186 Mr. J. Miers on the genus Marckea. 



Pers. Ench. i. 218; — scandens^ glaberrima; foliis oblongis, 

 apice subito acuminatis, imo obtusis, nitidis, subcoriaceis ; 

 racemo longe pedunculato, paucifloro, corolla coccinea, calyce 

 2-3-plove longiore. — Guiana, v, s. in herb. Hook. (Surinam, 

 Hostman, no. 348). 



This is evidently a scandent plant with slender branches ; the 

 leaves are about 7^ inches long, 2| inches broad, upon a some- 

 what slender petiole, somewhat thickened at base, i inch in 

 length ; they are quite smooth and of thick texture ; the peduncle, 

 of the raceme is axillary, about 3 J inches long, bearing a few 

 flowers, only one remaining in the specimen above referred to ; 

 the pedicel is about 1 inch in length ; the sepals are \\ inch long, 

 scarcely 3 lines broad in the middle ; the tube of the corolla is 

 If inch long, 2 lines in diameter, swelling to half an inch below 

 the mouth ; the lobes are 5 lines long, 4 lines broad, rounded, 

 veined, overlapping each other on their margins, and when ex- 

 panded, form a border about 1^ inch in diameter ; the insertion of 

 the stamens is about half an inch above the base of the tube, the 

 filaments are very slender, nearly an inch long, and the anthers 

 are 3 lines in length ; the berry is 8 lines long, 4 lines in diameter, 

 apparently quite free of pulp, with a thin pericarp and slender 

 dissepiment, containing numerous divaricate, ascending, imbri- 

 cate seeds, each about 1^ line in length*. 



2. Marckea ? longiflora (n. sp.) ; — scandens, ramulis glabris com- 

 pressis ; foliis alternis, oblongis, apice repente acuminulatis, e 

 medio ad basin subattenuatis, breviter petiolatis, coriaceis, 

 glaberrimis, opacis; racemo sub-brevi, paucifloro ; corolla calyce 

 4-5 -plo longiore, tubo supra medium cylindraceo-campanulato, 

 limbi laciniis ovatis, subreflexis, staminibus inclusis. — Trini- 

 dad, V. s. in herb. Hook. (La Laguna de Ora pouche, Purdie.) 



This plant corresponds in its habit with Marckea^ but the spe- 

 cimen above referred to presents only a single flower in a very 

 bad condition, so that it is impossible to determine with certainty 

 whether or not it belongs to this genus. The leaves are 1\ inches 

 long, 3f inches broad, on a somewhat slender petiole thickened at 

 base, and half an inch in length ; they are quite coriaceous, opake 

 but not polished, though entirely glabrous ; they are marked with 

 strong prominent nerves ; the peduncle of the raceme is appa- 

 rently about \\ inch long, the pedicel 8 lines; the calyx exactly 

 corresponds with that of the preceding species, the sepals being 

 nearly an inch long, including their suddenly contracted linear 

 apical points of 3 lines ; they are about 4 lines broad, with nearly 



* A representation of this plant, with sectional details, will be given in 

 the 'Illust. South Amer. Plants,' plate 45. 



