2G2 PROCEEDINGS OP THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



Botlin'ospermum, Bunge, as arranged and characterized by Bentham 

 in the Genera Plantanim, would appear to have essentially the same 

 carpological structure as the typical PliKjioholhrys, and therefore to 

 supersede the latter. But this comes from one of the very rare over- 

 sights of the late Mr. Bentham, who, unmindful of the correct descrip- 

 tion by Bunge, and afterwards by De Candolle and by Maximowicz, 

 mistook the ventral false umbilicus for the areola of insertion, which 

 is basal. The mistake remains uncorrected in the Flora of British 

 India. 



The conclusions now arrived at lead to the following re-arranffement 

 of the American species which are thereby affected. 



OMPHALODES, Tourn. 



Corolla rotata vel brevissime hypocraterimorpha. Stamina inclusa. 

 Nuculai adscendentes vel subhorizontales, intus (aut supra medium aut 

 versus basim) gynobasi pi. m. elevata; affixic, dorso depressa) vel com- 

 planata?, ala nunc iutegra nunc dissecta (rarius evanida) retrocurva 

 vel revoluta (dentibus laciniisve hand glochidiatis) circumdatic. 



§ 1. EuoMPHALODES. NuculiB pi. m. obcompressoj, intus baud 

 carinatae, pericarpio alaque sat teuuibus. — Gerontogeaa, sequeutibus 

 alienis facie 0. vernce pajne similibus exceptis. 



O. ALiENA, Gray in Hemsl. Bot. Biol. Centr.-Am. ii. 377. Laxe 

 hirsuta, brevicaulis; foliis insigniter cordatis longe petiolatis ; racemis 

 elongatis ebracteatis; pedicellis gracilibus, fructiferis deflexis vel recur- 

 vis ; corolla cnerulea ; nuculis suberectis ala lata orbiculata maigiue 

 breviter multidentata radiato-expansa demuni (saltern fl. inferiorum) 

 plicato-retroflexa, areola insertionis centrali obscura; cotyledonibus 

 obovatis ; gynobasi pyramidata demum angusta. — Nortiiern Mexico 

 at Monterey, Nuevo Leon, coll. Palmer, 893. Geography to the con- 

 trary notwithstanding, this must be accei)ted as a true Omphaludes, in 

 essential character as well as in habit. Even if the wing of the nut- 

 lets were always explanate, this is no more so than in O. amplexicaulis, 

 and the gynobase is hardly higher or narrower. Moreover, in the 

 nutlets of some of the lower and consequently older blossoms, the wing 

 is completely folded backward upon itself. As the body in these is 

 hispidulous while the upper ones are almost glabrous, I had suggested 

 that the fruit was probably dimor[)hous, and Mr. Hemsley in his account 

 has mentioned ibis. But perhaps it is only a difference in age. When 

 it falls away from the gynobase, the convex ventral surface shows no 

 scar, or only faint marks of altachmeut about the middle ; when younger, 



