Mr. J. Miers on the genus Aptandra. 201 



mingling red spots. The ovarium is oblong, seated on a short 

 stipitate support, is somewhat conical and compressed, with a 

 groove along each flattened side, the style being continuous with 

 its apex, and surmounted by a compressed, obtuse, oblong stigma, 

 which is closely invested by the globular connective, so that it is 

 diflScult to extract it without breaking the style. The ovarium is 

 unilocular at its summit and bilocular at the base, the incom- 

 plete dissepiment corresponding with the grooves ; a single ovule 

 is suspended in each cell from the summit of the flattened axile 

 placenta, which is an extension of the half-dissepiment, and each 

 ovide appears enveloped by a distinct membrane, which is marked 

 on its dorsal face below the middle with short parallel lines of 

 reddish dots ; the lower part of the style, for the third of its 

 length, is hollow, this vacuity being an extension of the unilo. 

 "cular space in the summit of the ovarium, showing distinctly that 

 there exists no direct communication between the placenta and 

 the style. The fruit is yet unknown, but the calyx evidently 

 enlarges considerably, and the pedicel lengthens with the growth 

 of the ovarium, as in Heisteria. These characters, of which the 

 following is a diagnosis, evidently belong to no known genus : I 

 therefore propose for it the name oi Aptandra, from aiTTw, nedo, 

 and avrjp, mas, on account of the very curious union of the 

 stamens into a single organ. 



Aptandra (gen. nov.). — Calyx brevissimus, patelliformis, 4-sul- 

 catus,4-dentatus,carnosus,fructu augescens. Pe^«/a 4, sequalia, 

 calycis lobis alterna, carnosula, lineari-lingulseformia, summo 

 latiori concava, apiculo inflexo, sestivatione valvata, demum spi- 

 raliter reflexa. Squamis petaloidecE 4, liberse, crassse, rotun- 

 datse, petalis alternse, inter eadem et tubum staminalem sitse. 

 Stamen integrum (forsan e quatuor staminibus coalitis, petalis 

 exterioribus oppositis compositum), cyiindraceum, longitudine 

 corollse, tubo tereti, carnoso, pistillum presse cingente; antherce 

 ex loculis 8, oblongis, sequalibus, arete in annulum exfcrorsim 

 dispositis et in connectivum fere globularem crasso-carnosum, 

 summo pervium immersis, singulatim valvula exteriori mem- 

 branacea ab apice ad basin valvatim soluta, et hinc diutine 

 omnino reflexa. Pollen subfarinaceum, cruciformi-lobatum, 

 granulis amplis. Ovarium conico-oblongum, subcompressum, 

 2-sulcatum, imo biloculare, summo uniloculare, loculo cum 

 cavo styli longe continuo ; ovula in loculis solitaria, anatropa, 

 obovata, apice placentae centralis liberse dissepimento adnatse 

 utrinque suspensa. Stylus filiformis, erectus, longitudine fere 

 staminis, imo conicus et cavus. Stigma oblongum, compressum, 

 obtusum, inclusum. Frwc^iw ignotus. — Arhov biorgyalis, Ama- 

 zonicus, glaber ; folia atterna, elliptica, penninervia, reticulata, 



