Mr. J. Miers on the genus Larnax. 37 



Physalis gracilis (n. sp.) ; — caule gracili, substricto, pubescente ; 

 foliis ovatis, acutis, petiolatis, ssepe insequilateralibus, crassi- 

 usculis, utrinque pallidis et pubescentibus, petiolo sublongo, 

 piloso; floribus axillaribus, subsolitariis, pedunculo gracili, 

 petiolo sequilongo, l-floro^ flore nutante; calyce campanulato, 

 profunde 5-partito, lobis acutis; corolla cyathiformi-campa- 

 nulata, lutea, maculis 5 magnis violaceis notata, limbo 5-angu- 

 lato_, angulis obtusis ; staminibus corolla brevioribus, filamentis 

 brevissimis. — Real del Monte, Mexico, v, s. in herb. Hook. 

 (Coulter, 1222). 



The specimen is scarcely more than 8 inches long, with a 

 single, slim, straight, apparently erect and somewhat branching 

 stem; the internodes are about 1 inch, the leaves 12 to 15 lines 

 long, 8 lines broad, upon a slender petiole 4 lines in length, they 

 are somewhat obtuse and unequal at base ; the more slender pe- 

 duncle is about 6-8 lines ; the calyx, 5 lines long, is half cleft into 

 five acute segments, and together with the peduncle is hairy ; the 

 corolla is 8 lines broad and 4 lines deep, the filaments are 3 lines, 

 and the anthers nearly 2 lines long*, 



Larnax. 



There exists a small group of plants in several respects ap- 

 proaching Physalis as defined in the preceding page, but which 

 differ in having fasciculate flowers, a corolla deeply 5 -cleft, 

 and in being herbaceous, erect, not prostrate plants. They vary 

 from Cacahus and Thinogeton in the structure and colour of their 

 corolla. The type is the Physalis subtriflora of the ' Flora Pe- 

 ruviana,' tab. 176, and two other plants described by Prof. Kunth 

 are evidently congeneric wdth it. They difier from Saracha in 

 their flowers being fasciculate, not decidedly umbellate, and in 

 their inflated calyx, which subsequently incloses the fruit, as in 

 Physalis. They approach Margaranthus very closely, but they 

 do not accord with that genus in the form of their corolla. The 

 generic name proposed for this group is derived from \dpva^, 

 capsa, because the fruit is encased by the swollen calyx. 



Larnax (gen. nov.). — Calyx tubulosus, angulatus, tenuis, 5-den- 

 tatus, demum augescens et vesicarius. Corolla tubo brevis- 

 simo, campanulato-infundibuliformi, limbo 5-fido, lobis acutis, 

 subpatentibus. Stamina 5, brevia, tubo inclusa, sequalia, fila- 

 menta brevissima, anthera 2-loculares, loculis adnatis. Ova- 

 rium ovatum, 2-loculare. Stylus brevis, erectus, apice sub- 

 incurvus. Stigma sub-2-lobum. Bacca pisiformis, 2-locularis, 



* A figure of this species will be given in plate 39 B. of the ' Illust. South 

 Amor. Plants.' 



