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Mr; J. Miers on the Calyceraces. 279 
XXXVIII.—On the Calyceracez. 
By Joun Miers, F.R.S., F.L.S. &e. 
[Continued from p. 190.] 
2. GAMOCARPHA. 
_ The typical species was collected in Chile by Péppig, who de- 
scribed and figured it under the name of Boopis alpina. DeCan- 
dolle afterwards founded upon it his genus Gamocarpha, its 
name expressing the fact of the accretion of its palez, first indi- 
eated by Lessing, from whose imperfect account DeCandolle 
established his brief and defective generic character. Lessing’s 
obscure description is as follows: “ Bracteole (palez) 1-nervie, 
acute, apice foliaceze connate in alveolas profundas ovaria tota 
laciniis 5 ellipticis, acutis, ipsis brevioribus coronata includentes.” 
(Linn. vi. 259.) Péppig states that the inner whorls of involu- 
cral leaflets are sometimes small or rudimentary, “ nonnunquam 
minimee vel rudimentarice, sensim in bracteolas (paleas) per re- 
eeptaculum planiusculum sparsas transeuntes.” (Nov. Gen. i. 21.) 
DeCandolle makes no mention of the existence of any palez, 
nor of the fact of their accretion which gave rise to his name of 
Gamocarpha, while the presence of palez is distinctly specified 
in all the other genera of the family; in their place, however, 
he states the existence of a fringed sheath round the base of 
each ovary, which I have not been able to discover: he says, 
“ fimbrille recept. acute in alveolas concrete.” From this it is 
manifest that he never examined the plant, that he did not un- 
- derstand Lessing’s meaning (rendered still more obscure by 
Péppig’s description), and that he consequently omitted all 
details of this unusual structure. 
_ [have had an opportunity of examining a plant in the Herba- 
rium of the Paris Museum, collected by Gay in the same neigh- 
bourhood as that where Péppig found his specimens; and this, 
compared with the drawing and description of the latter botanist, 
shows beyond any doubt that it is identical with the typical 
species which Lessing and Péppig have severally described. 
The involucre is here composed of six external folioles, which are 
very thick and fleshy, and united at their base into a short tube, 
upon the margin of the fleshy receptacle ; within this are four 
concentric series of palez, which are nearly of the length and 
size of the folioles, and are equally fleshy and green at their 
summits, though more membranaceous below : they are confluent 
by their margins for half their length, and the intervals between 
them are again divided by a number of membranaceous septa ema- 
nating from the fleshy midribs of some of the palez, and united 
to the margins of others in the adjoining series, forming in this 
