Mr. J. Miers on the Ehretiacea?. 313 



tion of the ovary after the fall of the corolla conforms to the 

 character of the genus. 



19. Grematomia(?) huanita; — Morelosia huanita, LI. et Lex. 

 Nov. Veg. Desc. 1; Don, Diet. iv. 392; — ramulis tortuosis, 

 ultimis cleformatis, angulatis ; foliis in extreraitate ramu- 

 lorum ovatis, nitidis, integerrimis, longe petiolatis : pani- 

 culis corymbosis, terminalibus ; floribus plurimis, sessilibus, 

 articulatis et caducis, odoratissimis ; calyce coriaceo, ven- 

 tricose tubuloso, 5-fido ; corollas tubo calyce subbreviore, 

 lobis rotundis, asstivatione inter se cucullatim imbricatis, 

 demum patentissimis ; filamentis medio tubi insertis, subu- 

 latis, imo tomentosis ; antheris exsertis, sagittatis, polline 

 albido ; ovario conico, striato ; stylo apice 2-fido, cum stig- 

 matibus clavatis ; drupa globosa, sub-4-gona, subcarnosa, 

 coriacea, nitida, styli vestigio apiculata, imo laciniis caly- 

 cinis circumdata ; nuce oblonga, 4-sulcata, loculis 4 mono- 

 spermis (an in 4 demum solubili ?) . — In Mexico, ad Uru- 

 puam, prov. Mechoacan (Valladolid) (non vidi). 



The Morelosia of La Llave and Lexarza has always been a 

 genus of doubtful position : by its authors it was considered to be 

 near Cordiacece on the one hand, and near Ebenacece on the other. 

 Endlicher placed it after Symplocos, stating that its ovary was 

 inferior and adnate to the calyx — an error arising from an 

 ambiguous expression in its original character. Prof. De 

 Candolle showed (Prodr. x. 177) that it could not belong to 

 Borraginece, Ebenacece, or Styraceo?. The characters given 

 of it are sufficiently clear, showing that its ovary is superior 

 and enclosed in a tuhular per igy nous corolla, and that its fruit 

 is supported by the ruptured segments of the calyx. The error 

 above-mentioned has arisen from the expression of the author, 

 " calyx adherens," meaning persistent or attached to the base of 

 the drupe. Its bifid style, combined with its other characters, 

 shows that it belongs to Ehretiaceo?, and either to Bourreria or 

 Crematomia, probably the latter, on account of its Mexican 

 origin, the short tube of the corolla, the large imbricated lobes 

 of its border, and the stamens tomentose at base : it is a spe- 

 cies near C. formosa, from which it appears to differ little. 

 The character of the fruit was probably drawn from the drupe 

 in an immature state, when the achenia were agglutinated 

 together. 



It is described as a tree of middle size, with a scabrid, 

 rough trunk, its leaves being 3-4 inches long, upon elongated 

 petioles. 



Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser.4, VolMi. 23 



