161 
ON A NEW SPECIES OF BOUSSINGAULTIA. 
By Joun Miers, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S., ETC. 
(Prate XVIIL) 
The genus Boussingaultia was founded, in 1825, by Kunth, on a 
plant from the Ecuador region, which was then described and figured 
by him; he placed it in Chenopodee, pointing out its affinity to Basella 
and Anredera. Subsequently the family of the Basellacee was es- 
tablished by Moquin-Tandon, who placed Boussingaultia there, in his 
suborder Anrederea, recording at the same time two other species from 
Mexico. All the plants of this family, comprised under six genera, 
belong to the New World, except those of the genus Basella, which is 
Asiatic. The discovery of a new species of Boussingaultia, from Brazil, 
is therefore interesting, for all the plants above mentioned are co 
to the western side of the American continent. It is true that Tweedie 
sent a plant from Buenos Ayres, supposed to be ctiltivated, and which 
was referred to Kunth’s type of the genus, but it was probably the 
plant now about to be described, which forms a fourth species of the 
genus. 
4. Boussingaultia gracilis, n. Sp.; scandens, glaberrima, ramulis 
teneribus, subcompressis, angulato-striatis, subflexuosis, dependentibus ; 
foliis obovatis, imo acutis et in petiolum subbrevem canaliculatum de- 
rrentibus, apice acutis et cuspidato-acuminatis, siccis membranaceis 
et fuscescentibus, utrinque opacis, nervis tenerrimis immersis ; racemis 
axillaribus, glaberrimis, ramosis ; ramis longissimis, gracillimis, dense 
spicatis ; pedicellis brevibus, imo uni- apice bibracteatis, filamentis dila- 
tatis subulatis ; ovario ovato, 3-sulcato ; stylo ultra medium 3-fido, ramis 
tenuibus, stigmatibus papilloso-globosis.—Brazil. v. s. in Hb. Soc. 
Reg. Hort.—Prov. S. Paulo (Weir, 486). 
The branch is barely a line in thickness, with its internodes 13-2 
inches apart ; leaves 13-2 inches long, 10—14 lines broad, on a petiole 
3 lines long; raceme bare at base for the length of $ inch, whence 
it throws out 1-4 alternate branches, varying in length from 4-9 
inches; these are densely spicate on a very slender rachis, pedicels 1 
line long, basal bract lline, two apical bracts 2 line long; calyx 
scarcely 2 lines long, two exterior sepals somewhat shorter than the 
VOL. II. [JUNE 1, 1864.] M 
—————————— PO 
