MR. J. MIERS ON THE HIPPOCRATEACEÆ OF SOUTH AMERICA. 369 
nimo 3-lobo ; ovario disco occulto : capsulis immaturis 3, distinctis (ictu deformatis). 
In Guiana et Antillis: v. s. in herb. Mus. Brit., Cayenne (Martin); in herb. Hook., 
ins. Trinidad (4*Cruger) ; Trinidad (Baron Schach). 
This species was confounded by Vahl with the Hippocratea obovata, Rich., under the 
name of Tonsella multiflora; and these again were considered identical by Decandolle, 
who described it as Salacia multiflora. Poiret noticed it as being closely allied to H. co- 
mosa, which he thought might prove to be a variety of Lamarck’s species, on account of 
its similar capillary inflorescence. Baron Schach's specimen above cited may prove to be 
a distinct species, on account of its much smaller nigro-punctate leaves. The internodes 
of the branchlets are 2-2) in. long; the leaves are 6ł in. long, 3-3$ in. broad, on a 
petiole 3 lines long, in Martin's and M*Cruger's plants; in Baron Schach's they are 
4-43 in. long, 1-2 in. broad, on a petiole 4 lines long. The inflorescence is 3-4 in. 
long, the rachis being 3-4 in. long, opaque, sparsely verruculose, and throwing out several 
alternate branches 1-2 in. long, very thickly divided into numerous parallel capillary 
ramifications of a pale-red colour, with a single pedicellated flower in each of their alter- 
nate bracteolated axils; the capillary peduncle is 3-1 line long; the flower expanded is 
13 line in diameter. In Martin's specimen the misshaped carpels are 12-15 lines long, 
evidently punctured by insects, and without any trace of ovules or seeds ; but M‘Cruger, 
in a note attached to his plant, says “the seeds are delicious,” and of course edible, as in 
Swartz's species. Baron Schach states that the flowers in his plant are sweet-scented, 
the branches climbing up trees, with male and female flowers on the same “ spike "—an 
evident mistake, arising more probably from seeing the fertile flowers intermixed with 
the sterile ones, as Swartz clearly describes them. f 
4. HYLENAA JAMAICENSIS, nob.: Hippocratea volubilis, Lunan (non Linn.), Hort. Jam. 
i. 373: Hippocratea ovata, M‘Fadyen (non Lam.), Fl. Jam. 142: scandens, ramulis 
oppositis, patentibus, rigidis, lævibus, rubiginosis vel cinereo-glaucis, areuatim pen- 
dentibus : foliis ellipticis, utrinque subacutis, apice obtusulis, integerrimis, coriaceis, 
supra nitentibus, subtus pallidioribus, costa nervisque prominentibus; petiolo brevi, 
torto: capsulis 3, distinetis, ovatis, apice subemarginatis, compressis, divaricatis, 
tenuiter coriaceis, parallele nervosis, in medio carinatis, et hine in valvas 2 navicu- 
lares dehiscentibus, unilocularibus, bispermis; seminibus ovatis, nuciformibus, 
dorso carinatis, carina in stipitem brevem producta, ad basin loculi affixis. In An- 
tillis: Jamaica, ad fluv. Cabaretta (Robinson); St. Thomas Orient. (M‘Fadyen) : 
non vidi. 
The above details were given by Robinson, and published by Lunan as above quoted. 
The deseription of M*Fadyen is partly copied from the same source, adding his regret 
that he did not examine his plant when he collected it, and partly from Lamarck's 
aecount of his ZZippocratea ovata; such is the looseness and worthlessness of his detail. 
The plant above described is evidently congeneric with the three preceding species, 
although we have no account of its inflorescence. It may be identical with Baron 
Schach's specimen, described in the preceding page, with which it agrees in the size of 
