324 Mr. J. fliers on the Menispermaceae. 



carnosulis, accumbentibus, falcatis, radiculam parvam subsupe- 

 ram ad stylum fere basalem spectantem multoties superantibus. 

 Frutex Australice septentrionalis scandens ; ramuli teneri, tereteSj 

 puhescentes ; folia obovata, coriacea, nervosa, reticulata, suh- 

 glabra, subtus pubescentia, petiolata : racemi ? axillares, soli- 

 tarii, pilosuli, folio breviores, pauciflori. 



The following species will be described in the third volume of 

 the ' Contributions to Botany :' — 



Pleogyne Cunninghami, nob. — In Australia boreali \ v. s. ^ in 

 herb. Heward, Cambridge Gulf (A. Cunningham, 469). 



47. MiCROCLISIA. 



This genus was established by Mr. Bentham (Nov. Gen. i. 

 p. 435) upon an Australian plant from Moreton Bay; sub- 

 sequently, in his ' Flora of Australia/ he united it with my 

 genus Pleogyne, considering it to be the male plant of Cunning- 

 ham's species, on which the latter genus was founded. I have 

 lately seen the Moreton-Bay plants, and examined their floral 

 structure, which I find somewhat at variance with the diagnosis 

 above cited. According to my observations, the J flower of 

 Microclisia has distinctly fifteen sepals, six petals, only three 

 stamens; and the $ , according to Mr. Bentham, has only three 

 carpels ; while, on the other hand, Pleogyne, in the $ flower, has 

 only six sepals, no petals (according to Cunningham), six sta- 

 mens, and six carpels. The one plant is found in Moreton Bay, 

 the other in Cambridge Gulf, on the opposite side of the Aus- 

 tralian continent. Under Pleogyne I have mentioned other 

 reasons besides these for urging the retention of Microclisia as 

 a distinct genus. 



I found only ^ specimens in the Hookerian herbarium ; but 

 Mr. Bentham describes the seed as being exalbuminous, with 

 very thick, fleshy cotyledons, dmost agglutinated together: 

 consequently I have placed this genus among the P^chygonea, 

 It presents a considerable degree of analogy with the African 

 genus Triclisia in its seemingly conferruminated cotyledons, its 

 much larger and more elongated inner row of three subvalvate 

 sepals, and in having only three stamens. The three inner 

 sepals, four to six times the length of the twelve more external 

 bracteiform scales, are almost valvate in sestivation, with the 

 margins sUghtly involuted; the six petals are one-third their 

 size, equal, cuneately unguiculated at base, with a suborbicular 

 crenated limb, with its margins subinvoluted, and they are 

 marked by two irregular fleshy glands ; they are also somewhat 

 pellucido-punctate ; the three stamens are free, seated in the 



