48 Mr Don on ColumcUia, Tovaria, and Francoa, 



3. C. sericea, foliis oblongis integerrimis subtus sericeis, pedun- 

 culis terminalibus bi- aut trifloris. — Ku?ith, in H. et B. Nov. Gen. ct 

 Sp. PL ii. p. S^S.-Syn. ii. p. IS^.-^Spreng. Syst. i. p. 89- 



Habitat in sylvis provincise Quitensls. Humboldt et Bonpland. f). 



Arbor triorgyalis : ramis oppoaitis, fragilibus, teretibus ; junioribus obsolete te- 

 tragonis, sericeo-pubescentibus. Folia opposita, breviter petiolata, con- 

 ferta, oblonga, obtusa, brevissime mucronata, basi in petiolum angustata, 

 integerrima, venosa, coriacea, supra glabra, viridia et nitida, subtus albo- 

 sericea, subpollicaria, 5-6 lineas lata. Pedunculi terminales, uni- bi- aut 

 triflori pedicellique sericei, bracteati. Bractece lanceolatae, sericese, pedi- 

 cello breviores. Cajyx sericeus. Corolla liitea. Capsula subpyramidata. 

 Semina ovata, complanata.— /fMn/A, in 1. c. 



Obs. — Planta mihi jjrorsus ignota, et ut ex descriptionum comparatione 

 conjectari licet, species videtur distinctissima. Genus Menodorae generi valde 

 affine, cujus genericus character sequens est : Calt/x ovario adhaerens, campa- 

 nulatus : limbo multi- (10-1 1-) partito, laciniis subulatis. Corolla monopetala, 

 tubo brevissimo, fauce intus villosa : limbo concavo, 5-8-partito, lobis ovatis, 

 acuminatis, sestivatione convolutis. Stamina 2, fauci inserta : filamenta capil- 

 laria, glabra : anthercB biloculares, sagittate, ereetae, apice mucronulatae : /o- 

 culis parallelis, rima longitudinal! dehiscentibus, basi productis in lobis 2, bre- 

 vissimis, obtusis, subdivaricatis, superne confluentibus. Ovarium inferum, bi- 

 loculare : ovulis indefinitis. Stylus declinatus, filiformis, tenuis, glaber, co- 

 rolla longior. Sligma truncatum, pruinosum. Capsula tubo calycis connata, 

 bilocularis, septicido-dehiscens, polysperma. Herba multicaulis, foliis opposi- 

 tis, integris, floribus solitariis, pedunculatis, flavis. 



Obs. — Si floralia integumenta Mogorii et Menodorae comparantur, uti et 

 capsula Columelliie, Nyctanthis atque Syringae ; si praeterea corollae aestivatio 

 in Columellia et Menodora, earundem staminum numerus, ovuloruni placen- 

 tatio, et seminum fabrica atque foliorum situs perpendantur, arctissima eorum 

 cum Jasmineis afSnitas facilius patebit : sed cum haecce genera nuUi natural! 

 ordin! hucusque ab auctoribus institulo apte adjungi possint, rectius visum 

 fuit novum stabilire ordinem Columellearum nomine insignitum ; qui a Jasmi- 

 neis distinguitur ovario calyci adhaerente ; disco perigyno ; stigmate indiviso ; 

 capsula loculis polyspermis. 



That Columellia and Menodora are intimately allied, a com- 

 parison of the pans of fructification clearly proves, although 

 they differ somewhat in habit, the one being herbaceous, and 

 the other arborescent. M. Bonpland {PL JEqu. ii. p. 99.) ap- 

 pears to me to have approached near the truth, when he referred 

 Menodora to the JasminecB ; but both he and M. Kunth have 

 overlooked its close affinity to Columellia ; for the latter has 

 placed Menodora in Acanthacece, and Columellia among the 

 Scrophularinoe ; and Sprengel, in his Sy sterna Vegetahilium, 

 has referred this last to Gesnerece. They correspond with the 

 Jasminece in the structure and sestivation of their corolla, in 

 their bilocular ovarium, and erect ovula ; and they agree both 

 with them and Syringa in the structure and dehiscence of their 

 capsule. A comparison of the corolla and calyx of Menodora 



