262 Mr. J. Miers on the Menispermacee. 
each extremity, plane and glabrous; three stamens somewhat 
shorter than the petals, united for two-thirds of their length 
into a central column, leaving their extremities free, somewhat 
divaricated, broad, compressed, bearing two anther-cells at their 
apex inside, which are dorsally attached, collateral, separated by 
a narrow space, each opening introrsely by a longitudinal furrow. 
The genus agrees with Desmonema in its three monadelphous 
stamens, but differs in their anthers being quite introrse, in 
having nine equal sepals, in its more compound raceme, in the 
very distinct character of its leaves, and a completely dissimilar 
habit. It differs also from other genera with three monadel- 
phous stamens by the characters enumerated under Desmonema. 
Ruarronema, nob.—Flores dioici. Mase. Sepala 9, in ordine 
ternario alternatim disposita, spathulato-oblonga, squalia, 
membranacea, extus pilosa, intus glabra, estivatione imbri- 
cata, demum rotatim expansa. Petala 6, biseriata, oblonga, 
subacuta, sepalis fere tertio parte breviora, plana, submem- 
branacea, glabra, nervo medio fusco signata. Stamina 3, mo- 
nadelpha, petalorum longitudine; filamenta ultra medium in 
columnam centralem coalita, sursum libera, complanata, paulo 
divaricata; anthere omnino introrse, dorso adnate, 2-lobe, 
lobis ovatis, paulo dissitis, parallelis, sulco longitudinali de- 
hiscentibus. 
Suffrutex Madagascariensis, subhumilis, ramosus; ramuli sub- 
tenues, tomentosi; folia oblonga, imo rotundata, apice obtusa, 
penninervia, nervis inter se ubique anastomosantibus, hinc 
grosse reticulatis, supra subpilosa, subtus pubescentia, petiolo 
tenui, subbrevi: paniculis g racemosis, in axillis supremis solt- 
tariis, hine fere terminalibus, ramis brevibus, alternatis, flores 
1-3 brevissime pedicellatos gerentibus ; flos parvus. 
The specifie characters of this plant will be given in my 
‘Contributions to Botany.’ 
Rhaptonema cancellata, nob.—In Madagascar : v.s.in herb. Hook. 
loc. cit. (Gerard, 18). 
62. SomPHOXYLON. 
This genus was established by Dr. Eichler, in Martius’s ‘ Flora 
Brasiliensis,’ upon a scandent plant from Dutch Guiana; but 
its characters are not all fully known. One of its peculiari- 
ties, which suggested its generic name, is that its wood is 
extremely soft and spongiose. Its leaves are rather large, 
6-9 inches long, 4—74 inches broad, on a petiole 4 inches long, 
somewhat penninerved and glabrous. The ¢ inflorescence is a’ 
widely spreading panicle, 2 feet long, 14 foot broad, with its 
