Mr. J. Miers on the genus Withcringia. 145 



Wither: NGi A, L'Her., Mart. Athencea, Sendt. — Calyx sub- 

 campanulatus, profunde 5-partitus, persistens. Corolla rotata, 

 tubo brevi, limbo 5-partito^ laciniis oblongis, acuminatis^ sesti- 

 vatione valvata. Stamina 5, erecta ; filamenta filiformia, brevia, 

 paulo supra basin corollse inserta, imo repente triangulariter 

 dilatata, et bine in annulum fere coalita; anthertB oblongse, 

 2-loculares, basi emarginato-cordatse, loculis counectivo an- 

 gusto dorsali parallele connatis, longitudinaliter debiscentibus. 

 Ovarium ovatum, 2-loculare, ovulis plui-imis, utrinque disse- 

 pimento adnatis. Stylus simplex, longitudiue staminum, apice 

 iucrassatus, fistulosus. Stigma subintegrum, glandula gluti- 

 nosa 2-loba semi-immersa. Bacca ovata, calyce aucto tecta. 

 Semina compressa, rliomboideo-rcniformia, in pulpam tenuem 

 nidulantia, testa scrobiculata, subscabra, bilo perforate in sinu 

 marginali. Embryo in albumen carnosum, subspiralis : coty- 

 ledonibus semiteretibus, radicula 3-4-plo brevioribus. — Fru- 

 tices Brasilienses, dichotome ramosae; folia alterna, vel gemina 

 altero minori {in turionibus subfasciculata), Integra ; flores pe- 

 dunculati, axillares, vel in dichotomiis solitarii, bini, vel plures 

 fasciculati, et tunc alterna vice singulatim tardius enati, pedun- 

 culo fructifero demum erecto, elongato et incrassato. 



1. Witheinngia picta, Mart., Nov. Gen. et Spec. iii. 74. tab. 227. 

 Witberingia birsuta, Gardn. Loud. Journ. Bot. i. 541. Atbengea 

 picta, Sendtn. Flor. Bras. fasc. vi. p. 134 ; Walp. Repert. vi. 580. 

 — Brasilia, Prov. Hio de Janeiro et Minas Geraes. 



To tbe long and excellent description of Von Martins above 

 referred to, it is quite u.nnecessary to offer tbe smallest additional 

 remark, except tbat Gardner's plant wbicb I collected at tbe same 

 time does not appear to me to offer any difference from that 

 figured by Martins, and tbat it is a little more bairy* : if 

 therefore it does not belong to this species, it most probably is 

 referable to W. pogogena. Of the following seven species I have 

 no knowledge whatever, beyond the short notice extracted by 

 Dr. Walpers from Dr. Sendtner's description, to which I refer 

 the reader. 



2. Witheringia pogogena. Athensea pogogena, *S^ewc?/w. loc.cit. 

 p. 135 ; Walp. Repert. vi. 580. Solanum pogogenum, Moricand, 

 PI. Nouv. d'Amer. iii. 24. tab. 17. — Brasilia, Prov. Bahia. 



3. Witheringia micrantha. Athensea micrantha, Sendtn. loc. 

 cit. ; Walp. Rep. vi. 580. — Brasilia, Villa Vicosa. 



* As Dr. von Martina's admirable work is within the reacli of few per- 

 sons, and as it may be desirable to compare the above with its analogons 

 genera, I have given a figure with full details of tlie structure of this species, 

 which I first collected at Tejuca in IS.'Jo, and afterwards with Mr. Gardner 

 in 1837 (Gardn. no. 237) ; it will be shown in the ' Illust. S. Amer. Plants,' 

 pi. 35. 



Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 2. Vol. iii. 10 



