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190 



MR. J. MIERS 



LECYTHIDACE^ 



the racllis of tlie raceme is 12 in. long, judging from Au"blet*s figure of a diminislied 

 and bearing 10 or 12 alternate flowers 



Poiteau relates that these racemes 



often 



the hare branches of preceding years, or upon the mam trunk, often attaining a 

 length of 3 feet, and bearing 100 flowers, each on a pedicel 1^-2 in. long, with 1 bract at 

 its base and 2 at its summit : from Aublet's drawing, allowing for the diminution of the 



figure (J), the pedicel would appear to be nearly 1 in. long, the flower expanded 4 in 



across ; 



the lobes of the calyx 3 lines long and broad ; the petals, 1 



Ion 



o 



of 



pale rose-colour; the pyxidium is globular, 6 in. in diam., the pericarp nearly ^ in. thick, 

 the epicarp and endocarp hard and ligneous ; the mesocarp subfleshy, which, becoming 

 gelatinous, escapes and leaves a hollow in its place ; the pericarp is filled with pulp 



enclosing numerous 



oval seeds 



each suspended by a long fleshy f unicle : the seeds 



constructed as shown in the introductory remarks, and as I have figured them. Poiteau 

 description of the fruit, derived from Tussac's details, refers to 0. Antillana. 



2. CoTJROTJPiTA SuRiKAMEKSis, Mart., Bcrg in Mart. PL Br. I. c. p. 476, tab. 57, 58,59; 



Linn, xxvii. 462 : ramis transversim rimosis, glabris, junioribus compressis, badiis : 

 foliis sparsis, oblongis, imo obtusis aut subacutis, apice sensim obtusate angustioribus, 

 remote glanduloso-denticulatis, submembranaceis, nervis plurimis patule diver- 

 gentibus vix prominentibus, transversim reticulatis, costa pauUo prominente, subtus 

 pallidioribus, costa nervisque prominentibus, puberulis, in axillis barbatis ; petiole 



canaliculato, pilosiusculo, limbo 5-6pl 



breviore : racemo terminali, folio sub 



longiore ; rachi validissima, angulata, puberula, multiflora ; pedicellis vahdis, lon- 

 giusculis, suberectis, apice bracteolis 2 parvis oppositis, et imo bractea oblonga obtusa 



ciliata puberula decidua munitis; floribus majusculis 



pal 



6, rotundato-ovatis 



subinsequalibus, imo in cupulam brevissimam connatis ; petalis ovali-orbicularibus 

 concavis, crassiusculis, albo-roseis; androphoro albo 

 semiinfero subhemisphgerico, 



; antheris mucronulatis ; ovario 

 5-7-loculari, ovulis numerosis, a placenta centrali 



orbicular!, vertice intra discum 



funiculis tenuibus suspensis ; stylo parvo, depresse o 

 convexo ; stigmate sessili, 8-radiato, papilloso : pyxidio speciei typicalis mole, peri- 

 carpio scrobiculato-verruculoso ; pulpa purpurea. In Guiana Batava, Surinam, prope 

 Paramaribo (non vidi). • 



A very large tree ; the axils of the leaves are 2-3 lines apart 



the leaves are 3-6 



long, 1 



21 in. broad 



petiole 8-12 lines long, with about 18-20 pairs of parallel 

 nerves : the rachis of the raceme is 6-12 in. long ; pedicles J-} in. apart, 8-12 Imes 



long; 



its basal bracts are 4 lines long, its upper bracts 2 



lines long 



panded is 3J-4 in. in diam. ; the larger petal 2 J in. long, li in. broad 



IJ in. long, 1 in. broad ; the androphorum ^ in. in diam 



and IJ in 



The flower 

 the smaller 

 long when 



57 



extended ; the calyx expanded is 9 lines in diam., its sepals 3 lines long, 2 lines broad 

 It appears to me there must be a mistake in Berg's drawing of the ovary in his plate 

 (lower flower), where it is represented as being quite superior and globose ; and this 



peated 

 species I have seen, the ovary is more than semiinferior, with 



plate 58, in its longitudinal section (third line, last figure) 



In 



the 



vertex ; and that 



'■-, 



