25 1 Mr. J. Miers on the genus Cacabus. 



reticulate pictum inclusa, subrotunda, exsucca, cortice fragili 

 evalvato, 2-locularis, dissepimento tenui^ placentis subcruciatis 

 seminigeris. Semina numerosa, subreniformia, compressa, 

 testa rugosa, hilo lateral! marginali. Embryo intra albumen 

 carnosum teres, subannularis, radicula angulo basali spectante 

 et hilo eyitante, cotyledonibus semiteretibus sequilonga. — Herbse 

 America meridionalis prostrates, subsuccosa, pilosce, No lance 

 facie ; folia in axillis alterna, geminata, ovata, sinuato-angulosa, 

 petiolata; flores gemini, extra-axillares, pedunculati ; corolla 

 violacea. 



1. Cacabus prostratuSy Bernh. Zmyi. xiii. p. 360. Physalis pro- 

 strata,, X^&nY. loc.cit.; Jacq.Ic.PLRar.Am. tab. 38; Andrews, 

 Rep. tab. 75 ; Nees ab Esenb. Linn. vi. p. 480. P. Limensis, 

 Retz. Observ. v. p. 22. Physaloides prostrata, Monch. Method. ; 

 — herbaceus, annuus, pilis articulatis patentibus vestitus, caule 

 prostrato ; ramulis dichotome flexuosis ; foliis radicalibus op- 

 positis, caulinis alternis, et geminis, altero minori, late ovatis, 

 sinuato- vel repando-angulatis, basi subinsequalibus, obtusis, 

 supra glabris, subtus villosis, margine ciliatis, longe petiolatis, 

 petiolo canaliculato dilatato, ciliato, folio sequilongo : pedun- 

 culis solitariis vel geminis, in axillis lateralibus, floriferis 

 erectis, demum reflexis, elongatis ; corolla cserulea, imo albido- 

 radiata ; bacca globosa, glandulo parvo epigyno apiculata, 

 calyce membranaceo multo majori recondita. — Peruvia, in ma- 

 ritimis ? ad Chancay et Chorillos, Prov. Limse. — v. s. in herb. 

 Soc. Lin. {ex hort. cult.); in herb. Hook. (Palaria, adsinum "los 

 Chorillos^^ dictum, MacLean). 



It is unnecessary to offer any detailed account of this species, 

 as we find so excellent an account of it given by L^Heritier, who 

 described it from living plants, at that time growing in England ; 

 it seems however to have been long lost to our gardens, although 

 it was cultivated in Lee's nursery grounds in 1793, accord- 

 ing to the specimen preserved in Sir J. E. Smithes herbarium. 

 The leaves are from 2 to 2^ inches long, 1|^ to IJ inch broad ; 

 they are finely reticulated, with a number of raised minute dots 

 in each areole ; the petiole is about 2 inches long, the flowers are 

 quickly fugacious ; the corolla is 1 inch long and 1 inch dia- 

 meter across the mouth, the contracted base of the tube being 

 3 lines in length ; the filaments are 3 lines long, slender, and 

 hairy below ; the fructiferous caljrx is white, and almost transpa- 

 rent, hairy, globose, contracted in the mouth, with ten longitudinal 

 nervures and anastomosing reticulations of a dark green colour, 

 and is half an inch in diameter ; the inclosed berry, when ripe, 

 is 3 lines in diameter, 2-celled, with bifurcate placentae bearing 

 a number of minute rugose seeds ; it is quite devoid of pulp ; the 

 pericarp is membranaceous, indehiscent, and its apex is marked 



