252 Mr. J. Miers on the genus Leucophyllum. 
towards the basal angle of the seed below the hilum, which is 
seen in the marginal sinus*. 
LEUCOPHYLLUM. 
This genus was first published and figured in the ‘ Plante 
{Hquinoctiales,’ and Bonpland in his observations upon it re- 
marks, that although it appears to belong to Scrophulariacee, on 
account of its didynamous stamens, it bears in its habit more 
the aspect of the Solanacee, and from this circumstance, the 
specific name of L. ambiguum was evidently given to the species 
he described. 
Professor Kunth, in his ‘ Nov. Gen. et Sp.’ 1. p. 360, observes, 
that this genus may be considered as nearly allied to Maurandia 
aud Antirrhinum molle, but I cannot perceive any such analogy. 
Dr. Lindley, in his ‘ Nat. Syst. Bot.’ p. 292, placed this genus 
in Scrophulariacee, among the tribe Veronice, and Dr. Endlicher 
in his ‘ Gen. Plant.’ follows this example ; lastly, Mr. Bentham in 
his admirable monograph of this order arranges it in his tribe 
Gratiolee, and his subtribe Aptosimee (DC. Prod. x. 344). After 
a careful examination of the structure of this genus, I have come 
toa very different conclusion, and hope to show, by good evidence, 
that its true place is near Atropa and Lycium, and therefore not 
among the Scrophulariacee. The structure of the corolla in 
Leucophyllum precisely corresponds with that of Atropa, having 
a campanulate tube, with a small border shghtly oblique, of five 
nearly equal rounded lobes, which are imbricately disposed in 
estivation, and five somewhat unequal stamens, two being always 
shorter ; and it sometimes happens that the anthers of one of the 
three other stamens are abortive, or the fifth stamen altogether 
wanting; and such is the state, I conclude, of the species described 
by Bonpland, as I have noticed in Hartweg’s specimen, although, 
in Galeotti’s plant of L. ambiguum, I have found the flowers to be 
always pentandrous, as in L. campanulatum. All the species of 
Leucophyllum resemble Lycium in their fruticose habit, with 
solitary, axillary, violet-coloured flowers, and one species has an 
evident tendency to become spinous, like this last-mentioned 
genus. Had Leucophyllum possessed a baccate fruit, its position 
would unquestionably have been between Atropa and Lycium ; 
but as it is capsular, it will fall into a new tribe, which may be 
called Leucophyllee, that will stand between the Hyoscyamee and 
Atropee (huj. op. ii. 166). The following is an outline of its 
generic features :— 
Lrevucoruyiium, Bonpl. (char. reform.).—Calyz parvus, pro- 
funde 5-fidus, laciniis eequalibus, lanceolatis, erectis. Corolla 
* A figure of this species and its analytical details will be given in plate 57 
of the ‘ Illustr. South Amer. Plants.’ 
