146 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



ALABASTEA DIVEESA.— Part XXIV.- 

 By Spencer le M. Moore, B.Sc, F.L.S. 



(Continued from p. 98.) 

 II. Rhamphogyne, Asteroidearum gen. nov. (Plate 530b.) 



Capitula heterogama, disciformia, paucii3osculosa, flosculis ext. 

 5 int. (? . Involucrum ovoideum e phyllis paucis sub-2-seriatis 

 membranaceis sistens. Eeceptaculum parvum, planum, nudum. 

 Corollae parvulae, oblongae, fll. fem. 3-dentatse, fll. hermaph. 

 3-4-dentat8e. Antherae 3-4, apice baud appendiculatiie, basi 

 rotundatse, oblongo-ovoidete, cite sejunctae. Ovarium superne in 

 rostrum deflectum excurrens. Styli til. bermaph. rami breves, 

 complanati, appendicibus papillosis sibi ipsis fere ajquilongis 

 onusti. Acba3nia compressa, calva, longe rostrata. — Herba 

 perennis, nana, caespitosa, ramosa. Folia alterna, imbricata, 

 pinnatifida vel Integra. Capitula parva, ad apicem ramorum 

 solitaria necnon sessilia. 



Ehamphogyne rhynchocarpa, sp. unica. Ahrotanella rhyncho- 

 carpa Balf. fil. in Phil. Trans. E. Soc. clxviii. 352, tab. 27 a. 



Hab. Eodriguez Island ; Dr. J. B. Balfour. 



The genus Ahrotanella being essentially Antarctic, the alleged 

 occurrence of a species in the Island of Eodriguez seemed to be 

 a point worthy of examination. The figure cited above, very good 

 except for a most important omission, represents a plant that 

 might pass muster as a somewhat abnormal member of the genus 

 to which it is referred. The style-arms, however, of the herma- 

 phrodite florets with their papillose appendages are not those 

 characteristic of the tribe Anthemidece. By some oversight these 

 have been omitted from the drawing, the only style-arms shown 

 being those of a female floret, although the style of the herma- 

 phrodite florets is said in the description {I. c.) to be " alte bifido, 

 ramis ciliatis." In fact, this plant undoubtedly belongs to the 

 Asteroidecs, and should find a place in the neighbourhood of 

 Dichrocephala. The most peculiar feature about it is the curious 

 beaked ovary and achene. 



^ III. Decadia Lour. >, 



The characters Loureiro f gives for this genus are succinctly as 

 follow. A persistent 3-leaved calyx ; corolla of ten petals; stamens 

 about 30, adnate to the base of the petals ; superior ovary with 

 a filiform style and somewhat fleshy stigma ; fruit a 3-celled 

 drupe. The plant he calls Decadia aluminosa, but assigns no 

 place to it among Dicotyledones. Blume \ suppressed Decadia in 

 favour of Dicalyx, also a genus of Loureiro's, but printed near the 

 end of the work already cited and a good way after Decadia. 

 This is rather curious in view of the discrepancies in the two 



* The types of the species described are in the National Herbarium, 

 t Fl. Cochinch. 315 (1790). | Bijdr. 1116 (1826). 



