162 ON DFIOAMIA THOMPSONIAXA. 



Species of Deidamia, and paraphrases Brown's brief allusion to Thomp- 

 som'a, specimens of which he expressly says were not before him. He, 

 however, keeps up the genus Thompsonia, though expressing his doubt 

 as to whether any but the slightest distinction can be traced between 

 it and Deidamia, 



Bentham and Hooker, in their Genera, vol. i. (1862), p. 811, refer 

 TJwmpsonia to Deidamia, but state that they have not examined speci- 

 mens of either. 



From this it will be seen how very little is actually known of the 

 plant in question, and how desirable it is that some fuDer record of its 

 structure should be made public. I add, therefore, a description of the 

 chief points of interest. 



Deidamia Thompsoxiana, DC. Prod, iii., 337, foliolis ellipticis 

 mucronulatis ; pedunculis 5-7 floris ; perianthio biseriali 8-10-mero ; 

 staminibus 8 ; stigmatibus S-4. = Thompsoma (nomen tantum) B.Br., 

 in Trans. Linn. Soc, xiii., (1822), p. 221, adnot. ; Endliche'r Gen., 

 5096; Tulasne in Ann. Sc. Nat. (Bot.) 1857, p. 5; T. Broivniana, 

 Boemer Synops. Mon., fasc. ii., 138. Pass-iJIora actandva, Thompson 

 MSS. in herb. Lambert fide, DC., I.e. 



Madagascar, Thompson. ! in herh. Iftis. Brit. 



Prutexsc3.nd.ens. Caulis teres g\ahei\ /^o/ia; impari-pinnata altema, 

 distantia, longiuscule petiolata, stipulata ; petiolus 1-1:^ in. long, 

 medio glandula sessili utrinque onustus ; stipulae, ut videtur, minutse 

 caducse. Foliola bijuga cum impari, petiolulata, circa 2-2^ poll. long. 

 1^-1 J poll. lat. coriacea utrinque glabra oblonga, basi rotundata, apice 

 rotundata sub-bilobata brevissime muoronulata, 1-nervia, venae 

 secondarise approximatse pinnatae versus margines arcuatae, venae 

 intermedia? minores dense reticulatae. Cirri axillares. PeduncuU 

 axillares petiolis sublongiores apice dichotome ramosi, pedicelli bre- 

 vissirai basi bracteis minutis subulatis muniti. Alahastra ovoideo- 

 globosa vix | poll. long. Flares expansos baud vidi. In alabastro 

 adsunt : — Receptaculum obpyramidatum. Sepala 5 (4) imbricata 

 libera oblonga obtusiuscula, coriacea glabra. Petala 5 (4) libera sepalis 

 alteriiantia iisque parum breviora, sub-conformia. Coj^ona exterior 

 simplex, 1-serialis, e filis albidis subulatis petalis dimidio brevioribus 

 constans, et e margine receptaculi una cum petalis sepalisque emergens. 

 Stamina 8 perigyna, e receptaculo inter coronara exteriorera, et coronam 

 basilarem gynophorum cingentem exserta, filamenta crassiuscula ligu- 

 lato-subulata, antherae filamentis fere aequilongae iisque dorso infra- 

 medium affixae, oblongae biloculares, loculis parallelis rima laterali longi- 

 tudinaliter dehiscentes, connectivum dorso brunneum, conspicuum, apice 

 subulato-productum. Pollen . . . Ovarium ovoideum 1-loculare 

 gynophoro brevi (basi a corona basilari brevi cupuliformi margine undu- 

 late cincto) elevatum, apice in stylum brevissimum attenuatum, stig- 

 mata 3 (4) capitata recurva. Placentae parietales 3 (4) multiovulatae, 

 ovula anatropa. Fructiis et semina arillata? non vidi. 



In all three buds examined by myself there were 5 sepals, 5 petals, 

 8 stamens, and 3 stigmas; but it is specially noteworthy that Endlicher 

 describes the genus Thompsonia as 8-parted, with 8 stamens and 4 

 stigmas, and this is the btructure which Dr. Trimen also saw in a 

 flower examined by him. The Deidamias proper are described for the 

 most part as having a 5 or a 10-parted perianth with 5 stamens; 



