SOUTH AMERICAN PLANTS. 53 



the ovarium, becomes immediately deflexed, grows to four times 

 Its former length, and is afterwards much thickened at its apex • 

 the teeth do not mcrease in size, but the tube, as in Phmalis, 

 becomes somewhat vesicular, reticulated, and 10-ribbed; expands 

 to three times its former length, and five times its breadth, 

 Its texture remammg much thicker, when compared with the 

 greatly mflated and dehcately membranaceous web, which encloses 

 the berry in Cacahus. The structure of the ovarium is similar 

 to that of the last-mentioned genus, but the furcated placenta 

 are again divided, and secrete an aqueous juice, in which the 

 seeds are nourished ; the dissepiment remains membranaceous, 

 but the placentae at length become hard and woody, and the cells 

 dry and capsular, while in Cacahus the pericarp, the placentae 

 and the dissepiment are all more or less membranaceous. The 

 fruit, though somewhat fragile, does not burst by an opercular 

 line, as in Hyoscyamus, because of the very gradual attenuation 

 and absorption of its epigynous gland into the substance of the 

 pericarpial membrane, not less than on account of the thickening 

 and indurescence of the dissepiment and placentae : for these rea- 

 sons, it does not open by a sharp horizontal line, as in that genus, 

 but remains b. brittle, indehiscent putamen, with a tendency to 

 break by an irregular transverse line in its thinnest part. 



Thinogeton, Bth. Char, ampl.— Cc/p tubulosus, 10-striatus 

 ad medium 5-partitus, laciniis acutissimis, erectis, subaequa- 

 libus, persistens et augescens. Corolla infundibuhformis, tubo 

 imo coarctato, dein gradatim ampHato, 15-nervio, limbo 5-fido, 

 lobis brevibus subinsequalibus, 3-angularibus. Stamina 5, in- 



fil 



apicifix 



gracilia 



adnatis, rima marginali dchiscentibus. Ovarium ovatum, 2- 

 loculare, dissepimcnto teuui^ placentis crucifonnibus utrinque 

 adnatis^ in locellis furcatis^ carnosis^ undique ovuligeris. Sty- 

 lus leviter curvatus^ filiformisj staminibus excedens. Stigma 

 spathulato-dilatatum, compressum, sub-2-labiatuin. Bacca ex- 

 sicca, intra calyccm auetum vesiciformem, venoso-reticulatum, 

 10-costatum inclusa^ subglobosa, cortice coriaceo, supeme cras- 

 siorCj iuferne subfragili, evalvato, 2-locularIs^ placentis fur- 

 catis coriaceisj seniinibus plurimis gerentibus. Semina com- 

 pressa, subreniformia^ testa scrobiculata^ hilo laterali, margi- 

 nal!. Embryo intra albumen carnosum teres, subspiralis, ra- 

 dicula angulo basali spectante, hilo evitante, cotyledonibus se- 

 miteretibus paulo longiore. — HQxh^ Amertc(je intertropica pro- 

 strat<£j subpiloscBy subcarnos(e, Convohuli facie ; foliis alterniSy 

 aanllaribus, oblongis^ acutisj sinuato-incisis, vel undulatis, lon^ 



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