Mr. J. Miers on the Menispermacese. 89. 



in its glanduliferous, cuneate^ orbicular petals, iu its free stamens 

 in the (^flower, and in the want of petals, in its peculiar sterile 

 stamens, and a different stigma in the ? flower, and in the widely- 

 different form of theputamen and structure of the seed. The leaves 

 are broadly ovate, often cordate at base, with five straight basal 

 nerves reaching nearly to the apex, and much branched exter- 

 nally, polished and reticulated above, glauco-pruinose beneath, 

 on a pubescent petiole more than half their length. The^^ 

 axillary panicle is about the length of the petiole, with some- 

 what verticillate branches : the ? inflorescence is much shorter, 

 with a bifurcate peduncle, each branch bearing about three 

 alternate pedicellated flowers : the ^ flower has six sepals, six 

 petals, and six free stamens : the ? flower has six sepals, no pe- 

 tals, six sterile stamens opposite the sepals, the filament being 

 much compressed and dilated considerably towards the apex, 

 which is truncated, bearing a cup-shaped gland immersed in each 

 angle : the putamen is cuneately orbicular, greatly compressed, 

 with an excentral, concave, scutiform impression; around the 

 hippocrepiform cell it has a very broad wing, formed of five flat 

 plates (one peripheral, two lateral on each side), cleft into 

 pergamineous or soft teeth, somewhat imbricated and radiating 

 in a direction parallel with the faces, and from which the meso- 

 carpal pulp, in which they are imbedded, is with difficulty sepa- 

 rated*. I have not seen a perfect seed; but Dr. Mueller states 

 (Fl. Austral, i. 56) that the embryo is in the axis of the albumen, 

 with narrow cotyledons closed against each other — a definition 

 scarcely comprehensible ; but, as he refers his plant to Cocculus, 

 we may interpret his meaning to be that the embryo has incum- 

 bent cotyledons imbedded in albumen, as in that genus ; and on 

 this evidence I have placed Legnephora among the Platygonea, 

 after Tristicho calyx. 



Legnephora, nob. — Flores dioici. Masc. Sepala 6, biscriata, 

 subsequalia, elliptica, vix acuta, extus pilosa, 3 exteriora paulo 

 angustiora, sestivatione imbricata. Petala 6, squamiformia, 

 sepalis opposita et 6-plo breviora, cuneato-rotundata, lateribus 

 glanduloso-incrassatis, glabra, carnosula. Stamina 6, petalis 

 sequilonga et opposita; flamenta teretia, sursum gradatim 

 incrassata; anthera subglobosse, filamento 2-plo latiores, 

 dorso affixse, introrsse, 2-loculares, loculis connectivo angusto 

 paululo excurrente sejunctis, utrinque rima transversali 2- 

 valvatim dehiscentibus. — Fcem. Sepala ut in masc. Petala 

 nulla. Stamina sterilia 6, sepalis opposita et 2-plo breviora, 

 cuneato-linearia, apice dilatata et truncata, subcanaliculata, 



* Hence the generic name, from \cyui] {fimbria), (f>€p<o (fero). 

 Ann. S^ Mag, N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol, xix. 7 



