48 MR. J. MIERS ON THE FAMILY OF TRIURIACE^E. 



1. Sciaphila tenella, Blume, Bijdr. 514; "tenerrima carnosa aphylla, scapo simplicissimo 



erecto, floribus nutantibus, perigonii laciniis reflexis apice villosiusculis, stigmate 

 sessili punctiformi, baccis pluribus glandulis pellucidis tectis, semine sub-triquetro ; 

 testa subcoriacea." 

 Hab. Java. 



Obs. Nothing is known of tbis plant beyond the above description ; it was placed by 

 Endlicher among the doubtful genera at the end of his order Artocarpece, with the remark, 

 " affinitas plane obscura." 



2. Sciaphila maciilata ; hyalina, caule simpHci, foliis bracteiformibus adpressis 1 in pis 



interruptis rubris maculatis, perianthii laciniis sublanceolatis reflexis apice intus bar- 

 batis: alternis margine ciliatis, floribus inferioribus staminibus 3 cassis?, carpelhs 

 densissime congestis, utriculo hiante. 

 Hab. in insulis Philippinis ; Cuming, No. 2088. 



This plant has a very slender erect stem, and is altogether about 3 inches in height ; the 

 flowers are alternate and nodding, upon filiform pedicels, 3 lines in length, each with a 

 bract at base ; the size of the cauline leaflets is half a line long : the spike forms two- 

 thirds of the length of the whole plant. The structure of the seed has already been 

 described : the length of each utricle is -^th of an inch ; the included caryopsis is ^gth 

 long, •g'jth broad ; the testa is ^th long, xxoth inch broad : the size of each cell of the 

 nucleus is about -fo-th of its breadth, or -0-5-th inch in diameter. 



3. Sciaphila picta ; hyalina, caule subramoso erecto flexuoso, foliis bracteiformibus ma- 



culis longis rubris pictis, perianthii laciniis oblongis acutis patentibus rubro-maculatis 

 apice intus barbatis : alternis sub-latioribus ciliatis ; tubo basique laciniarum lineis 

 punctatis creberrimis violaceis ornatis, floribus hermaphroditis (an semper ?), carpeUis 

 plurimis densissime supra discum carnosum congestis staminibus 2 vel unico munitis. 

 Hab. in Venezuela, ad fluv. Apure, a cl. Pur die lect. Octob. 1845. 



A single specimen only of this plant exists in the herbarium of Sir William Hooker, and 

 is about 5 inches in height ; it is dichotomous, throwing up from near the base two sub- 

 flexuose erect stems, with short, few-flowered, ter mina l spikes ; the pedicels are scarcely 

 2 lines long, the flowers are very minute, and drooping. 



4. Sciaphila ertjbescens ; hyalina tenerrima, foliis bracteiformibus bracteisque acutis 



rubro-pictis, floribus punctis rubris maculatis, perianthii laciniis sequalibus oblongis 

 acutis glaberrimis reflexis ; superioribus masculis ; inferioribus foemineis interdum 

 hermaphroditis, staminibus 3 cassis ?, utriculo bivalvi. 



Aphylleia erubescens, Champ, in Calc. Journ. Nat. Hist. vii. p. 468. 



Hab. Ceylon, ad Narawalla, prope Galle, in sylvis umbrosis. 



This plant is about the size of 8. picta, throwing up from the base a second scape, as 

 soon as the first has matured all its seeds. The flowers, which are hyaline, with reddish 

 long spots, become purplish when the fruit is well formed ; the ovaries and utricles are 

 sanguineous red, and covered with prominent pellucid areoles ; the bracts and leaflets are 



