428 Mr. J. Miers on the Genus Cortesia. 



my own observations made from the living plant in 1825. I 

 found two species — one in dry desert tracts in the neighbour- 

 hood of Mendoza, the other fifty miles to the eastward, in 

 saline marshy ground, which is that described and figured by 

 Cavanilles. This genus has been rightly placed in the Ehre- 

 tiacecBj with which it accords in its tubular calyx, exserted 

 stamens, bifid style, and baccate fruit : it approaches Tourne- 

 fortia in its baccate 2-pyrenous fruit, each nut being 2-celled ; 

 but it differs in its solitary flowers, in the singular appendages 

 found between the calyx and corolla, in the absence of a 

 hypogynous disk, in its long bifid style, and in its persistent 

 campanular calyx. The following is an amended character of 

 the genus, from my own observations. 



Cortesia, Cav. — Calyx tubulosus, carnosus, extus pilosus, 

 intus densissime sericeo-villosus, ore dentibus 10-15 tereti- 

 bus obtusulis subinsequalibus glabris paulo divaricatis cum 

 membranis brevibus interjectis donatus, demum subcam- 

 panulatim dilatatus et persistens. Appendices circa 5-10 

 inter calycem et corollam positse, squamiformes, ingequales, 

 membranaceae, ovatae, utrinque pilosae, longe unguiculatae, 

 quorum 1 vel 2 calycem paulo superant, unguibus fili- 

 formibus extus pilosis, aut interdum omnes brevissimae et 

 ideo inter pilos facile invisae. Corolla tubulosa, glabra, 

 membranacea, tubo calycem paulo superante, medio vel 

 sub faucem angustato, limbo ad basin 5-partito, laciniis 

 aequalibus, oblongis, apice rotundatis, subexpansis, sestiva- 

 tione (cum uno axi remoto exteriore) imbricatis. Stamina 5, 

 laciniis alterna ; filamenta imo dilatata, superne teretia et 

 flexuosa, infra faucem enata, et cum costas totidem promi- 

 nentes continua, paulo aut longe exserta, erectiuscula, aesti- 

 vatione induplicato-inflexa : antherce oblongaa, obtusa3, imo 

 breviter divaricatge, introrsae, in sinu dorsali afiixae, oscilla- 

 torias, 2-loculares, loculis ad connectivum latum collatera- 

 liter affixis^ rima sublaterali dehiscentibus. Discus nullus. 

 Ovarium superum, pyriforme, imo turbinato-stipitatum, e 

 toro depresso ortum, subsulcatum, placentis 2 oppositis 

 semiseptiformibus bilamellatim introflexis hinc pseudo- 

 4-loculare, lamellis margine 1-ovulatis ; ovula paulo sub 

 apicem suspensa; gy7iohasis seu columella centralis mem- 

 branacea, imo ad apicem protensa, libera, demum ad pyrenas 

 adhaerens. Stylus elongatus, teres, fere ad medium 2-fidus, 

 ramis divaricatis, apice reflexis, sestivatione recurvatis ; 

 stigmata clavata, tubatim dilatata, rugulosa. Drujpa ob- 

 ovata, pericarpio subsicco, calyce cupulari semicincta, glabra, 

 nitida^ 2-pyrena, pyrenis plano-convexis, osseis, 2-locula- 



