262 Mr. J. Miers on the genus Brachistus. 
branaceous, with numerous seeds attached on each side. The 
ovarium is also surrounded at its base by a distinct annular dise, 
and is not seated simply upon a fleshy torus as m Aenistus. 
These plants appear to me closely allied to the Physalis arbo- 
yescens, Willd, which, on account of its arborescent habit and its 
different form of flower, | propose to separate from that genus 
and attach to this group. They may thus be made to constitute 
a distinct genus under the name of Brachistus, from BpdywoTos, 
brevissimus, on account of the shortness of the tube of their 
corolla. As Lochroma (which I have made to include Chenesthes) 
differs from Acnistus principally in the length of the tube of its 
corolla, so Brachistus on the other hand is not less distinct from 
that genus on account of the extreme shortness of the tube of 
the corolla, and its deeply cleft rotate border. This genus will 
first include all the species of Wetheringia of Prof. Kunth (of 
which I will give below amended characters) with the exception 
of W. riparia, which from its infundibuliform corolla is evidently 
an Acnistus, and W. angustifolia, which from its racemose blue 
flowers and other characters evidently does not belong to this 
genus, appertaining more probably to the same group as Solanum 
montanum. For the same reason are excluded the W. crassifolia, 
Dun., and W. pendula, R. and Sch. The W. salicifolia, Hook., 
is a Capraria according to Mr. Bentham, although it offers re- 
gular pentandrous flowers: it evidently belongs to the genus 
Xuaresia of R. and P.: the six herbaceous species of Witheringia 
_ of Dunal and Sprengel enumerated by Dr. Walpers (Repert. iui. 
pp- 31, 32), as 1 have before remarked, appear to me to belong to 
Solanum. The following I consider to be its generic characters : 
Bracuistus (gen. nov.).—Calyz parvus, urceolatus, margine 
integro, vel rarius 4—5-dentato, persistens et non augescens. 
Corolla subrotata, tubo brevi, limbo 4—5-partito, lobis oblongis 
acutis, «stivatione valvata. Stamina 4—5, erecta; filamenta 
imo subdilatata, paulo supra basin corolle adnata; anthere 
oblong, submucronulatz, 2-lobze, lobis arcte aduatis margine 
exteriore dehiscentibus. Ovarium ovatum, disco annulari imo 
cinctum, 2-loculare, dissepimento tenui utrinque in placentam 
membranaceam bifidam ovuligeram producto, ovulis plurimis. 
Stylus simplex, longitudine stammum. Stigma clavatum, sub- 
2-lobum. Bacca parva, globosa, calyce parvulo suffulta, 2- 
locularis. Semina compressa, in pulpo aquoso nidulantia, 
sublenticularia, festa aspero-scrobiculata ; ceetera ignota.—Ar- 
bores vel frutices Americe Aiquinoctialis: folia alterna vel sepius 
gemina, altero multo minori et heteromorpho, subintegra vel an- 
gulato-dentata ; flores aaillares, fasciculato-congesti, perpauct, 
vel. rarius solifarit, pedicellis 1-floris, gracilibus, erectis, demum 
cernurs. 
