GARDNER ON MOURIRIA, &c. 23 
the Order Memecylee has been reduced to Melastomacee in 
Linnea, X. 911; but the affinities of the genus Mouriria, at 
least, are much greater with Myrtacez than with Melastomacee. 
In the lineal arrangement of the orders, Mouririacee must 
hold an intermediate station between these two orders, and 
will thus form the transition link that unites them. 
The species, above noticed, from which Mr Gardner has drawn up his 
remarks, is an entirely new one. We therefore adopt his name, and 
would thus distinguish it ; 
M. Pusa, (Gardn. mst.); foliis ellipticis cum mucronulo coriaceis 
levissimis impunctatis tenui-cartilagineo-marginatis nervis obsoletissimis, 
umbellis pauci—(2—3) floris e ramo vetusto ortis, pedicellis calycé longi- _ 
oribus, anthere calcare brevissimo.—( Ta». I.) : 
Has. Dry hilly plains near Crato, in the province of Ceara, where the 
fruit is much esteemed, and called by the natives Pusa. (Gardner, 
1608.) This, Mr Gardner remarks, is a small tree, with an upright stem, 
and horizontal branches; about ten feet high. Leaves exactly elliptical, 
with a short mucro, remarkable for their very thick, coriaceous substance, 
perfectly smooth on both sides, not in the least dotted, and having a very 
narrow cartilaginous margin. The intra-marginal nerve which Mr 
Gardner alludes to in his note, is, in the dry state at least, and even 
when soaked in water, extremely indistinct, as are the transverse lateral 
nerves. The flowers are thrice the size of those of M. Gutanensis, and 
almost as large as in my Guildingia, Bot. Misc. vol. i. p. 122, t. 30, 
(Olisbea, De Cand., who doubtfully refers it to Rhizophoree,) a genus 
indeed which only differs from Mouriria in the mode of rupture of the 
calyx. In M. Pusa, Mr Gardner describes the ovary as five-celled, the 
cells with one ovule. I find, in two ovaries which I examined, three cells, 
. each cell with three closely compacted ovules, arising from a small fleshy 
receptacle at the base. The fruit is as large as that of the common wild 
cherry, obliquely globose, crowned with the ile egmen piae 
calyx. 
Tas. I. fig. 1, flower. fig. 2, anther. fg. 3, fruit, nat. : size. y 4, section 
of the ovary; each cell having three erect closely placed ovules. fig. 5, 
ovules on their receptacle from the bottom of the cell :—magnitfied.— Ep. 
The original species of the genus may be thus characterized :— 
M. Guianensis, foliis ovato-acuminatis subcoriaceis emarginatis distincte 
venosis utrinque minute elevato-punctatis, umbellis pauci—(2—3) floris in 
ramos juniores axillaribus, pedicellis calyce multo longioribus, antberz | 
: calcare elongato. i ; 
_ Mouriria Guianensis. Aubl. Guian. i pe 453. t. 180. Petaloma Mou- e 
