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XVI. Defcriptlon of Sowerbaa juncea^ a Plant of New South Wales. 



By James Edward Smith, M. D. F. R. S. P. L. S. 



Read July 2, 1 799. 



nr^HE effential character of the genus of Sozverbcea is already 

 -*• publilhed in the fourth volume of the Linnean Society's Tranf- 

 actions, p. 218, as follows : 



Corolla infera, hexapetala. Filamenta tria, biantherifera, fterilibus 

 tribus interftindtis. 



It belongs to the Order of Afphodeli of M. de Juffieu, and fhould 

 be arranged in the fame feSion with Allium. One part of the cha- 

 raftet of that feftion, radix hulbofa, requires however to be omitted, 

 as being neither neceilary to difcriminate Allium, nor applicable to 

 the genus before us. 



Sowerbaa is flrikingly diftinguifhed from every plant of the fame 

 natural order by having two anthers upon each filament, each of 

 which confifts of two cells, and burfts by two pores at the top. 

 Between the filaments which bear anthera:, three lliort blunt barren 

 ones are inferted. The antherae feparately confiJercd agree in flruc- 

 ture and manner of burfiing with M. de Lamarck's genus of Dia- 

 vella, Juff. Gen. 41 ; but in that each flands on its own filament, 

 and the fruit moreover is a berry. 



In the Linnean Syftem Scwerb^a mufl be placed between Aphyl- 

 lanthes and Allium in Hexandria Monogynia ; for every analogy, as 



well 



