quantities. Our drawing was made in August 1828, in 

 the Horticultural Society's Garden, where it had been 

 raised from Mr. Douglas's seeds. 



This genus is highly interesting in several points of 

 view. 



In the first place, it exhibits a second instance of uni- 

 locular fruit with parietal placentse, in an order with multi- 

 locular fruit and axile placentse ; but the fruit is constructed 

 upon a very different plan from that of Lysipomia, to which 

 it is in this point of view to be compared : while Lysipomia 

 exhibits a placenta apparently parietal, in consequence of 

 the abortion of two cells of a trilocular ovarium, Clintonia 

 has its placentse absolutely parietal, without any abortion 

 of the same nature. 



In the second place, it is an instance, and a very 

 uncommon one, of the abortion of one of the placentas of 

 an ovarium made up of three carpella, having a triangular 

 figure, and finally bursting into three valves. 



Thirdly, this deviation from the normal structure of 

 the order is unaccompanied by any corresponding irregu- 

 larity in the other parts of the fructification. 



A procumbent annual, but little branched, and destitute 

 of hairs. Stem terete, angular. Leaves sessile, ovate, with 

 three principal veins. Flowers solitary, axillary. Ovarium 

 sessile, tapering to a point, four or five times as long as the 

 leaves, triangular, twisted. Corolla blue, the lower lip 

 with a clear white spot. Anthers blue. Stigma conical, 

 surrounded by a papillose beard. Capsule much longer 

 than the leaves. Pollen oval, with a furrow in the middle. 



When the seed-vessels are quite ripe they split into 

 three strap-shaped valves, which cohere by either ex- 

 tremity. The seeds are minute, brown, smooth. 



J. L. 



