382 LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



fine example of a fungus grown in a city wharf cellar, which Mr. 

 G. Murray pronounced to be a species of Lentimis. — Mr. C. Stewart 

 exhibited a specimen of Pilobohis, and a saucer covered with its 

 sporangia. He explained the manner in which he had observed 

 the sporangia projected from it for a distance of two inches. — Mr. 

 J. G. Baker read' the first of his "Contributions to the Flora of 

 Madagascar." This paper contains descriptions of about 140 new 

 species of the polypetalous dicotyledons, mainly discovered within 

 the last two or three years by the Kev. E. Baron and Dr. G. W. 

 Parker. A considerable proportion of them are members of large 

 genera, widely spread through Tropical Asia and Tropical Africa, 

 such as Eiif/mia, Crotalaria, Indiyqfera, Gyeivio, Elaocarjms, and 

 Medinella. Of familiar temperate types there are two new Eubi, 

 two Alchemillas, three Pimpinellas, a Clematis, and two Polygalas. 

 Of genera characteristic of the Cape flora, now noticed for the first 

 time in Madagascar, may be instanced, Aryylohium, Lebeckia, 

 Crassula, Phamaceum, Sphedamnocarpus, and SjKirmanyiia. There 

 is a very interesting new genus of Malpighiacese (Microsteira), 

 allied to the American Hirmi, differing from the general character 

 of that natural order in being almost perfectly dioecious. Two 

 cases very interesting from a geographical point of view are 

 furnished by Hibbertia and Rulingia, both of which are large 

 characteristically Australian genera, with a single representative 

 in Central Madagascar. Mr. Baron has refound IlhodolcBna altivota, 

 the most showy member of the endemic natural order Chlsenaceae, 

 which has not been met with since its original discovery by Du 

 Petit Thouars, nearly a century ago. Dr. Parker has devoted 

 special attention to the identification of the drugs, esculents, 

 timber trees, and other plants, which possess native names ; and a 

 catalogue of the result of his researches, embodymg the identifi- 

 cation of 300 native names, will shortly be published in this Journal. 

 — Dr. Maxwell Masters read a paper containing a descriptive enu- 

 meration of the PassijiorcB collected in Ecuador and New Granada 

 by M. Edouard Andre. Of Tacsonia nine species are mentioned, 

 one of which was previously undescribed ; of Passiflora twenty- 

 nine species, four being new. Some are of great structural 

 interest ; while the excellence of M. Andre's specimens has 

 afi'orded opportunities for the examination of the complicated 

 structure of the flowers, usually not possible on account of the 

 imperfect condition of the specimens. 



