, undique pilis brevibus conspersis, subtus pallidioribus ; 

 cymis axillaribus divaricato-dichotomis petiolis subsequalibus. 



I have named this species in honour of Mons. Gaudichaud 

 the founder of the genus Urera, who has attempted to group 

 the species of this much-neglected order in the volume de- 

 voted to the botany of the * Voyage de PUranie.' The only 

 described species to which it seems to approach is the Urtica 

 ruderalis of Forster, but a comparison with his original spe- 

 cimen in the British Museum has shown me that it is per- 

 fectly distinct. 



The single specimen brought home by Mr. Darwin con- 

 sists of part of an herbaceous stem about seven inches long, 

 belonging apparently to a perennial. From each of the 

 axils of the two lowermost leaves proceeds a short branch, and 

 from each of seven or eight others spring divaricate branch- 

 ing cymose panicles about four inches long. The petiole and 

 limb of the largest leaf are each four inches long, and the 

 latter is 2\ inches broad. The inferior panicles produce male 

 flowers on their lower branches and female on their upper ; 

 but the superior bear female only. Male flowers crowded in 

 small heads at the extremities of the short branches, their 

 calyx deeply 5 -partite (fig. 1.) ; stamens 5. Female flowers 

 smaller than the males, their calyx of three sepals, or rather 

 of two sepals and an external bract (fig. 2.) ; the pistil soli- 

 tary, ovary ovate and slightly oblique (fig. 3.) ; the stigma 

 crowned with a ferruginous tuft of hair inclining to one side. 

 The ripe pericarp obliquely-ovate or gibbous (fig. 4.) contain- 

 ing one erect sessile exalbuminous seed (fig. 5.) with the em- 

 bryo inverted (fig. 6). 



8. Achyranthes argent ea (var. ? villosior.) 



Foliis breviter pedicilkttis, oblongis, basi sub-attenuatis, superne villosis, 

 subtus incano-sericeis. 



