SOUTH AMERICAN PLANTS. 71 
hitherto been considered doubtful. It was placed by Dr. 
Lindley in Solanee, near Solandra: others have arranged it 
in Bignoniacee, and ultimately, on the authority of Fenzl, 
Dr. Endlicher has doubtfully assigned it a position in the 
subtribe Vestiee, among Solanacee. Its true place is cer- 
tainly next to Sessea, with which it agrees in its 2-locular 
capsule, with the dissepiment parallel to the valves, which 
are both nearly cleft to the base, in its erect seeds, fixed by 
their base to the bottom of the dissepiment, and in having a 
lengthened straight embryo, with linear cotyledons, in which 
respects it differs from Vestia, Cestrum, and their congeners. 
As those two genera exhibit such distinct characters, I pro- 
pose to arrange them under a separate section, to be called 
Metternichiee. On examining many of the Solanaceous 
genera, I have found some among the Nicotianee, that 
possess very distinct characters, very closely approaching the 
Cestrinee, on which account I have ventured to arrange 
Fabiana, and Nierembergia, in juxtaposition with them, 
placing these two genera, because of their capsular fruit, as a 
separate subtribe, under the name of Fabianee : as in Ces- 
trinee, they offer, among other features, a bilamellar stigma, 
and a decidedly stipitate ovarium. I also propose to remove 
Vestia from the Cestrinee, and to place it in Nicotianee, 
which subtribe 1 have arranged in the Rectembryee, for they 
mostly present an embryo as straight as that of Cestrum, 
together with similar small ovoid cotyledons. The attachment 
of the seeds in Cestrinee is by a ventral hilum, but in Nicotiana, 
and Petunia, the seeds are quite oval, so that it is impossible 
to say whether the hilum be ventral or marginal : among the 
Curvembryee, on the contrary, the seeds are reniform, and 
compressed, and the hilum always marginal. In a general 
review of the natural order, Solanacee, I would theretore 
propose the following arrangement and division : 
