Mr. J. Miers on the Menispermaceae. 25 



of forming three distinct syllables out of the three terminal 

 vowels. 



Nephkoica, Lour. — Flores dioici. Masc. Sepala 9, in ordine 

 ternario alternatim disposita, gradatim majora. Petala 6, 

 sepalis interioribus multo breviora, lineari-oblonga, imo utrin- 

 que auriculata, lobis involutis filamenta amplectentibus, apice 

 in lacinias 2 angustissimas acutas ssepius paulo inflexas pro- 

 funde fissis. Stamina 6, libera, petalis opposita, his subsequi- 

 longa vel longiora ; filamenta suberecta, apice sensim incras- 

 sata; antherce subglobosse, sub-4-lob3e_, dorso affixse, 2-locu- 

 lares, loculis connectivo angustissimo sejunctis, utrinque rima 

 horizontali 2-valvatim dehiscentibus. Ovaria sterilia 3, punc- 

 tiformia, centralia. — Fcem. Sepala et petala ut in masc. 

 Stamina sterilia 6, petalis opposita ; filamenta filiformia, brevia, 

 apice 2-punctata. Ovaria 6, rarissime pauciora, gibboso- 

 oblonga, gynsecio 6-lobato imposita, 1-locularia, 1-ovulata, 

 ovulo facie interiore medio affixo. Stylus brevis, excentralis. 

 Stigma elongatum^ teres, reflexum, superne canaHculatum. 

 Drup(B 6, vel abortu pauciores, ovatse, gibbse, carnosee, paulo 

 supra basin stylo persistente notatse; putamen reniformi- 

 orbiculatum, subcompressum, 1-loculare, loculo fere annulari 

 circa condylum gyrato, utrinque serie interiore lirarum 

 alteraque concentrica exteriore irregulariter sulcato; condylus 

 internus, cochleatus et bicameratus, extus utrinque profunde 

 excavatus et foramine lunato marginato perforatus. Semen 

 loculo conforme, dorso rotundatum, ventre subconcavum; 

 integumentum tenue, latere ventrali linea incrassata (chalaza) 

 ad condylum affixum ; embryo in albumine simplici carno- 

 sulo subcyclicus, cotyledonibus crassiusculis, foliaceis, lanceo- 

 lato-oblongis, incumbentibus, radicula tereti supera ad stylum 

 basalem spectante 3-plo latioribus et 4-plo longioribus. 



Frutices scandentes vel suberecti, per Asiam tropicam et insulas 

 dispersi ; folia petiolata, ovata vel lanceolata, e basi S-5-nervia ; 

 paniculse (^ axillares, racemosa, folio breviores, ramis Z-Ai-floris; 

 racemi ? axillares, breves, paucijlori. 



The following species will be fully described in the third volume 

 of the ' Contributions to Botany ': — 



I. Nephroica sarmentosa, Lour. Fl. Coch. ii. 692; — Nephroica 

 pubinervis, nob., hook. Kew Joum. iii. 259; — Cocculus 

 Nephroica, DC. Syst. i. 531, Prodr. i. 100 ; — Menispermum 

 • reniforme, Spr. Syst. ii. 156. — In China et Java: v. s. in 

 herb. Mus. Brit., Cochin- China (Loureiro) ; Java, c? et ? 

 (Banks & Solander) ; in herb. Hook. ^ , Hongkong (Cham- 

 pion, 202). 



